The Tree of Life

**The Tree of Life** is a sculpture of a baobab tree at Discovery Island in Disney's Animal Kingdom.

It has over 8,000 brances of very different sizes and about 102,000 atficial leaves. Inspired by the mythological concept, The Tree of Life features 325 carvings of existing and extinct animal species on its trunk and surrounding roots..

## History

When the park opened, the Imagineers wrote this fairy tale to explain the tree's origins, "One day, our vegetation would grow on Discovery Island. There were trees, shrubs, flowers and birds. It was a barren piece of land. Then, one day, a tiny ant planted a seed and made a wish. He asked for a tree to grow, a tree large enough to provide shelter for all the animals."

Magically, the ant's wish came true and a tree began to grow and it kept growing until there was room beneath its limbs for all the animal alphabet from A is for (ant) to Z is for (zebra). And as the tree continued to reach for the heavens, the images of all the animal alphabet that took shelter beneath its shade appeared on its trunk, roots and branches.

This original ant can be spotted through a knothole hidden along the paths around the tree.

## Tree of Life Awakens

The Tree of Life Awakens is a series of projection mapping shows that debuted on May 27, 2016, as part of the park's new nighttime operating hours. A media preview of the show was presented on April 19, 2016. Four presentations are featured throughout the evening, which has been named on a soundtrack release.

* Journey - A playful deer and a watchful hawk.
* Rendezvous - A hummingbird and flowers.
* Gift Giver - A red fox in a winter setting.
* Disney Medley - Animal imagery inspired by Pocahontas, Bambi, Dinosaur, Tarzan, Finding Nemo, Avatar, The Jungle Book and The Lion King.

In addition to the four shows, the tree's animals will also occasionally stir from rest.

In 2019 to promote the photo-realistic remake of The Lion King, a new Lion King show was added to the lineup. This was followed by a series of holiday segments and a special New Year's Eve countdown presentation hosted by the shamans from the original version of Rivers of Light.

## List of Animals Carved

* 5 African elephants
* Alligator
* Allosaurus
* Ankylosaurus
* 2 Ants
* Asian elephant
* Bighorn sheep
* 2 Bison
* Seahorse
* Tiger
* Lion
* 2 Hippopotamuses
* 2 Giraffes
* 2 White rhinoceroses
* Javan rhinoceros
* 2 Deer (1 male, 1 female)
* Moose
* Komodo dragon
* 2 Giant anteaters (1 adult, 1 baby)
* Sloth
* 3 Kangaroos (1 adult male, 1 adult female, 1 joey)
* Koala
* Baboon
* Raccoon
* 2 Squirrels
* Flying squirrel
* Porcupine
* 2 Rabbits
* Fox
* Prairie dog
* 2 Bats
* Chameleon
* 2 Crocodiles
* 2 Sea otters
* Hermit crab
* Macaw
* Cockatoo
* Beetles
* Ladybugs
* 4 Stag beetles
* 3 Butterflies
* Moths
* Bees
* Wasps
* Dragonfly
* 2 Grasshoppers
* Spider
* Tarantula
* 3 Scorpions
* Centipede/Millipede
* Great horned owl
* Killer whale
* Walrus
* 2 Manatees
* Goldfish
* Sharks
* Hammerhead shark
* Marlin
* Gulper eel
* Jellyfish
* Turtles
* Box turtle
* Snapping turtle
* Tortoises
* 2 Iguanas
* Frilled lizard
* Gecko
* Gila monster
* Rattlesnake
* Python
* 3 Frogs
* Greater roadrunner
* Songbird
* Egret
* Heron
* Great blue heron
* Hammerkop
* 3 Salmon
* 2 Bass
* Catfish
* 2 Chimpanzees (including Greybeard)
* Gibbon
* Spider monkey
* Hedgehog
* Pangolin
* 2 Cougars
* Wildcat/Bobcat/Lynx
* 3 Pelicans (2 adults, 1 chick)
* Vultures
* Hawks
* 2 Golden eagles
* Bald eagle
* Peacock
* Ostrich
* 2 Horses
* Tapir
* 5 Wildebeests
* 2 Sable antelope
* 2 Impalas
* 2 Crabs
* Lobster
* Shrimp
* 3 Octopuses
* Squid
* Prehistoric squid
* Trilobite
* Duck
* Goat