Nepenthes also known as the “asian pitcher plant” or “monkey cups” native to the warm and humid climates of Southeast Asia and the malay archipelago. This carnivorous species has adapted elaborate trapping mechanisms at the end of its leaf tips which trap, kill, and digest insects, birds, small mammals, or anything which may unwillingly befall victim to its allure. Nepenthes has evolved this method of capturing its sustenance so that it may thrive in nutrient depleted soils and forrest floor detritis. It may seem like a glamorous and silent monster, yet despite its predatory nature Nepenthes can also provide sanctuary inside the very traps intended to kill. Within the pitchers, often lives and breeds a whole ecosystem of life, from mosquito larvae and tadpoles, to spiders and crabs. Which in return for their refuge provide pro-biotic nutrients by means of their excrement, and protection from other threatening organisms. This symbiosis even has its own classification of animals known as Nepenthes Infauna: nepenthebionts, and nepenthephiles.
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