The Tree of Life is a 145-foot (44 m) artificial tree that has served as the icon of Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort first opened at the park on April 22, 1998.[1]

Inspired by the fictional tree of the same name, the Tree of Life features approximately 325 carvings of existing and extinct animal species carved on its trunk and surrounding roots.

Engineered from a refitted oil platform and based on the natural forms of baobab trees, the Tree of Life is located on Discovery Island, roughly in the center of the park. Its leaves are made out of kynar.[2] At the structure's interior base is a 400-seat arena that hosts It's Tough to Be a Bug!, a 3-D film attraction based on A Bug's Life.

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Backstory

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.[3] A media preview of the show was presented on April 19, 2016.[4] Four presentations are featured throughout the evening, which has been named on a soundtrack release:

In addition to the four shows, the tree's animals will also occasionally combine.

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 on the Tree of Life

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

7 Yaks

Cockatoo

Beetles

Ladybugs

4 Stag beetles

3 Butterflies

Moths

Bees

Wasps

Dragonfly

2 Grasshoppers

Spider

Tarantula

3 Scorpions

Centipede/Millipede

Laughing kookaburra

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

10 Zebras

Trivia

Gallery

Animals carved on the Tree of Life

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