Avocados Were Almost Extinct

Avocados are what scientists call an 'evolutionary anachronism' - they evolved to be eaten by megafauna that no longer exist. Giant ground sloths and other large mammals that lived 10,000 years ago were the only animals big enough to swallow avocados whole and spread their seeds through defecation. When these animals went extinct, avocados should have followed. The fruit survived only in small populations until early Mesoamerican civilizations began cultivating them around 5,000 years ago. Without human intervention, this creamy fruit that's now a global favorite would have vanished from Earth.