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The little flytrap that could

So after getting home and taking my VFT's in, I noticed one of the traps on my small (~3/4" traps) plant that never catches anything had a weird bulge in it.  I said to myself, "Naw, it can't be," and held it up to the light.  Lo and behold this little guy snared himself a fly that was as big as he was!  He must have been lightning fast, or the fly must have been nursing a hangover, because it was a perfect catch; no part of the fly was sticking out at all.  My larger one (~1 1/4" inch traps) has caught a few, but it needed a hand with a toothpick shoving that little bugger's head into the trap so it could seal.  I swear I heard it saying, "Help meeeeee!"  ;)

Anyway, this story is useless without pics, so here's one of the little one with a fly taking up the whole trap, and one of the big ones with a fly in it for scale.

Thanks for listening.

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Nice catch!!!! Maximizing the meal size.
Nice pictures too.
 
That’s cool. There is some thing euphoric about knowing the plant has a full belly. It makes me think of a sleepy afternoon with my belly filled with a big juicy steak.
 
If an insects head is outside the trap, don't worry. It might not look sealed but the insect will be digested fine.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Alvin Meister @ Sep. 09 2005,4:38)]If an insects head is outside the trap, don't worry. It might not look sealed but the insect will be digested fine.
Yeah, but the brains are the best part!
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I am really proud of the little guy, like a baby taking its first steps, or a dog learning a new trick. But you should never anthropomorphize CP's; they don't like it. ;)
 
I think mine like being considered as an equal. We both like to make bugs suffer a slow death. Then again, they maybe more human than me.
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I found that the ones that the plants catch themselves are always perfect catches unless it is something like a cranefly or something with particularly long legs. Its when little humans try to stuff flys into the trap that all the problems start happening.
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[b said:
Quote[/b] (Nflytrap @ Sep. 10 2005,9:21)]Its when little humans try to stuff flys into the trap that all the problems start happening.
What kinds of problems, and why do you think that is?

The big trap I "helped" is doing fine, and if you'll look at the pic of the little trap you'll see a brown spot on the petiole where the trap attaches, that is now where the trap is drooping off the petiole.
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  • #10
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Nflytrap @ Sep. 11 2005,12:21)]Its when little humans try to stuff flys into the trap that all the problems start happening.
I have seen bugs escape traps that where caught naturally. You can bet when I feed them they are going to swallow or I'll eat it my self.
 
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