Philippines – Scientists Discover Plant That Can Swallow Rats Whole

Philippines – Scientists have discovered a flesh-devouring plant that can swallow rats whole! This new plant, named Nepenthes attenboroughii, eats flesh. The plant is a part of “pitcher” family of plants.

“Many pitcher plants trap not only insects, but also rodents, including mice and rats,” scientist Stewart McPherson, one of the discoverers of the flesh-eating plant, said.

The plant, which captures critters in its large, hollow “pitcher’” and then dissolves them with acids and enzymes, secretes a nectar to attract the animals. But there is nothing sweet about the nectar, as it lures the animals into the deadly “pitcher,” where they usually drown or die of exhaustion, and then are dissolved.

“The fluid breaks down the soft parts of the prey, and generally, only the bones of the prey remain,” McPherson said.

The flesh-devouring plant can grow up to 4 feet long and is one of the largest carnivorous plants that has remained undiscovered, according to McPherson of Redfern Natural History Productions. He and botanists Alastair Robinson and Volker Heinrich discovered the plant while in the Philippines.

“All pitcher plants are carnivorous plants. They need to acquire nutrients by trapping and digesting animals (mainly insects) because they grow in really hostile areas where nutrients are scarce in the soil,” McPherson said.