大象传媒

Hawaii鈥檚 isolation has had a curious effect on the evolution of some of its wildlife. Crawling around the forest ferns are caterpillars. They鈥檙e the larvae of a moth and look ordinary enough, but these tiny caterpillars are perhaps the strangest of their kind in the world. When one finds the right spot it settles down to chew through a leaf. So far so normal. But the caterpillar is not actually swallowing the bits of leaf. It鈥檚 channelling a gap between the segments. When finished, it鈥檒l tuck itself into the space. So, what鈥檚 so strange about this animal? Well, those are not your typical caterpillar feet and what follows is not your typical caterpillar behaviour. This is a carnivorous caterpillar, with a vice-like hold and a bite to match. Hawaii鈥檚 numerous fruit flies are just too good an opportunity to ignore. The stick-like camouflage of another kind of meat-eating caterpillar is just as effective when ambushing prey. Nobody knows what set Hawaii鈥檚 carnivorous caterpillars on this extraordinary path but it鈥檚 the sort of quirky evolution that鈥檚 common on isolated islands.