Biologists have discovered a new species of caterpillar in the Hawaiian rain forest that ensnares snails in silken webs, then feasts on them like a famished cannibal until nothing but the shell is left.
It's the first time such behavior has been documented in caterpillars - or any other member of its biological order, Lepidoptera, which includes moths and butterflies.
"It was like finding a wolf that dives for clams," said University of Hawaii biologist and entomologist Daniel Rubinoff, who reported the discovery with William P. Haines, a biologist at the university, in Friday's edition of the journal Science.
Although all caterpillars have silk glands, this species is the first to be seen using that organ like a spider. And although nearly all Lepidopterans are vegetarians, "This caterpillar wouldn't sample foliage even if it were starving," Rubinoff said.
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