You have nothing to fear, this is not Little Shop of Horrors brought to life. Relative to other carnivorous plants the newly discovered Nepenthes attenboroughii is substantial. Most other plants like this are happy to feast on insects, but this one can gorge on small mammals the size of rats.
Yes, the plant is named after the famed David Attenborough.
The giant pitcher plant can be found high up on Mount Victoria in the Philippines, so fluffy is safe for now.
Accompanied by three guides, the team hiked through lowland forest, finding large stands of a pitcher plant known to science called Nepenthes philippinensis, as well as strange pink ferns and blue mushrooms which they could not identify.
Far away from the prying eyes of humanity, some strange things make their presence known.
On the way down the mountain, the team also came across a striking new species of sundew, a type of sticky trap plant, which they are in the process of formally describing.
It is fascinating that in 2009 we are still discovering all sorts of wonderful things in nature which have never been seen before.
