Nepenthes attenboroughii -- rodent-digesting pitcher plant

[DMB]

David Attenborough has another species named after him:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article6799283.ece

[Ray Moscow]

Any plant that eats rats is OK by me. :)

[Mung Dynasty]

Yeah I loved this one when I saw it. I want to throw a few in my garden if they'll handle a sub-tropical climate. Giant mousetraps FTW. :D

[Worldtraveller]

Maybe we can genetically engineer them just a litte bigger and get them to grow with random bible verses on them. :evil:

[Monad]

I think the interesting thing is several species have evolved to consume leaf litter as it falls into their pitchers and one has even evolved to function as a toilet for tree shrews and doesn't consume prey, getting most of it's nitrogen from droppings (it even provides a place for them to sit)

[Goldie]

I love carnivorous plants. They are just wicked-cool.

[Mung Dynasty]

I think the interesting thing is several species have evolved to consume leaf litter as it falls into their pitchers and one has even evolved to function as a toilet for tree shrews and doesn't consume prey, getting most of it's nitrogen from droppings (it even provides a place for them to sit)
Ok, how the fuck does a plant toilet train tree shrews?

[Monad]

Conditioning:

Nepenthes lowii has also formed a dependent relationship, but this time its with vertebrates instead of insects. The pitchers of N. lowii provide a sugary exudate reward on the reflexed pitcher lid (operculum) and a perch for tree shrew species, which have been found eating the exudate and defecating into the pitcher. A 2009 study, which coined the term "tree shrew lavatories", determined that anywhere between 57 and 100% of the plant's foliar nitrogen uptake comes from the faeces of tree shrews.[26]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepenthes

[Jobar]

An obvious case of intelligent design by the god of tree shrews.
:D

[Monad]

Just an update - they have found that the largest Nepenthes species (N. rajah) also uses tree shrew dung for nutrition:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8552000/8552157.stm

this has a picture of one "on the job"

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47451000/jpg/_47451554_picture1.jpg

[Celsus]

Heh that is really incredible. I think the only way it could get more incredible is if they evolved miniature step ladders for the shrews to get up there :)

[Berthold]

Could it be that this nectar contains a mild laxative?

[Monad]

I was wondering the same thing

[Haswell]

"Feed me Seymour, FEED ME!" :D

[Rie]

And what about theTriffids?

[Godless Dave]

Can I grow one inside my house? My cats seem to be incompetent at rodent-killing.

[Eudaimonist]

Can I grow one inside my house? My cats seem to be incompetent at rodent-killing.

Just get a cat-eating pitcher plant, and threaten them with it. They'll shape up in no time.

[Schneibster]

Yow.

Does it have to be human?

Does it have to be mine?

[eversbane]

Just an update - they have found that the largest Nepenthes species (N. rajah) also uses tree shrew dung for nutrition:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8552000/8552157.stm

this has a picture of one "on the job"

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47451000/jpg/_47451554_picture1.jpg

A version for humans:
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/4238/lunchcounter.jpg