Presence in Other Organisms
In ruminant animals, the gut fermentation of ingested plant materials liberates phytol, a constituent of chlorophyll, which is then converted to phytanic acid and stored in fats. In contrast to observations made in humans, there is indirect evidence that diverse non human primates, including the great apes (bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans), can derive significant amounts of phytanic acid from the hindgut fermentation of plant materials.
Freshwater sponges contain terpenoid acids such as 4,8,12-trimethyltridecanoic, phytanic and pristanic acids, which indicates that these acids may have chemotaxonomical significance for both marine and freshwater sponges.
Insects, such as the sumac flea beetle, are reported to use phytol and its metabolites (e.g. phytanic acid) as chemical deterrents against predation. These compounds originate from host plants.
Read more about this topic: Phytanic Acid
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—Henry Brooks Adams (1838–1918)
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—Policy statement, 1944, of the Youth League of the African National Congress. pt. 2, ch. 4, Fatima Meer, Higher than Hope (1988)