The Time Avocados Almost Went Extinct

When you hear of something going extinct, you don't typically think about the fruits and vegetables in your kitchen. But that's what nearly happened to avocados. Although they're found in abundance in produce aisles around the world, things were different a few millennia ago. 

The avocado is believed to have originated in Mexico during the Neogene period, roughly 10 million years ago. At the time, megafauna like the Giant Sloth and mammoths also roamed the Earth. Given the avocado's high fat content, nutrient density, and how easily consumable they were, they were an excellent source of food for such large creatures. The two enjoyed a symbiotic relationship for thousands of years: The avocados fed the animals that distributed their seeds via defecation. 

Earth's climate underwent various changes, and eventually, early humans began appearing. Megafauna populations suffered from environmental stress and hunting, which led to their eventual extinction, and avocados lost their main source of distribution. Fortunately, the food fates cast a favorable view on the avocado, as humans began cultivating them not long after, saving us all from an avocado-less existence.

Fortunately, a couple of variables played in the avocado's favor during this time. First, avocado trees have incredible longevity, living between 50 and 100 years, and remaining productive until they die. This allowed the avocado to persist into the age of early humans, and another other symbiotic relationship began when people began cultivating the fruit about 7,500 years ago .

The avocado was attractive to humans for similar reasons as the megafauna, though cultivation made modern avocados different from their ancestors. Humans selectively bred avocados to have smaller seeds and creamier flesh, making them easier to eat.

Avocados are now at the center of an $18 billion industry, and Mexico remains the world's largest producer. The humble avocado now boasts a few different varieties, the Californian Hass being among the most prized, thanks in part to a guacamole fad in the 1990s. Given its success, it's unlikely the avocado will go extinct any time soon.