Carnivorous Plants

There are more than 800 species of carnivorous plants, and despite their diverse designs, the one thing they have in common is that they are built to trap and kill all prey. Or so we've believed – until scientists discovered how this meat-eater works.

There's an old saying that everything in Australia wants to eat you – and this apparently includes plants. Now scientists have made a special find, stumbling across a massive community of a rare meat-eaters living closer to humans than ever before.

What has no brain, no nervous system, and not even nerves, yet acts as if it has reflexes? The answer is a Venus fly trap. This famous carnivorous plant captures insects and other small animals – and scientists have now figured out how.