WONDERS OF NATURE

Insect-eating plantYou all know insects eat plants but have you heard about plants that eat insects. These insectivorous (insect-eating) pl...

Insect-eating plant

You all know insects eat plants but have you heard about plants that eat insects. These insectivorous (insect-eating) plants are found in swamps and bogs where the nutrients in the soil are very low especially, the amount of nitrogen. Hence these plants meet their nitrogen needs by trapping and digesting insects such as the Venus’s Flytrap, the Sundew and the Pitcher Plant. Out of these three, Pitcher Plant is found in India in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra. These plants have their leaves modified into a pitcher like structure which has a lid which is a modified tendril. To attract insects the pitcher is bright red in colour. For an insect this red colour looks like a beautiful flower and thus gets attracted towards it. Insects which land on the inside of the pitcher fall into a pool of sticky fluid below and the lid is closed so that the insect does not escape. This fluid is acidic and is secreted by the walls of the pitcher and is capable of digesting insects. In this way these carnivorous plants survive in mineral deficient soils. Surprisingly the acidic fluid is believed to have some medicinal values as the local people living around the Western Ghats use it for curing eye and urinary infections.

Deadly fish

Many of the fish caught in the sea are not seen in the fish markets. One kind that you will never see in the Indian markets is the puffer fish. You may certainly find it in an Aquarium shop where this fish is used as a fancy fish. It is not that they are rare; when they come into fishermen’s nets, they are thrown back into the sea. The reason why you don’t see puffer fish in our markets, is because of its deadly poison. The flesh can be eaten, but their skin, liver and gut contain a very deadly poison. Death may occur in few hours and there are no medicines to stop the reactions. But surprisingly, the Japanese eat puffer fish, and the dish prepared from it is called `Fugu’. The chefs preparing this dish are well-trained so that not even a trace of the poisonous parts of its body get into the dish.

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Expensive eating indeed! The puffer fish gets its name from the puffing ability of its body in case of danger. It has a roundish body without any scales. When in trouble, it literally puffs up by gulping water.

The blown-up body remains distended for some time, during which the fish floats upside-down on the water surface. As dead fish float on water, the puffer fish tries to protect itself by pretending to be dead. The Burr is similar to puffer fish. These fish are sometimes blown up and dried, and a candle or bulb is placed inside to serve as lanterns.

Congress may agree to Tejashwi as CM face to get Bihar alliance back on track

Political Pulse1 hr ago

Tejashwi Yadav is set to be the chief ministerial candidate of the Mahagathbandhan alliance, as talks have resolved differences and reduced friendly fights. Though a seat-sharing deal has not been announced, a positive meeting with RJD's leadership has reassured the alliance's unity and focus on bringing change to Bihar.

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