The beginning of an answer of why the rat-eater has only been discovered just now: First, it’s stuck on a remote island in the Philippines and doesn’t exist anywhere else. Second, there are only a few hundred of these things, and the local Filipinos there haven’t really gotten around to the Western World just yet. So it took a team of scientists following up on old reports from missionaries who got lost in the jungle to get around to actually documenting them. So it seems there is yet another hurdle that those who will stop at nothing to convert Aboriginals to Christianity have passed – not even a giant rat-eating plant will stop them. I mean, look at this thing! Nature is freaky sometimes.

Let’s get down, dirty, and Latin for a second. The plant, they decided is named Nepenthes attenboroughii, thanks to taxonomic classification and somebody’s idea that every species has to have a Latin name. Though here’s another surprise – the second word is actually a Latinized version of “Attenborough,” named after the British TV broadcaster David Attenborough.

In response, Attenborough spoke thusly:

“I was contacted by the team shortly after the discovery and they asked if they could name it after me. I was delighted and told them, ‘Thank you very much.’ I’m absolutely flattered. This is a remarkable species and the largest of its kind.”

Yeah, OK. Tell that to the rats after they get digested down to their skeletons. The pitcher’s large 4-foot sack generally fills with water, after which it secretes nectar to attract prey, insects and rodents fall in, cannot climb back up the waxy surface and are slowly, inexorably, digested to the bone.

Though I must admit, in a odd sort of way, it is quite a beautiful piece of nature. I could take a bath in there. I’d be able to get out of the waxy surface. I’m good with waxy surfaces.

The physical structure of the desert rhubarb allows for it to maximize its use of rainwater, being about 16 times more efficient than other plants on average. But it’s not only the shape the does the job. As reported by Wired this month,
“When the researchers measured the plant’s water absorption during a light rain, they discovered that water infiltrated the soil 10 times deeper around the desert rhubarb than in surrounding areas. Upon closer examination, scientists discovered deep grooves around the plant’s veins, which are coated in a waxy cuticle that helps channel water down to the root.”

If you’ve ever been to a baseball game experiencing a rain delay, you’ve seen the giant tarp they spread out on the field. The rhubarb’s leaves are basically nature’s tarp. But don’t be confused – it’s not the fact that desert rhubarb can survive in the desert that is so unique. There are cacti, after all. Rather, it’s the fact that the plant looks like it’s something out of the rain forest with such a deep root system. Usually, those types of plants need to be rained on every day to sustain themselves. But evolution helped out here, and now we can really make the deserts bloom green.

I wonder what would happen if we actually did that. For now, I think I’ll find one and put it in my backyard. I’ll let you know how the pie turns out.