News of the day...

[Dyflam]

Hope this isn't posted already...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8552000/8552157.stm

 

[swampdonkey]

CP coprophagy....interesting article.

 

[Hermopolis]

Yes, very interesting article. I wonder the fecal material from other small animals, e.g. rabbits, could be used as feed for other varieties of nepenthes.

 

[amphirion]

why talk about rajah? as far as we know there are no attractor cues that the plant gives off to attract rodents/shrews to defecate inside their pitchers nor do we see evidence of feces in the pitcher contents as well (but then again, this isnt a scientific article). the only nep we know that does this is lowii (so far)--it's been documented, heck, there's even a picture of it in the article, but the non-CP enthusiast would have thought it to be rajah. that's not to say that there aren't symbioses between nepenthes and other organisms---those have been documented as well.

 

[seedjar]

Crazy. Which lowland Nep has bats that roost in it?
~Joe

 

[SirKristoff]

amph read the article.....it specifically talks about rajah, ithought lowii mix up at first too. but i do believe its possible, and its apparently charles clarke and some others doing the studies....when it comes to neps im sure charles knows what hes talking about

 

[Dexenthes]

I like it better when N. rajah was the baddest, gnarliest killing plant of all time, not an over-sized shrew toilet. Oh well, Yay ecology! Now we know what to feed some of our Bornean neps.

 

[dvg]

I like it better when N. rajah was the baddest, gnarliest killing plant of all time, not an over-sized shrew toilet. Oh well, Yay ecology! Now we know what to feed some of our Bornean neps.

It is what it is....

 

[Frilleon]

good read, very intresting!

 

[amphirion]

i take back what i said earlier. there has been documented footage of rajah serving as a porcelain throne. rajah is a crapivore!

 

[SirKristoff]

just cause it eats crap doesnt mean it doesnt eat insects too ;P

 

[dvg]

just cause it eats crap doesnt mean it doesnt eat insects too ;P

I suppose the flies are just as attracted to rajah as they are to an outhouse...they smell crap and they are hungry...rajah just benefits from being a toilet.

 

[Veronis]

Thanks for sharing the article. Very interesting read.

 

[jimscott]

Maybe I should grow the rajah instead of having a catbox...

 

[petmantis]

Now this is also cool! 3 vids on Nepenthes rajah and N. macrophylla....with tree shrews

http://www.youtube.com/user/clarke2469#p/u/0/wUMg6CGInM8
http://www.youtube.com/user/clarke2469#p/u/1/baZdg3xTB_8
http://www.youtube.com/user/clarke2469#p/u/2/xXNVUyP6tQg

Enjoy

 

[Veronis]

Maybe I should grow the rajah instead of having a catbox...

Now that would be a five star youtube video...

 

[GrowinOld]

Toilet Plants!

Well,
it does take the "Vicious Meat-Eating Mystique" away from some of these plants,
however we know that Sundew and Venus Fly Traps aren't eating poop!
Unless, that is the real reason they are catching and killing insects!
To extract the poop out of them!
Now that IS Vicious!

It is interesting that some of the Nepenthes are referred to as "toilet bowl" style already.
Regardless, it shows the wonderful adaptations in nature.
I wonder if there will be a new classification of CP's, meat eaters... and *! eaters!

Now I am going to think twice the next time I hear my friend's wife tell me
"he is down stairs feeding his plants!"
It just won't be the same anymore!

By the way, fascinating article, and makes complete sense!

 

[SirKristoff]

lol hes feeding the plants, he might be a minute...hes had a lot of fiber in his diet lately, probably not the best idea to go down there right now xD

poo eaters or not, they are beautiful.
maybe its their way of trying to get Mike Rowe out there for a dirty jobs episodes....
There are those who clean poo for a living....and then those who eat it.