rat eating plants found Philippines
A carnivorous pitcher plant that eats rats and insects has been discovered in the Philippines.
The plant is among the largest of all pitchers and is believed to be the largest meat-eating shrub, dissolving rats with acid-like enzymes.
The team of botanists, led by British experts Stewart McPherson and Alastair Robinson, found the plant on Mount Victoria in the Philippines.
They were inspired to search for the plant after word that it is existed came from two Christian missionaries who described seeing a large carnivorous pitcher in 2000 after they climbed the mountain.
Mr McPherson, of Poole Dorset, said: "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 team, which found the plant in 2007 following a two-month expedition, published details of their discovery in the Botanical Journal of Linnean Society earlier this year following a three-year study of all 120 species of pitcher plant.
They decided to name the plant Nepenthes attenboroughii, after the wildlife broadcaster Sir David Attenborough.
http://conservationreport.com/2008/01/22/new-species-rat-eating-plant-di...
it should be "rodent eating flowers" just like monkey eating eagle hehehe....corny! HOOYAH!
Wow....thats great...rats can be a great problem....as they multiply very fast....and they eat up a lot of grains...supposed for human consumption.
But in Qatar its their hunters - Cats that are everywhere ...lol
LAMBORJEEPNEY ..when it can digest a rat it might also have the ability to emit some chemical to attract the rat....anyway passive traps are always better than no traps.
Feed it with bad guys....!
"There's nothing we can do to change the past, if it teaches you a lesson profit from it then, forget it.
There is no use of crying over spelt milk"
in our house back in manila heheheh
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"You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back."
lol why would you name it Gloria? Was your ex-president acidic and enjoy eating rats and insects?
wait... Asian Country.
CALL IT GLORIA
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"rat eating plants found Philippines"
oh!! huh
i thaught it was a rat who found philipines
blame me!!!
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Rules and Regulation are meant for the guidance of the wise people fools follow them
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 team, which included Elizabeth Gironella and Clemencio Peña from Palawan State University, was informed of the plant’s existence by two Christian missionaries who scaled the mountain in 2000.
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.
Its funnel shape, a form usually associated with aerial types of the species, is distinct from its counterparts, which have a more rounded bottom. A terrestrial species, it has a red-lipped mouth topped by a smaller leaf called a lid.
John Pontillas, staff member of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, told GMANews.TV that the discovery “proves that the area is really bio-diverse."
He added that “we need to be more careful about putting up developments in that specific part of Palawan." Pontillas called for the re-evaluation of projects such as mining in the municipality of Narra, where Mount Victoria is located, to protect the habitat of the species.
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.
However, he said it is possible that a small animal can fall into the plant’s cavity and get digested by its protein-dissolving enzymes.
The plant is now known as Nepenthes attenboroughii, named after British nature filmmaker Sir David Attenborough.
McPherson said they decided to name it after Attenborough because his work “has inspired generations toward a better understanding of the beauty and diversity of the natural world." – GMANews.TV
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/170117/Rat-eating-plant-
found-in-Palawan
"katas ng qatar"
Hmm, had only they found this about 15 years ago, Qatar could have brought this here rather than the cats to control the previous rat issue.
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"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock - Will Rogers"
That is amazing. Wouldnt want to bump into one of then though =/
it was not found in Philippines. Weird though, now the plants eat meat..
to honor our President. nyahahaha.
"Adda ti adal na, ngem awan ti sursuro na."
"katas ng qatar"