Venus Flytrap Facts for Kids

24 Venus Flytrap Facts For Kids

1. The Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant that is a member of the Dionaea genus in the Droseraceae family.
2. The binomial name for the Venus flytrap is Dionaea muscipula.
3. The Venus flytrap is world’s most widely known and recognized carnivorous plants.
4. The Venus flytrap is native to a small subtropical wetland region in North and South Carolina in the United States.
5. The Venus flytrap was discovered by North Carolina colonial governor Arthur Dobbs on April 2nd, 1759.
6. The Venus flytrap was scientifically described by British naturalist John Ellis on September 1st, 1768.
7. The Venus flytrap’s ancestors are believed to have first appeared around 48 million years ago.
8. The Venus flytrap reaches a height of 8 to 12 inches and a diameter of about 5 inches.
9. The Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant with a diet that consists of ants, beetles, grasshoppers, spiders, and flying insects.
10. Venus flytraps capture their prey using rapid movement that is triggered by hairs located within their trapping mechanism.
11. The prey of a Venus flytrap needs to trigger two hairs to activate the trapping mechanism and the second triggered hair needs to occur within 20 seconds of the first. This ensures the plant doesn’t waste energy due to a false positive trigger.
12. Once the prey successfully triggers two hairs, the trap closes within one tenth of a second.
13. Inside the trap, once the prey moves around enough to trigger hairs five more times, the digestion process starts.
14. It takes about 10 days for the Venus flytrap to complete digestion of its prey and once complete the trap reopens.
15. The flower of the Venus flytrap sits six to ten inches above the trapping mechanism to prevent the consumption of their pollinators.
16. While classified as a carnivorous plant, the Venus flytrap also uses soil nutrients and photosynthesis to generate energy.
17. Venus flytraps are cultivated by humans for their popularity as a household plant.
18. There are an estimated 302,000 Venus flytraps living in the wild according to a survey completed by the North Carolina Heritage Program in 2019. The wild population of Venus flytraps is down more than 93% from a 1979 survey that found there were more than 4.5 million living wild individuals.
19. The vast majority of the wild Venus flytrap population is found in North Carolina, USA.
20. Due to the low wild population of Venus flytraps, they are classified as a Vulnerable species by the IUCN.
21. The massive reduction of the wild Venus flytrap population is due to the destruction of habitat, pollution, climate change, and hobbyists harvesting them.
22. Some people use the extract from the Venus flytrap as an alternative medicine for several different types of diseases. There is no scientific evidence that the extract can help prevent or cure any diseases.
23. The Venus flytrap was designated as the state carnivorous plant of North Carolina in 2005.
24. A Venus flytrap named Audrey Jr was the protagonist in the 1986 horror comedy musical film Little Shop of Horrors.

Venus Flytrap Pictures

Pictures can be far better than words when it comes to understanding something. That's why we've provided you with the below images to help you with your research on Venus flytraps. Below you will find three pictures related to Venus flytraps. These pictures should give you a bettering understanding of Venus flytraps and what they look like.

A picture of a Venus flytrap in the wild.

A picture of a house fly caught in a Venus flytrap.

A picture of the flower of a Venus flytrap.