Just Say No to Abuse Declaring War on Terrorism. The image of a caterpillar would be typically green and stuffing itself with leaves. But, Dr. Steven Montgomery discovered otherwise when he found the first insect-eating caterpillar back in 1972. One clue is that the Eupithecia caterpillars, as they are scientifically known as are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Like Australia, a continent filled with unique animals, the Hawaiian Islands are isolated from the mainland.
Isolation brings mutation and adaptation.
These caterpillars seem to have forgotten what their ancestors taught them when they first arrived the islands. It is also said that flying insects lost their flying ability because of the lack of predators in these islands. This might be one of the reasons for the caterpillars to act flamboyantly, which is 'reaching out' for food instead of settling on leaves. In details, when a prey unwittingly touches them on their back, the caterpillar will loop backward, into the air, with the posterior end still sticking to a tree, grab the food and then munching happily. But all is not lost.