A giant Rat or Rodent Eating Plant was found in Palawan Philippines. Found deep in the jungles of Palawan is a most unusual rat trap designed by nature and only recently discovered by man.
An international team of botanists found a pitcher plant that eats rodents on rugged Mount Victoria in central Palawan, according to British news site Telegraph.co.uk.
British botanists Stewart McPherson and Alastair Robinson found the plant in 2007 but their findings were published only this year in the Botanical Journal of Linnean Society after a three-year study of 120 types of pitcher plants.
The rodent eater is among the largest of all pitcher plants. According to McPherson, “The plant produces spectacular traps which catch not only insects, but also rodents. It is remarkable that it remained undiscovered until the 21st century."
The rat-eating shrub dissolves its prey with acid-like enzymes inside its pitcher-shaped leaves. The pitchers measure 30 x 16 cm, double the size of usual pitcher plants found in the area.
University of the Philippines Botany lecturer Leonard Co recognized the newly-discovered species as “interesting" but describes the claims for its rodent-eating capabilities as “anecdotal, at best."
Co said the pitcher plant “cannot do that [create ‘spectacular traps’]" as it is only a “passive trap," which means that it waits for its prey to fall into its body rather than actively “look" for food.
