Video: Plant That Eats Rats Found in the Philippines

After investigating reports from missionaries about a giant plant that subsists on whole rats, British botanists have announced the discovery of a species of rodent-eating plant on Mount Victoria in the Philippines. The giant pitcher plant, which is believed to be the world's largest meat-eating shrub, seduces rodents into its slipper-shaped mouth and dissolves them with acid-like enzymes. It can grow a stem more than 4ft long and has been named "Nepenthes attenboroughii" after wildlife broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. Stewart McPherson and former Cambridge University botanist Alastair Robinson made their discovery during an expedition in 2007, but have only just described the killer shrub after completing a study of all 120 species of pitcher plant. Below, some video of the rat-hungry attenborough at mealtime:

It's unclear if or when the NYC Parks Department will introduce the plant here, but this could probably solve our vermin problems once and for all—as long as New Yorkers are willing to accept some collateral damage to cats and chihuahuas.

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By John Del Signore in Food on August 18, 2009 2:37 PM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

I'd grow mine in a crib..as payback!

Bovina Sancta!

Plant these things all around the State House in Albany

Little shop of horrors movie was one of Jack Nicholson's first I believe. "Seymore, feed me!"

Mr Mel

Old news, the plant was called Audrey in the Little Shop of Horrors.

jibbly

Correction: Audrey II!

blackflag

How do you know it's not just some exotic tropical rat bath? A suspiciously clean rat after all.

Think2wice

Me wantee.

dadoc

Rats... The other white meat.

missbloom

Didn't I see this on Planet Earth? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2C3ChaRyVQ

Barbj8

Do they poop?

JenChungsBaby

Can we put Pedro Espada in one of those?

donner

FTW

longacre

City rats would eat this plant for breakfast.

ides_of_march

Or the city could just buy some more covered traps with bait for a fraction of the cost.

felixthecat2

That is inhumane of killing rats when people are so FAT and FILHTY to clean up after themselves.

silver

No pest can survive without 3 things, food, shelter, water.

Humans usually provide the food, or are too lazy to eliminate the shelter. Water is sorta uncontrollable cuz they get moisture from wet food and humid NYC summers.

felixthecat2

humans are the pest since they are responsible for most of the filth in this city.

Papercutninja

So kill yourself.

And also, is your English getting WORSE?

dadoc

So plants are inhumane to rodents, people should all die, and it's OK to use your closet for growing with intent to distribute (not that that's a bad thing)?

We need to grow these things bigger, and put them in our parks with some GM 60 pound falcons & redtails. Along with some coyotes. Watch out, vermin!

jibbly

Really, dude? Really?

jibbly

But who disposes of the caught rats? And where do we dump the alive/dead vermin?

The beauty of a plant that can eat rats is that it's a self contained, self perpetuating system! No fuss, no muss, no extra costs. Plant them, they eat rats, they spawn and create more rat-eating spawn, they die, become fertilizer for their spawn, who then eat rats then spawn then die becoming fertilizer, etc.

Circle of life!

felixthecat2

It can't grow in NYC only in tropics.

pastaboy12

the subway is almost always warm even in the winter. i think it'll work

Quidnam

From the NY Daily News article:

"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.
Subway tunnels, baby.

Nyctini11

I'll donate a closet to help grow a few of these here!

felixthecat2

I rather use my closet for weed.

Nyctini11

Duhhh, that's why i only said i'd donate "a" closet ;-)

felixthecat2

aaaaahhhh :)

Quidnam

Then we need to get a team of bio-engineers on the task of producing a hybrid that will thrive in the fertile ground of the NYC trash alley. Frankly, if they're eating enough rats, how much else should they need? Sunlight? Bah.

John Del Signore

Dude, have you been outside today? WE CAN DO THIS!

felixthecat2

NYC air pollution will killed these plants.

SP

We should plant these on every block and in every alley.

CR

I'm curious how Dead Himmler will feel about this because, as we all know, he cares a lot about animal life, but am unsure about how he feels about plants.

Kojak

Doesn't look like it 'ate' the rat like a venus flytrap would. Looks like the rat was clumsy and just fell in.

I doubt those plants could stomach our NYC rats though. That rat looked clean, small and disease free.

babyhitler

It did trap the rat though. The plants give out a bait odor that entices victims to get to the lips and once inside it's so slippery that you can't get out.

felixthecat2

the odor is nectar and based on preliminary they prefer to eat insect since they can die if they eat anything more complex than an insect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trWzDlRvv1M