Dimdima
Online Children's Magazine from India
Dimdima
Online Children's Magazine from India
By Rani Iyer
For people from the tropics, the word ‘carnivore’ conjures the image of a tiger, lion, cheetah, or even a snake. We are however talking of a smaller carnivore. Could it be a hyena, or a fox, or other animals? Here is a clue. It is not four-legged creature. Does it have more legs? Sure. Insects?
The tiniest carnivore is an insect, in fact a caterpillar! The life cycle of a moth or butterfly is complex. Although most of them begin by feeding on leaves or flowers, they switch to being a carnivore at some point in their life cycle. They wield sophisticated camouflage, seductive smells, or shields of armour as their tools. These caterpillars use a mixture of physical and behavioural methods for surviving in the wild.
What could these caterpillars possibly disguise as you wonder? In Hawaii, they disguise themselves as piece of tree bark to hunt for their prey, while in Australia one species invades green tree ant nests and devours the brood, not to forget the Danish species that lives underground pampered by ants! In Hawaii, there are about 20 known species of Eupithecia butterflies and they all blend with their surroundings. Some mimic flecks of dry leaf, lichen, or moss. They are so perfectly camouflaged that they are rarely spotted! Although hundreds of species exist the world over, only in Hawaii are these species are carnivorous. All over the world, the Eupithecia caterpillar feed on flowers and fruits.
In Denmark, the Maculinea alcon butterfly begins life as a tiny white egg on the Gentian plant. The caterpillars feed on the flowers for about ten days, and they drop to the ground. Here, they develop a waxy coat that smells like the ant larvae. Myrmica ants, fooled by the smell, will carry it into their nest. While the ants feed them with regurgitated liquids from their mouth, the caterpillar secretly devours the ant brood! Such complex life cycles in nature show that creatures are inexplicably interlinked. Even carnivores are highly vulnerable to extinction.
Last updated on :4/29/2004
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Dimdima is the Sanskrit word for ‘drumbeat’. In olden days, victory in battle was heralded by the beat of drums or any important news to be conveyed to the people used to be accompanied with drumbeats.
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
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Chowpatty, Mumbai - 400 007
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Dimdima.com, the Children's Website of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan launched in 2000 and came out with a Printed version of Dimdima Magazine in 2004. At present the Printed Version have more than 35,000 subscribers from India and Abroad.