I just learned Venus flytraps can count to five

I was reading this article from the University of Missouri about plant behavior. Apparently a Venus flytrap has tiny hairs inside its trap that act like a counter. If you touch one hair once, nothing happens. But if you touch it twice within 20 seconds, the trap snaps shut. It takes five touches total before the plant starts digesting. I thought that was pretty wild for a plant. Has anyone else been surprised by how smart some plants actually are?

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dylan26516d ago

nah and the craziest part is how it knows the difference between a bug and just like a piece of dirt or a raindrop. like if you tap it once it figures it's probably nothing, but two taps within 20 seconds means there's something alive moving around in there. then it waits for three more taps before it starts releasing enzymes to digest it. that's literally counting to five, using mechanical triggers. it's basically a plant with a tiny brain made of cells and electricity. there's a study where they tested this by touching the hairs with a piece of paper dipped in bug juice and it reacted way faster than just a dry paper touch. incredible.