Strange story about man-eating plants

According to scientists, the uncharted wilderness of the world, long home to mysterious beasts and creatures, are collectively known as cryptids.

But not only animals, in such regions, there are also many mysterious predatory plants.

Vampire Grapes

One of the most fearsome predatory plants is the 'blood-drinking vampire grape', which lives in the deepest swamps of Nicaragua, which the natives call the 'Devil's Trap'. This plant was discovered by chance by an American naturalist named Dunstan, who spent two years studying the flora and fauna of the area.

The 'vampire' grape holds its prey tightly in its tight web.

Dunstan said he was collecting plant and insect samples in a marshy area near Lake Nicaragua when he suddenly heard his dog's cry of terror and pain. Dunstan rushed to the source of the cry and found the animal surrounded by a web of roots and vines. The trapped dog struggled and groaned like it was in great pain.

When he regained his senses at this horrible scene, Dunstan managed to free the dog with the knife he carried. The vines were surprisingly difficult to cut, however, and he was horrified to discover that the rope-like tassels actively curled and squeezed around his hand.

Dunstan finally freed the dog after much effort and noticed that the skin on his hands where the vines were gripped was red and blistered. He was also surprised to find that the dog's whole body was covered in blood and covered with wrinkled spots on its skin as if it had been sucked blood. The dog, although still alive, is often disoriented and has difficulty walking.

The naturalist told the locals about this terrifying encounter and, being told it was the most famous and feared grape in the area, they warned him to stay away. Curiosity aroused, Dunstan sought to gather more information about this strange plant. However, he found it very difficult to get close to or come into direct contact with it without getting hurt. Even so, through his observations, he deduced the species' sucking ability and eating habits.

Dunstan wrote in a report:

"The suction of this plant lies in the very small suction mouths, which are normally closed and open to receive food. If it is an animal, the blood will be sucked out and the dead animal's carcass will then fall. A lump of raw meat thrown into it, within 5 short minutes, the blood will be sucked away and the rest is thrown aside.

Dunstan also describes how difficult it is to detach the tree's tendrils when caught by it, the victim can lose skin. In the end, he gave up his research on the vampire vine and after that very little is known about it." 

Plant snakes

Plant snakes have octopus-like limbs.

Another grape species that is also a predatory plant that grows in the untapped rainforests of inland Africa, which the natives call 'snake plant', was reported in 1852. The tree has a shape. of a spotted snake, dragging itself across the ground. In the place where the head should be is a bell-shaped flower, containing a viscous liquid.

Flies and other insects, attracted by the smell of the juice, penetrate the flower and get stuck. The flower will then close until the prisoners are turned into nutrients. Hard-to-digest parts, like the head and wings, are pushed out by two openings. This plant snake has a leaf-like skin that is white and soft.

In addition, in the wilds of Mexico there are also snake-like plants. In the Horticultural Times in September 1892, there was an article about this strange plant as follows:

"A tourist came to Mexico on a botanical expedition. One day he observed a black object on the cliffs of the Sierra Madre mountains. Out of curiosity, he used binoculars to examine it. Seeing that it was a tree with an unusual appearance, he decided to use his horse to find a way to the top of the mountain to approach it, but only about 5m away from the tree, he could not get up because of the steep slope. .

Looking up, where the tree stood, he saw that it had no canopy, but instead had long slender limbs, drooping like willow branches. They have a slimy appearance, sometimes the whole tree is writhing. Curiosity prompted him to visit this site again and again. One day, he saw a bird circling around a tree and then flew up to perch on the top.

At this point, the limbs of the tree suddenly moved, curling all the way up, circling the bird and pulling it down. Soon the animal disappeared from sight. As several times before, the botanist tried to climb the slope to get a closer look, but the rock he stepped on fell apart and fell.

He was unhurt and saw that the falling rock had left a rather large hole. With the trowel he carried, he widened it to make it easier to climb. When he got there, he saw the dead bird lying on the ground, only bones and feathers left. Gathering courage, he approached the tree. It is about 6m high, but covers a large area. Its body was oddly thick, knotted, and scaly.

A few meters above the ground, its slender limbs jutted its head and body downward, almost touching the ground. When he ventured to lightly touch one of the limbs, it sucked his hand with such force that when it was removed his skin was almost torn.

The next day, he came again, bringing some chickens to feed it. As he threw the chickens at the tree limbs, he saw them begin to sway back and forth with swift motion. After they were completely still, he moved closer to take a closer look and found they were covered with suckers similar to those of an octopus. The blood of the chickens was absorbed, leaving dark red marks on their surfaces."

Are there man-eating plants in the wild or are these just legends? Everything is still a mystery.