The wasp that brainwashed the caterpillar
Subtitle: evolution's most unbelievable solutions to life's biggest problems
By: Matt Simon ; illustrated by Vladimir Stankovic
Contributors: Stankovic, Vladimir (Illustrator), illustrator
Publisher: Penguin Books
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 260
ISBN-13: 9780143128687
Subjects: Predation (Biology); Animals; Adaptation; Parasitism
Description: "On a barren seafloor, the pearlfish swims into the safety of a sea cucumbers anus. To find a meal, the female bolas spider releases pheromones that mimic a female moth, luring male moths into her sticky lasso web. The Glyptapanteles wasp injects a caterpillar with her young, which feed on the victim, erupt out of it, then mind-control the poor (and somehow still living) schmuck into protecting them from predators.  These are among the curious critters of The Wasp That Brainwashed the Caterpillar, a jaunt through evolutions most unbelievable, most ingenious solutions to the problems of everyday life, from trying to get laid to finding food. Join Wired science writer Matt Simon as he introduces you to the creatures that have it figured out, the ones that joust with their mustaches or choke sharks to death with snot, all in a wild struggle to survive and, of course, find true love."--Amazon.com.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-260).
Table of contents: title: You absolutely must get laid. Antechinus ; Anglerfish ; Flatworm ; Mustache toad ; Toadfish; title: You can't find a babysitter. Ant-decapitating fly ; Glyptapanteles wasp ; Asp caterpillar ; Ocean sunfish ; Lowland streaked tenrec ; Surinam toad; title: You need a place to crash. Pearlfish ; Tongue-eating isopod ; Pistol shrimp ; Sociable weaver ; Hero ant; title: You live in a crummy neighborhood. Water bear ; Diving bell spider ; Zombie ant ; Pink fairy armadillo ; Naked mole rat; title: Turns out getting eaten is bad for survival. Hagfish ; Axolotl ; Cuttlefish ; Satanic leaf-tailed gecko ; Pangolin ; Crested rat; title: It turns out not eating is also bad for survival. Giant African land snail ; Aye-aye ; Mantis shrimp ; Bone-eating worm ; Tiger beetle; title: You can't let them get away that easily, can you?. Bolas spider ; Velvet worm ; Geography cone snail ; Lamprey ; Assassin bug; title: A few parting words.