The opening of the pitcher, as well as the interior walls, are very slippery, so once prey falls in it does not have a chance of escaping. The entire plant resembles a water pitcher, the leaf being the body of the vessel. The Attenborough Pitcher Plant sports exciting colors to attract its prey, as well as enticing smelling nectar that fills its bladder. this plant shows sexual dimorphism, meaning that males and females look significantly different from one another.its leaf is usually a psychedelic pattern of green, purple, and brown streaks.the plant’s pitcher (or bladder) can hold up to 2.1 quarts of liquid.the Attenborough Pitcher plant can grow up to a staggering 1.5 meters tall (making it the largest carnivorous plant in existence).It will only grow 1450 meters above sea level, and only amidst shrubbery less than 1.8 meters tall, in particularly rocky soil. This occurs in the Victoria Massif of Palawan (which is a small island off of the Philippines). The Attenborough Pitcher Plant is found strictly in one area on earth, meaning that this species is endemic to one location. The Attenborough Pitcher Plant is in the list of Top 10 Rarest Plants in the World and is classified as being critically endangered. A man who has been passionate about wildlife for all of his life, this plant was named after him not due to his discovery of it, but because of his curiosity about it. I’m sure you may recognize that last name, and yes, this carnivorous plant was named after David Attenborough himself. Which brings me to… The Attenborough Pitcher Plant The types of carnivorous plants that digest small rodents and other mammals come equipped with bladders large enough to do so. This adaptation resulted in many carnivorous plants living without a root system.Ĭarnivorous plants can also be classified as insectivorous, due to the fact that the vast majority of what they eat are insects and small invertebrates, and protozoans (single-cell microorganisms that exist in water). Most carnivorous plants absorb their nutrients from their prey alone, and none from the soil or water they live in. They exist in water or very waterlogged soils, bogs, and fens. Why do pitcher plants eat insects? A Brief Explanation of Carnivorous PlantsĬarnivorous plants ended up that way due to the need to adapt to incredibly low-nutrient environments.

Pitfall trap diagram