Monday, June 1, 2015

carnivorous plants and their relation to meat consumption

i'm sure you all know what a venus flytrap is: a carnivorous plant, sustaining itself by trapping and consuming small insects. there is actually an abundance of these plants that in some cases are capable of eating small amphibians and use various techniques unique to their make-up to trick and capture their prey. pitcher plant are structured for insects to slip off their surface and fall into a literal "pitcher" of digestive fluid, sundews have tiny fibrous hairs that insects stick onto and are then slowly broken down by digestive fluid attached to these hairs, the venus flytrap (as renowned) is triggered by a set of hairs within its "teeth" and traps insects within its tight hold, bladdersworts are the aquatic species of this entire set and float near the surface of water, its "bladders" a literal trap door that resemble roots capturing insects and even tiny crustaceans, fungi, and the sensitive plant that folds up its leaflets in a rapid motion to capture prey.
(all this info courtesy of tumblr and further research because i thought it was interesting)
basically, there are plants that consume meat, not typical prey animals like antelope, and lure their prey and slowly kill them in devious ways. plants transitioning to “meat-eating” territory for food, i feel, is saying a lot about the diet shared by all animals, excluding microorganisms if needs be. in an odd sense, i feel this is highlighting the importance of meat for survival, amongst even plants, and that animals consuming other animals for this reason is necessary. humans shouldn't be berated for consuming meat as it also has a historical context (the earliest human species hunted for their food), but the ethics surrounding the mass raising and slaughtering of farm animals should definitely be brought into focus. 

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