Do You Know What This Giant “Cocoon” Is?

Imagine hiking through the Sonoran Desert in the American Southwest and stumbling upon something that looks like a giant cocoon.

The thought of what could have grown in that cocoon might conjure up all kinds of wild and frightening ideas, but the truth about the “cocoon” is less spectacular.

The “cocoon” is, in fact, what remains after a saguaro cactus dies.

The cocoon is not even a cocoon, but more aptly a skeleton. After a cactus dies, its woody skeleton, which looks like misshapen boot, remains.

The cocoons are more commonly referred to as “boots” because they often take an oblong, crooked shape.

The boot occurs when woodpeckers and other birds decide to make the cactus their home and remove the fleshy part of the plant.

The cacti respond to the damage with a defense mechanism that attempts to heal the affected area.

The result of that healing process is the development of a tough scar tissue that becomes hardened over time

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This callus tissue is so hard, it survives long after the cactus dies, according to the Arizona Daily Independent.

Which would explain you might stumble upon an isolated, weird-looking cocoon in the Sonoran Desert.

Interestingly, the Sonoran Desert would be the only place you would find such a formation because saguaro cacti only exist in that region.

While you might not think such a thing would be useful, Experience Arizona reported that Native Americans used the hard cocoons to carry water.

Birds, bats, lizards and insects also make good use of the boots, as the tough shells provide shelter from predators.

The size of the cocoons can vary wildly because the sizes of the cacti vary.

Experience Arizona reported that the trunk of one of these cacti can grow as large as two feet in diameter. The unique desert plants can grow up to 60 feet tall, and can live as long as 200 years.

So while saguaro boots are not  cocoons of gigantic moths or ferocious butterflies, they do have an interesting history that helps us appreciate the versatility of nature.

H/T Indiana Public Media

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