The Skeptics Society & Skeptic magazine

INSIDE SKEPTIC

in this issue

Man-Eating Plants

• The Cannibal Tree of Madagascar
• Darwin and The Hoax
• Vampire Plants
• Plants that Eat Animals

By Daniel Loxton. This issue’s cover features a digital painting by Daniel Loxton.

from the Introduction

Hello!

In this issue we journey into jungles, push past tangled vines, and search for something sinister: trees that are said to eat human beings! According to travellers’ tales and newspaper stories, some mysterious plants capture and consume large animals. Growing in remote regions, these bloodthirsty vegetables wait for the unwary, surrounded by the bones of their victims. Their branches stir when there is no breeze. Inviting foliage conceals thorny vines ready to seize struggling prey. Is there any truth to these tales? Could such plants truly exist? Let’s find out!