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North of the equator, |
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two and a half thousand miles from the nearest landmass of North America, |
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lies the most isolated chain of islands in the world - Hawaii |
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The longest archipelago in the Pacific, |
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Hawaii consists of over 100 ancient volcanic islands, |
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stretching for 2,000 miles |
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Yet it is so remote that less than 500 kinds of animal settled here in 30 million years |
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But for those who did make it to this lush and fertile land, |
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the world was their oyster |
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Here, coconut palms have been replaced by giant tree ferns standing over seven metres tall |
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From the 13 kinds of spider that made it here, |
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over 100 new species evolved - like the happy-face spider |
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From just one species of fruit fly came over 1,000 others |
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And here, caterpillars were free to become carnivores |