Leopold's Whippet Philema The Plant That Becomes an Animal One of nature's strangest and most mysterious discoveries is Leopold's whippet, a plant found in the Amazon rainforest. This plant blurs the line between flora and fauna. Animal-shaped for prey: This plant disguises itself as a highly venomous snake. Its stem curls like a snake's body and its flowers look exactly like a snake's head, even having two "poisonous fangs." Biological cunning: When a bird or animal approaches its "snake"-like head, it secretes a specific sticky substance that entangles the prey, then the plant slowly digests it. A mystery for experts: Scientists are still unable to understand how a plant managed to take on such a perfect shape over millions of years of evolution