World's largest meat-eating plant can consume rats

Ness Rowlah

Norwegian Wood
rat-plant_1463666f.jpg


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6041241/Rat-eating-plant-discovered-in-Philippines.html

The plant is among the largest of all pitchers and is believed to be the largest meat-eating shrub, dissolving rats with acid-like enzymes.

The team of botanists, led by British experts Stewart McPherson and Alastair Robinson, found the plant on Mount Victoria in the Philippines.

They were inspired to search for the plant after word that it is existed came from two Christian missionaries who described seeing a large carnivorous pitcher in 2000 after they climbed the mountain.

Mr McPherson, of Poole Dorset, said: "The plant produces spectacular traps which catch not only insects, but also rodents. It is remarkable that it remained undiscovered until the 21st century."


Little Shop of Horrors anyone?
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
That's great. Is this the thing that's going to be named after David Attenborough or am I thinking of something else?
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
It's a shame the miniature Jabba-the-Hutt, gloating as the rat was prodded in, was left out of shot.
 

mistersloane

heavy heavy monster sound
Does it mean it gives off a smell that attracts rats though? So you'd get loads of rats if you did have them, but some of them would be rotting? Or does it just rely on random rats to walk by?
 

CHAOTROPIC

on account
I saw a video of a nice large pitcher plant in someone's house in, I think, Germany, that managed to catch itself a mouse. The guy found it floating drowned in the pitcher, almost filling it. The inside is incredibly slippery so once something falls in it's basically fucked. The guy left the pitcher alone for a couple of weeks & then cut the trap open to see what happened to the mouse. Everything had dissolved. No bones, no skull, nothing. Just clay-coloured mush full of brown fur. Meanwhile, the rest of the pitcher plant had this amazing growth spurt from all the extra nutrients & doubled in size, taking over most of the room. Insane! :cool:
 

CHAOTROPIC

on account
Incidentally, don't you love the way the curving leaf over the top of the 'stomach' acts like a little umbrella, keeping rainwater from diluting the acids inside? Evolution is such a headfuck :confused:

From what I remember, insects are attracted by nectar & scent that guides them deeper into the trap, where they liquify to form an insect soup. I'd guess it would be the smell of this organic compost & maybe the struggles of drowning insects that would attract small rodents.
 
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