The Wasp That Brainwashed the Caterpillar: Evolution's Most Unbelievable Solutions to Life's Biggest Problems

by Matt Simon

Description

"On a barren seafloor, the pearlfish swims into the safety of a sea cucumber's 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 show more Caterpillar, a jaunt through evolution's 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. show less

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6 reviews

JBD1 2,919 reviews

Amusing, snarky overview of some unconventional animal adaptations of various types.

Jul 26, 2024

cgalvin 409 reviews

Funny, relatable AND a bibliography. What more could one ask in a science book?

Nov 9, 2024

ElentarriLT 956 reviews

An interesting and amusingly written book that highlights some of the strange survival mechanisms that animals have evolved. There is nothing technical in this book.

For a more in-depth look at some of these survival mechanisms, I recommend the book "Venomous" by Christie Wilcox.

Mar 24, 2020

Pepperwings 378 reviews

An excellent peek into the lives of many creatures.

Mar 19, 2018

ebr_mills 100 reviews

578.47 S5957 2016

Mar 23, 2017