saguaros

the saguaro is a fairly common type of cacti in Arizona. a few random facts about them are listed here

• can grow to about 50 feet tall
• lives as long as 200 years
• are often damaged by lightning
• when they're 8 years old they are still less than 1 foot tall
• don't grow any arms till they are over 80 years old
• the width is affected by how much water is stored in the cacti's trunk
• its "skeleton" is made of a wood like material that is sturdy enough for a half inch thick pole as tall as my shoulders to stand up to almost 130 pounds weight leaning on it.
• are sometimes called the ancient giants