Comments on: Rat-Eating Plant Discovered

By: Loren Coleman

Loren Coleman — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:09:57 +0000

Here is a little reality check on rats in Australia:

There are currently over 60 described species of rats in Australia, and they occupy a wide range of the habitats across the country. The majority of these are native species; however two rats (Black Rat and Brown Rat) are introduced species that have rapidly adjusted to Australian conditions. Animalcontrol.com

There is an update on this issue posted on January 28th.

By: serpent_seeker

serpent_seeker — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 16:48:18 +0000

well if science cant prove bigfoot and sea serpents exist well theres nothing like a good plant story.

By: mystery_man

mystery_man — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:46:32 +0000

Nothing like a little ratatouille.

By: Ann Unknown

Ann Unknown — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:41:43 +0000

Thank you Loren, for the cryptobotany post, one of my favorite subjects.

N. tenax grows to a height of around 100 cm with pitchers rarely exceeding 15 cm.

Would this be 15 cm in pitcher length, or diameter?

From Wikipedia,

Presently, the carnivorous plant with the largest known traps is probably Nepenthes rajah, which produces pitchers up to 35 cm (14 inches) in height and will sometimes consume small mammals.

Either would be sufficient to swallow a rat; placental, or marsupial.

From the picture, I assume it would be an aquatic rat.
Any info on the species?

By: kittenz

kittenz — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:34:03 +0000

I saw some lovely plantings of various species of pitcher plants last fall at Kanapaha Gardens in Gainesville, FL. Some of the plants were quite large. I knew that they sometimes trap animals the size of mice and frogs, but it blows my mind that an animal the size of a rat can be trapped. It just never occurred to me.

If they can grow to a size that can trap a rat, I don’t see any reason they couldn’t grow even larger. Maybe there are plants out there that can trap animals like squirrels or even monkeys. There are potentially millions of plant species yet to be discovered.

I’m a cryptobotany enthusiast, too. I especially love to hear of discoveries such as the Wollemi Pine. Those trees are awesome! They have a wonderful “prehistoric” appearance. It’s great that they are preserving the integrity of the Wollemi’s habitat while at the same time making seedlings available around the world. Not only will that “spread the eggs around to more than one basket”, but much of the income from royalties on the sales is returned to Wollemi Pine International to provide funds for continuing conservation. There’s some very good information about them at http://www.wollemipine.com.

By: i am sasquatch

i am sasquatch — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:50:56 +0000

Ahhh I love cryptobotany. I think it’s interesting to point out that the reports of “man-eating trees” in Madagascar tell of the tree as having a sweet, some may say “narcotic” nectar. After a person drinks this nectar they fall victim to a seemingly horrible death . The plant in this article may eat rats, but it’s diet more than likely consists of a host of smaller organisms. (insects, lizards, small birds, etc.) The term “rat-eating” means that the plant is capable of eating rats, not dependent on rats.

By: youcantryreachingme

youcantryreachingme — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:06:53 +0000

Hi plantgirl - everything biological in Australia is in a vulnerable spot at the moment
Camperguy - they did quite well protecting the dinosaur-aged Wollemi Pine (found incidentally within 100km of the country’s most populous city - Sydney, at about 4 million heads) - and not only that, but profiting from commercialising it. It wouldn’t surprise me if they do a good job with this one too.

By: CamperGuy

CamperGuy — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:45:33 +0000

I think this is an incredible find. Think how startling this would be if other pitcher plants were not already known. I really hope this plant is successfully protected.

Are there any fossil records of giant carnivorous plants?

Reminds me of a lawnmower eating dandelion I once did battle with. I mowed the lawn one evening and the next day a dandelion was blooming in the yard and the mower was gone. Neighbors thought the mower was stolen but I still suspect the dandelion.
Seems the rats in Australia should be kangaroo rats.

By: red_pill_junkie

red_pill_junkie — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:53:10 +0000

So the plants get the rat stoned huh? No wonder humanity has yet to come up with the perfect rat trap!

By: plant girl

plant girl — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:30:12 +0000

Great picture. It worries me that these plants are in a vulnerable spot. This is such a great discovery. I am already fascinated with carnivorous plants and raise many of them at home including sundews and picture plants and of course venus fly traps. I hope to hear of new carnivorous plant discoveries in the future. They are truly remarkable.