Sunlight, water, and soil — those are all the things a plant needs to thrive, right? Well, not quite. Carnivorous plants like the Venus flytrap also need to feast on prey.
That may sound dramatic, but most of these species get their fill simply by catching the odd insect. While the Venus flytrap is known for its snapping shut to catch flies, carnivorous plants have a variety of traps that help them capture prey. These trapping mechanisms include adhesive, pitfall, suction, lobster pot, snap, and pigeon traps. Species like the Nepenthes veitchii have pitcher-shaped leaves that work as pitfall traps, while the Utricularia cornuta uses a suction trap to pull in insects.
Curious to learn more about the weird world of carnivorous plants? Explore a few interesting species in the gallery below.