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's channelling a gap between the segments. When finished, it'll tuck itself into the space. So what is 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's numerous fruit flies were just too good an opportunity to ignore. And the stick-like camouflage of another kind of meat-eating caterpillar is just as effective when ambushing prey. Nobody knows what set Hawaii's carnivorous caterpillars on this extraordinary path, but it's the sort of quirky evolution that's common on isolated islands.


一旦找到适当的点，它就落下来嚼叶子。到目前为止一切都正常，但实际上毛虫并没有咽上点叶子。它只是在叶片上开一个缝隙，完成后就将自己塞进去，这个动物是不是太奇怪了？这些并不是典型的毛虫脚。下述也没有典型的毛虫行为，这是条食肉毛虫，只要能较量就牢牢地抓住。夏威夷有很多果蝇，机会多得可以忽略。另一种食肉毛虫有着枝条般伪装，实际上用来伏击正好。没人知道为什么把夏威夷食肉毛虫放在这种特别的生活方式上，但是那种快速演化在孤岛上很普遍。