Flytraps

Flytraps are the poster child of carnivorous plants, infamous for their modified leaves that resemble a bear trap. Interestingly, the trap can only spring closed if two tiger hairs are touched; otherwise the trap will remain open.

Flytraps at the Akron Zoo

You can find our flytraps in Curious Creatures.

Classification

Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Droseraceae
Genus: Dionaea
Species: Dionaea muscipula

Fun Fact

In the late 1800s, Charles Darwin conducted research on the plant, calling it “one of the most wonderful plants in the world.”

Habitat

Flytraps occupy distinct longleaf pine habitats in the two physiographic regions of the Carolinas - the Coastal Plain and the Sandhills. In the Coastal Plain where it is more common, Venus flytrap occurs in wet loamy pine savannas and sandy pine savannas. These sites are generally flat with wet or moist soils for much of the year. It also occurs in ecotones between wet savannas and drier areas such as the sandy rims of Carolina Bays.

Geographic Range

Coastal plains of the Carolinas.

Diet

The flytrap's main source of energy is provided through photosynthesis but the digestion of insects gives the plant nutrients that are not readily available in the surrounding environment.

Population Status

In October 2016, the USFWS was petitioned to list Venus flytrap as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. Updated information on Venus flytrap’s status was published in the Federal Register in December 2017, along with a “warranted” 90-day finding and notice initiating a Species Status Assessment. A “warranted” finding indicates the petition contained substantial information indicating listing may be warranted for the species.

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Flytraps at the Akron Zoo

Classification

Fun Fact

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