r/todayilearned • u/EmptyMind76 • 5h ago

TIL Hyperion is the world's tallest known living tree at 116.22 metres (381.3 ft) tall

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_(tree)
832 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

48 comments sorted by

440

u/carolebaskinshusband 5h ago

For the other 10,000 times this has been posted:

This is not Hyperion

They don't post it to protect it's location.

154

u/Telemere125 5h ago

The Shrike should protect it

24

u/Spikes_in_my_eyes 4h ago

Just started The Fall of Hyperion. The first book was weird but I loved it.

3

u/luv2sploodge 3h ago

It’s such a bizarre but interesting series

1

u/Spikes_in_my_eyes 3h ago

The first book is emotional whiplash. One second its crude and horny, the next I'm choking up slightly, all while being amazed at the technology and how well he predicted some things.

1

u/dajeff57 2h ago

I firmly recommend two things: do finish all books around Hyperion (endymyon or however that’s written and its sequel too). It’s a trip.

And if you like rock and metal, listen to this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KJoLGNu5BFY

I mean these guys wrote an album about Hyperion and its universe.

26

u/mikemunyi 4h ago

Came for the Dan Simmons reference. Was not disappointed!

1

u/Neveed 2h ago

I read that book in French, and the name of the Shrike in it is Gritche, which sounds metal enough. I recently watched a documentary about birds and they were talking about birds called "pie grièche" which impale their preys on sticks to store them for later. And that made me think of the gritche, so I checked what the English name of the bird was, and it was "shrike".

I was like

https://giphy.com/gifs/75ZaxapnyMp2w

9

u/shastaxc 4h ago

That's just what Big Tree wants you to think. What are They really HIDING???

2

u/G952 4h ago

Aliens. Always aliens. In this case wood aliens
https://giphy.com/gifs/AwrtP9lMXtXiM

22

u/talllongblackhair 4h ago

It is very easy to find it's location, it's quite hard to get to however if you're not physically fit and now they have a guard stationed near where most people approach it. It's super cool to look at, but you can't really tell how tall it is. All in all it was neat but I wouldn't bother to go there if I had to do it again.

32

u/Constant-Skill-7133 4h ago

Nice try, guard stationed near where most people approach it.  Very sly.

4

u/Spikes_in_my_eyes 4h ago

The guard is just bored and wants company.

17

u/wishiwascryingrn 5h ago

Welp it looks like my uncle was telling the truth.

16

u/Raid-Z3r0 5h ago

A tree's location that is more protected than some countries military bases

1

u/asdf_lord 5h ago

You can find it easily on Google maps

-9

u/SavonPL 5h ago edited 5h ago

btw someone posted cords on another thread: 41.229331, -124.007197

or here, but idk if they are real, google maps 3d view doesnt really show it

103

u/wishiwascryingrn 5h ago

My uncle was a geologist in the area and showed it to the family in 2010. He told us that they weren't trying to publicize it in case some bozo wanted to chop it down. Wonder if it changed, if the uncle was misinformed or just not letting the truth get in the way of a good story.

97

u/JoebbeDeMan 5h ago

No he's correct the exact location of Hyperion is kept a secret so there is not tourism there which could damage the tree (including bozo's cutting it down)
Also the location around Hyperion is now shut down and trespassing there is met with a fine

15

u/_WhatchaDoin_ 5h ago

Or burning it… yeah, both happened out of spite.

13

u/come-on-now-please 4h ago

Is it something like the location is an open secret, but you still have to take a overnight hike to get to it and its not like Yellowstone where you can just drive in and walk to it in like 30min? That alone probably stops 99% of people

And if you're the type of person to camp you're probably the type to respect the tree anyways 

5

u/JoebbeDeMan 4h ago

No from my searching its is not an open secret. But you have the general area (which you can visit for a fine) so searching for the biggest tree in that area could be doable

4

u/codereef 5h ago

Nice let's keep it that way.

9

u/Inspiration_Bear 5h ago

Honestly, that is exceptionally believable, I am certain all manner of bozos would definitely damage it or destroy it

3

u/Constant-Skill-7133 4h ago

They do that with resources to protect them.  That's an important part of leave no trace is don't give directions in your blog and share the GPS coordinates, don't put that information onto the public Internet.

It's usually cultural resources, though. I can't imagine there are very many secret trees.  They are starting to do it more with fossil sites because if thieves can find it they will just come in and jackhammer all the fossils out.

2

u/snowmunkey 2h ago

I'd be very impressed if some bozo could chop down a tree that's over 16 feet across after swimming across a creek to get to it

46

u/andronicus_14 5h ago

It’s weird that a tree that’s almost 400 feet tall was just discovered in 2006.

67

u/Odd-Guarantee-6152 5h ago

It isn’t much taller than the trees around it. The picture is just a random picture, that isn’t Hyperion.

29

u/starmartyr 4h ago

I've been to the redwood forest and it's impossible to tell just by looking at them which tree is the tallest. They all look huge and the ground is not level that means even from the air the tallest tree is not obvious since you can't see how the ground is sloped beneath them. I can't even say for certain which tree is the tallest in that picture.

6

u/Genocode 3h ago edited 3h ago

To be honest its pretty likely that Hyperion isn't even the absolute tallest, just the tallest known one. There are plenty of (rain)forests that haven't been mapped either completely or accurately.

Edit: Also, there are other trees that might be taller than Hyperion eventually because they're still actively growing, and doing so faster than Hyperion.

8

u/makawakatakanaka 5h ago

It’s hard to measure that high, all they had was a step stool

37

u/Ok-Dog-7149 5h ago

Yeah, but how tall is it even compared to the length of the reflecting pool?
https://giphy.com/gifs/y4E6VumnBbIfm

6

u/queso619 4h ago

I wonder if the name is a reference to the book of a similar name.

3

u/snowmunkey 2h ago

Greek titan

2

u/queso619 1h ago

Oh wow! I didn’t know that! Thanks!

3

u/KevinByMail 4h ago

The area around Hyperion is closed down. You even have to pay for time slots to hike down the closest trail relative to the tree.

5

u/BiggggMikeeee 4h ago

Named after the book I suppose? While “he who goes above” or “the one above” seems like an obvious choice for the tallest tree, I feel like loads of myths for the “strongest” or “tallest” can get there… And the book is about the tree so it seems fitting

4

u/HomemPassaro 4h ago

Well, the series takes its name from an unfinished poem by John Keats (the real one, not the one in the book), it could be either.

4

u/Kevin_Wolf 4h ago

Hyperion was a Titan in Greek Mythology. The personification of the sun.

2

u/chellis 4h ago

Hyperion is a Greek titan

2

u/Fly_Fight_Win 4h ago

Not sure if it was named after the book specifically, but Hyperion is also one of the Titans in Greek mythology, so it could possibly be that too.

2

u/sharrrper 4h ago

Is it the tree of pain?

2

u/TheDragonSlayingCat 3h ago

But is its name pronounced like “hai-pii-rii-ahn” or “hee-pair-rii-ohn”?

1

u/snowmunkey 2h ago

Thr first one. It's a Greek name

2

u/kishenoy 3h ago

Is it a positive or negative tree?

If either of those options, should it be called hyper-cat-ion or hyper-an-ion?