Hyperion is a coast redwood in California that stands 380.1 feet tall, making it the tallest living tree on Earth.

Naturalists Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor found Hyperion on August 25, 2006. Researcher Stephen Sillett later climbed to the top and dropped a tape measure to confirm its height of 115.85 meters. This height is close to the limit of how tall a tree can possibly grow. Scientists believe trees cannot grow much taller than 400 to 426 feet because gravity makes it too hard to pull water to the top.Trees move water from their roots to their leaves through tiny tubes called xylem. As a tree gets taller, it needs more force to pull water upward against gravity. If the pull is too strong, air bubbles can form and block the water flow. To help get enough water, the leaves at the very top of Hyperion can soak up moisture directly from the coastal fog.Hyperion is between 600 and 800 years old. While that sounds old, some redwoods live for more than 2,000 years. The tree contains about 18,600 cubic feet of wood. In 2022, the National Park Service closed the area around the tree to the public. Visitors who try to find it can be fined 5,000 dollars because their footsteps crush the ferns and soil that the tree needs to stay healthy.