Why are Venus flytraps so fast?

A team of scientists and engineers has discovered how the carnivorous Venus flytrap is able to close its leaves around an insect in 0.04 seconds.

Unlike animals, plants have no muscles or brains and are not known for their ability to move quickly. However, the secret has been revealed: The flytrap's leaves snap from convex to concave the same way that a contact lens can flip inside out.

The team cut up leaves to study their natural curls, and also painted fluorescent dots on intact leaves to track their insect-devouring action with high-speed cameras. Like most lenses, Venus flytrap leaves are doubly curved, that is, curved in two directions, which allows the leaves to store elastic energy.

The question of what initiates the snap buckling remains unanswered. It starts when stiff hairs on the leaves’ edges are touched. Scientists suspect some high-pressure movement of water through the leaves makes them start to curl in a way that initiates the snap buckling.