BRAZIL NUTS

James Joyner · Friday, December 19, 2003 · 1 Comment

The brazil nut – a traditional Christmas stocking filler, coated in chocolate – could become an endangered species if intensive harvesting continues, according to British and international researchers.

Where is the international outrage over this? Personally, I like Brazil nuts a lot more than, say, snail darters or spotted owls. I’m not sure I’ve ever had one coated in chocolate, but it sounds good.

And this would make a fine Monty Python sketch:

The tree can live for more than 500 years, but its survival depends just on one species of female bee and a rodent the size of a rabbit with unusually strong, sharp teeth.

FILED UNDER: Science & Technology

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About James Joyner
James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. Follow James on Twitter.

Comments

Tiger: Raggin' & Rantin' says:

Friday, December 19, 2003 at 11:33

Another endangered species recognized
It seems that the trade in exotic Brazil nut skins is takin’ its toll on the number of Brazil nuts out there. It seems there are too few male Brazil nuts left to assist in the amount of reproduction acts…

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