Largest prey of carnivorous plants

Of all the carnivorous plants, the ones that digest the largest prey belong to the Nepenthaceae family (genus Nepenthes). Both the Nepenthes rajah and Nepenthes rafflesiana have been known to eat large frogs, birds and even rats. These species are commonly found in the rainforests of Asia, in particular Borneo, Indonesia and Malaysia. Carnivorous plants, which are also known as pitcher plants, typically catch insects such as flies, moths and beetles; those which submerge their traps in water attack mosquito larvae and even very young fish. It is only the Nepenthes species which have attacked larger prey.One of the reasons why these plants are carnivorous is because the habitats they grow in, such as peat swamps or coastal scrub, lack the nutrients they require to grow.  By using their colour, smell and nectar to attract the prey, the plants then trap, kill and digest them using enzymes, before absorbing what is needed.An alternative trick often employed by carnivorous plants is to use 'assasin bugs' which live unthreatened on the plant itself and feed off the trapped prey. The plant then absorbs what it needs from the bugs' excrement.