Plant that eats rats
Lunch
... rat in the plant named
after David Attenborough
A DEADLY plant
that eats RATS has been discovered by British experts.
The giant pitcher plant - believed to
be the largest meat-eating shrub - lures rodents into its slipper-shaped mouth
and dissolves them with acid-like enzymes.
Boffins have named the incredibly
rare species after legendary wildlife broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. It
is a real-world version of the flesh-eating plant called Audrey nurtured by a
florist in the 1986 movie Little Shop of Horrors.
Scientists led by botanists Stewart
McPherson and Alastair Robinson tracked it down on
"It is remarkable that it
remained undiscovered until the 21st century.
"My team and I named it in
honour of Sir David whose work has inspired generations toward a better
understanding of the beauty and diversity of the natural world."
The plant - now dubbed Nepenthes
attenboroughii - is green and red and can grow a stem more than 4ft long. It is
found only in the scrub high on the windswept slopes of
Mr McPherson and former
But they have only just described the
killer shrub in a journal after a three-year study of all 120 species of
pitcher plant.
Flattered
Sir David, 83, said last night:
"I was contacted by the team shortly after the discovery and they asked if
they could name it after me. I was delighted and told them, 'Thank you very
much'.
"I'm absolutely flattered. This
is a remarkable species the largest of its kind.
"I'm told it can catch rats then
eat them with its digestive enzymes. It's certainly capable of that."
Sir David already has a giant marine
dinosaur, wasp and rare tree named after him.