These Plants Eat Salamanders | National Geographic

At a bog in Canada, spotted salamanders serve as a snack for carnivorous pitcher plants.
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Pitcher plants like these are known to feast on insects like flies. However, at a bog in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario Canada, scientists have found many pitcher plants with a more ambitious diet. Nearly 20 percent of the carnivorous plants were eating spotted salamanders. It was previously considered a rare phenomenon for these plants to regularly consume vertebrates. This study suggests otherwise. It’s possible the salamanders provide an extra boost of nutrients as cold settles in. Scientists speculate that the acidity of the pitcher fluid could kill them or they might get cooked in it when it’s heated up by the sun. Spotted salamanders are listed as “of least concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

Read more in “Carnivorous plants eat far more salamanders than scientists thought”
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These Plants Eat Salamanders | National Geographic
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