Paleontologists and botanists theorize that the ancestral avocado
(which had an even bigger pit (!) and very thin flesh) was dispersed
by prehistoric megafauna. Think giant ground sloths. You'd need
something that big to be able to eat one whole and pass the seed.
Once the ground sloths were gone, its yumminess ensured its continued
propagation by man.

Not everything extant still has its original distributor, hee hee hee.

Monique Reed
Texas A&M

Frogleg wrote:

On Sun, 18 May 2003 10:11:53 +0900, "Gyve Turquoise"
wrote:

My possibly mistaken guess is that fruits such as strawberries and
blackberries spread the seeds of the plant via bird droppings. Can anyone
answer my crazy question about the fruit of the avocado? What is it for? How
is the seed propagated in the wild? What is the fruit for?

The function of the avocado is...guacamole!

Seriously, it's like any other seed. designed to produce new avocado
plants. Birds aren't the only animals that eat fruit and veg and
spread seeds, you know.