Which carnivorous plant uses a suction trap to capture aquatic prey?

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Which carnivorous plant uses a suction trap to capture aquatic prey? The bladderwort uses a suction trap.

Bladderwort is the common name for plants in the genus Utricularia. Aquatic species carry small hollow bladders, also called utricles, that are maintained under negative pressure. When an aquatic animal touches the trigger structures near a trapdoor, the door opens and water rushes in, pulling the prey into the bladder.

The entire capture can happen in roughly 10 to 15 milliseconds, making the bladderwort trap one of the fastest movements known in the plant kingdom. The trap then closes, and digestive secretions break down the captured organism. Common prey include water fleas, nematodes, mosquito larvae, and other tiny aquatic animals; some larger species can even take fish fry or young tadpoles.

Bladderworts are easy to confuse with other carnivorous plants because their traps are hidden underwater. Sundews use sticky glands, butterworts use adhesive leaves, and waterwheel plants use snap traps similar to miniature Venus flytraps. The bladderwort's defining mechanism is suction generated by a pressure difference inside the bladder.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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