A team of pitcher plant experts on an expedition in the Philippines has discovered a new species of giant pitcher plant that is able to consume rats.
The team, comprised of Stewart McPherson of Red Fern Natural History Productions based in the UK, botanist Alastair Robinson, and Volker Heinrich, of Bukidnon Province, the Philippines, set forth on a journey to discover the plant after they had heard of its possible existence after two Christian missionaries were rescued from the slopes of Mt. Victoria in central Palawan of the Philippines in 2000.
The new species, which they named Nepenthes attenboroughii in honor of David Attenborough, was discovered at approximately 1,600 meters above sea level. Like other pitcher plants, it uses small animals that it traps in the tube-like leaf structures as a source of nutrients. Specimens of the new pitcher plant, and other species discovered by the team were taken to the herbarium of the Palawan State University.
According to McPherson:
The plant (Nepenthes attenboroughii) is among the largest of all carnivorous plant species and produces spectacular traps as large as other species which catch not only insects, but also rodents as large as rats.
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[BBC]
