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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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.
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