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The inside of a sausage fruit
If you've ever been to Africa, you've probably seen the sausage trees (Kigelia pinnata). These trees, which you can see in the video below, bear dozens of large, fleshy "sausage fruits." As you can see at right, the sausage fruits are actually pretty large. They're a favorite snack among hippos, especially in the dry month of October when there's little else to eat.When you gaze up in uncomfortable wonder at the big, weird, bulbous fruits, it's hard to imagine what they look like on the inside. Are you ready to find out? Then watch the video below, wherein my Sanctuary Retreats guide John cuts one open for us to see. It's surprisingly not that easy to get into (I had assumed they were mushy). Hippo teeth may not be made for bone-crushing like a lion's, but their jaws are strong.
Don't mind the man with the enormous rifle; if you're on an Abercrombie & Kent game drive and decide to get out of your safari vehicle and explore on foot, he comes standard. We are told he's never had to use the rifle to protect visitors, but having him there makes you feel a bit safer when you see lions across the plain.
[Photo and video by Annie Scott.]
This trip was sponsored by Abercrombie & Kent and Sanctuary Retreats, but the ideas and opinions expressed in this article are 100% my own.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
gwmvolk Oct 21st 2010 10:29PM
When I lived in Zambia, I used one of these as a doorstop.
tracybarb Oct 25th 2010 2:57PM
Good video! It is a huge sausage and I never seen such big fruit before. The fruit inside was like Jack fruit. Inviting me to taste! It is worthy to take an Africa trip to taste this kind of fruits.
lorenblevins922 Jan 4th 2012 4:20AM
The fruit inside was like Jack fruit.I've enjoyed reading your work. You ought to place a Google Plus button in your website, for people to save it. I recently plused this article: Banana.