WOLF-IN-SHEEP'S-CLOTHING

WOLF-IN-SHEEP'S-CLOTHING

"This predator comes from the same planet that the abundant rabbitoids seen all over the level come from. It has developed a fleshy growth atop its body which exactly duplicates one of these harmless herbivores, and it wiggles and displays this bait to lure others of this kind - or creatures which prey upon them - to it. The wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing has likewise adapted its body form to resemble a tree stump, while its mobile and grasping tentacle roots appear to be nothing more than gnarled tree roots, and its eyestalks appear to be vines or plant growths. The rabbitoid lure will seem to look at approaching creatures, and then crouch and “freeze” in order to pass unnoticed. When prey comes to within 8'-10' of the creature, the root tentacles will strike to grab, crush, and draw prey to the maw."

Gary Gygax, Expedition To the Barrier Peaks

 The wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing first appeared in the module Expedition To the Barrier Peaks with an excellent hidden and exposed illustration by Jim Roslof. 




It's a killer plant that uses a lure in order to attract prey to it and then devour them. It takes its name from the fable (falsely attributed to Aesop) that originated in the Sermon On the Mount:

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."
Gospel of Matthew 7:15, King James Version

This is basically just a warning to watch out for bad people pretending to be good which led to medieval fables that much more literally depict a wolf donning a sheepskin in order to get closer to the flock.

The idea of this organically occurring in a creature may seem utterly ridiculous but there's actually a lot of parallels in nature. Real life carnivorous plants use chemical lures to attract prey. Venus flytraps use volatile organic compounds (perfumes) while pitcher plants, butterworts & sundews use nectar. The sweet nectar attracts insects which then either get trapped in the plant itself or stuck to nectar.

No plants have a lure that imitates another creature, though. But, there is a thing called aggressive mimicry. This is a style of mimicry employed by predators meant to portray harmlessness and, therefore, attract prey. This is the opposite of defensive mimicry in which a prey animal imitates something dangerous to dissuade attacks. There's a few types.

Some animals use lingual luring. This is when a predator uses its tongue (in appearance or movement) to imitate a small wriggling worm. The intended target approaches what it thinks will be a quick meal only to become one itself! Alligator snapping turtles, garter snakes and even snowy egrets have displayed this behavior. 

Even closer to the idea of the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing is the arachnid-tailed horned viper of Northern Iran. It has a specialized tail that looks like a spider (specifically the sun spider) in order to attract insectivorous birds. This is an offshoot of caudal luring, which is similar to lingual luring but a tail is used to mimic the wriggling of a worm to attract prey. This type of mimicry is found mostly in snakes but  also a few species of sharks and eels.

In film, the overlooked Del Toro monster movie Mimic is about a breed of giant cockroaches that use aggressive mimicry to imitate humans in the subways of NYC. Part of their carapace has become specialized to resemble the contours of a human face. And while there's a long line of killer plants in film (from The Day Of the Triffids based on the book by John Wyndham,   both versions of Little Shop Of Horrors, Little Joe, etc) the one that comes closest to the feeling of an actual carnivorous plant and the idea of the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing is The Ruins (USA, 2008). In it, the plant uses a lure (the ringing of the cellphone) to entice victims to get closer in order to feed on them. 

There's also an interesting coincidence I stumbled upon in the works of horror author Ramsey Campbell. The Horror Under Warrendown features a monster in the form of a giant Moai covered in vines. The vines themselves are actually tentacles that are part of the statue and can trap and devour prey.  Furthermore, anyone that eats the flesh of the vines will be transformed into a rabbit-like mutant! Campbell simply refers to the creature as "The Horror" in the story but subsequent Call Of Cthulhu games have renamed it The Green God.