The plant kingdom harbors more than a few deadly carnivores – but what is it like to fall prey to such a predator? A new video lets us experience death at the jaws of some of nature's more voracious flora.
The video is made possible by optical projection tomography, an imaging technique used by researchers with the Inner Worlds project to reveal the inner structures of a variety of organisms. The technique is used here to explore the inner workings of four carnivorous plants (Albany pitcher, tropical pitcher, bladderwort suction traps , and American pitcher, in order of appearance).
The footage is based on research carried out in Enrico Coen's group at the John Innes Centre in the UK. Learn more about this and other groundbreaking imaging research at the project's website and YouTube channel.