Carnivorous Plants
Altogether 500 to 600 species have been identified as members of the carnivorous family. Many of them are graceful flowing plants that actually have flowers and much to everyone’s surprise – the flowers don’t have any unusual capabilities other than an esthetic value. The flower isn’t able to capture or devour anything, but due to hundreds even thousands of years of evolution each plant has equipped itself with a trap that captures it prey alive and the flower is a perfect decoy that attracts insects.
The traps that each plant has are unique; (1) Some actually catch their prey on surfaces so slippery that the victim falls into a small vat full of water and drowns, (2) Others emit a substance so sticky that the prey doesn’t have a chance of freeing itself – this reminds me of that sticky mouse trap stuff that holds a little mouse captive once it touches the trap, and (3) Another carnivorous plant actually gets its prey drunk and slowly but surely sucks it down into a small vat like area filled with a liquid that breaks the flesh or tissue down into a liquid form that the plant absorbs.
Many a biologist has studied and tried to trace the origin of these mystifying plants without success. We do know that it took hundreds of years for these traps to be perfected and used by these plants. Another known characteristic of the carnivorous plant is its ability to break down flesh or tissue into minerals and substance that it needs for survival via special enzymes.
For those with a vivid imagination, here is the perfect star (a carnivorous plant) for your next book or movie. There’s no telling what a weaver of scary stories could do with this intriguing unusual plant. |
When one thinks of the word carnivorous, we usually associate it with animals that feed on animal flesh or tissue. That would be a correct assumption, but there are 7 families of plants who thrive on flesh and are equipped with a unique digestive system, which utilizes animal tissue.