Triffid

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Triffids are the titular monster of the 1951 sci fi/horror novel The Day of the Triffids, written by British author John Wyndham. They are a species of Carnivorous Plant of unknown origin; perhaps bio-engineered, perhaps alien. What is known is that they are able to move around on three leg-like roots (from which they derive their name), have at least a basic animal level of intelligence, and can kill with a venomous stinging tendril, a kind of poison-saturated whip that can reach up to 10ft in distance and whose touch is almost instant death. In addition to consuming small prey by luring them into a picher plant-esque flower, triffids supplement their diets by using their stingers to kill large animals before taking root beside the corpse and absorbing the decaying flesh.

Their debut story is in many ways a precursor to the classic Zombie Apocalypse story, and revolves around a world where triffids have been widely farmed for their valuable and energy-efficient oil; their predatory nature is easily handled by using the right tools to cut out their deadly stingers, rendering them harmless for two years per "docking". Then a strange meteor shower blinds the vast majority of the human population... and triffids don't need eyes to hunt...

Aside from being an interesting scenario to explore, with multiple adaptations and a would-be sequel novel, triffids are an indirect ancestor for several of the carnivorous plants of Dungeons & Dragons; the figurine of the Shambling Mound for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was even released in Italy under the name "Il Trifido dinoccolato", which means "The Slouching Triffid".