In nutrient-poor environments — particularly environments where nitrogen, phosphorus, and other essential elements are scarce in the soil — some plants have evolved the ability to supplement their nutrient intake by capturing and digesting animals.

This is not metaphor.

These plants have structures — modified leaves that form traps, sticky surfaces that immobilize prey, digestive enzymes — specifically evolved to capture small animals (primarily insects, though some larger species can trap small vertebrates) and extract the nutrients from their bodies.

The summit of Roraima hosts an exceptional concentration of carnivorous plant species, including multiple species of sundew (Drosera), pitcher plants (Heliamphora — the sun pitchers, a genus almost entirely restricted to tepui summits), and bladderworts (Utricularia).

These are not occasional curiosities on the Roraima summit.