Monday, August 17, 2009

Gee--thanks, guys. I think.


Explorers Discover Giant Rat-Eating Plant, Name it After Famed Scientist - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News - FOXNews.com: "Explorers have discovered a new species of giant rodent-eating carnivorous plant and have named it after legendary TV naturalist Sir David Attenborough.

Nepenthes attenboroughii, a previously unknown variety of pitcher plant discovered on a remote mountain in the Philippines, is so big that small rodents could be trapped inside and slowly dissolved by flesh-eating enzymes."

----------
Not to look a gift rat-eating plant in the mouth, but did David Attenborough really consider this a "great honour," as he said? You have to wonder if he was just being polite. He has a dinosaur named after him, and that would be cool. But this...thing? It looks like the plants from Little Shop of Horrors. FEED ME!

1 comment:

Beth said...

I saw an interview on tv with a scientist who had named some stink beetle (or was it dung beetle) varieties after Bush and Cheney. The scientist meant it as an honor, and in fact, had named another beetle after his wife. Those scientists, who can figure 'em? :)

I wonder if these plants grow in my state. They could be an interesting pest control solution. Especially if they grow big enough to trap the little dogs that poop in other people's yards.