Weird Places: Socotra

The Socotra archipelago in the Arabian Sea supports so many diverse and unique species that it has been described as the most alien place on Earth. Hank takes you on a tour of this weird place in this episode of SciShow.

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References

[ChilledRico]

Goes to Socotra for spring break.

Gets captured by Somali pirates.

[SpiceBoyUK]

Hank is the perfect guy for this show, i can't think of anyone doing it better

[trebacca]

"Taste the dragon".
.
That's either gonna be a kickass energy drink tagline, or it's gonna get the attention of the furries.
Heaven or hell, man.

[silenthero]

"Go to Socotra and taste the dragon."
- Hank Green, 2013

[valken]

Tourism will certainly not increase conservation, leave the island alone.

[MrHookerman]

Um, The "Dragon's Blood Tree" is actually called "Dam al Akhawayn" or "Blood of the Brothers Tree" in Yemen (I'm from Yemen).

Folklore has a whole story about how some guy killed his twin on that kind of tree, the twin's blood seeped into the tree and the tree waited for his brother to be buried into the ground where he can have his revenge; strangling his brother with roots for an eternity (well at least until his brother biodegrades :P). 

The tree is also seen on the national 20 YER (Yemeni Rial) with the engraving reading "Blood of the Brothers Tree".

Oh also another weird ass fact... you see those "Desert Roses Tree"? The natives, who's culture prevents the meeting of women and men until marriage, are actually known to fuck those trees after making a small hole in it. Apparently the tree is very soft past the thin papery first layer. I've seen some with weird holes in em so... not gonna say anything Cheers guys

[nikmank]

Thank you so much I really appreciate that you share about something good in my country this is island the most incredible place on the world

[West_Kagle]

       When I saw the title of the video I was like, know where that place is. I've captured it many times while playing 'Hearts of Iron: Doomsday'.
they said I'd never learn anything playing video games.

[MaherSallam]

It's awesome to see something about Yemen in the SciShow :)

[KidBajan]

After looking at some of the photos on Google, the landscape of that island is really beautiful.

[Natabus]

I first Discovered Socotra via Google Earth... I always tend to focus on things like the ends of continents and point of peninsulas, and Socotra just popped up while examining the ultimate tip of the horn of Africa. I followed a Panoramio link, and suddenly I'm looking at FUNKY, FUNKY Trees!

[andrewmanousselis]

I just love the GoT refferences on this show XD they really amplify an already awesome content

[MMODoubter]

Don't take a boat there - remember the pirates!


Cool Game of Thrones ref, BTW, Hank.

[jwoelfchen]

Viganella is a village in Italy, where they built a giant mirror to bring sunlight into the village. They previously had 83 days without seeing the sun each winter... just putting it out there...

[Iconat]

I was taught in film class that the modern close-up cuts off the top of your head and goes to your shoulders. Old fashioned close-ups (seen more often in black and white) center the head in the shot.

[ryorickey]

I've known of Socotra for a few years now, so excited that you made a video about it! Always want to visit it.

[andreideferrer]

Look up Mt. Roraima in the brazil-venezuela-guyana border! It has some alien looking vegetation and is overwhelmingly beautiful!

[TheOnlyMeta]

"Valuable is a Targaryen's tears". He said it so quickly it almost flew straight over my head. Sly Hank, sly.

[AidanNaut]

the idea is that if more people want to see these species live on, then the money that is made can go to the costs of conservation, which in turn allows more people with more money to come, and that goes to better conservations, which brings more people...

[thesoulpropriety]

I'm a professional plant breeder and have worked on Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) - they make excellent house and/or patio plants!

Hey Hank - I love your stuff but do me a favor and COVER MORE PLANTS! If you ever need help in this area please drop me a line.