And it’s amazing the variety of ways in nature that God has seed spread; it sometimes displays His sense of humor. My favorite example is the relationship between the Binturong of SE Asia and the Strangler Fig. In the rainforest this vine is considered a primary canopy plant because it provides a good home for innumerable plants, insects, and animals. But it’s a challenge for it to reproduce. Seedlings need lots of food to survive in the poor soil usually found in rainforests, so the Strangler Fig’s seeds are not only large, but also protected by a hard coating. And getting the seeds dispersed any distance from the parent plant is difficult because rainforests are usually so dense that wind blows over the tops of the trees instead of through them. The Binturong has a natural preference for the Strangler Fig’s fruit, and is the only known animal with digestive enzymes capable of softening the seed’s coat so it can germinate. The Bint eats the fruit and moves along as the digestive enzymes are cleaning the seed off, and then a good distance from the parent plant the animal excretes it in a fertilizing mound of droppings. What a plan! For this reason the Binturong is considered a keystone species, that is, a species which many other species depend upon for their survival.