To succeed in a hunt, a predator often needs to be faster than its prey. Plants are not known for their speed. Even so, one plant has evolved a snappy survival strategy that lets it feast on insects and arachnids that, by most measures, should be safe from its clutches. We're talking, of course, about the famous Venus flytrap ( Dionaea muscipula ) – a plant that lures prey into a leafy trap, then snaps shut around the unfortunate victim, holding it fast while the plant digests at its leisure.