MOUNT KINIBALU IN BORNEO HOSTS MANY ENDEMIC PLANTS AND ANIMALS. CHIEF AMONG THEM ARE SEVERAL SPECIES OF CARNIVOROUS PITCHERS OF THE GENUS NEPHENTES. THEY COME IN VARIOUS FORMS AND COLOURS AND INCLUDE SOME OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST SPECIES LIKE NEPHENTES RAJAH WHICH HAS BEEN FOUND WITH PITCHERS ABLE TO HOLD 2.5 L OF LIQUID. SMALL CREATURES, PRIMARILY INVERTEBRATES ARE ATTRACTED TO AND FALL INTO THE PITCHERS WHERE THEY DROWN AND ARE DIGESTED BY THE PLANT. OCCASIONALLY, FROGS, LIZARDS OR EVEN SMALL MAMMALS ARE CAPTURED AND CONSUMED.
RECENTLY, RESEARCHERS HAVE DETERMINED THAT CERTAIN OF THESE PITCHERS HAVE HAVE DEVELOPED A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH LOCAL TREE SHREWS. IT SEEMS THESE SMALL MAMMALS ARE ATTRACTED TO SECRETIONS PRODUCED BY THE PITCHERS. WHILE THEY ARE INVESTIGATING AND LICKING THESE SECRETIONS THEY DEFECATE INTO THE PITCHERS. THIS DEPOSIT IS IN TURN DIGESTED BY THE PITCHERS AND IS SOME CASES PROVIDES A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THEIR NUTRITION IN THESE SITES WITH POOR SOILS AND RELATIVELY FEW INSECTS.
AN INTERESTING CASE OF MUTUALISM.