Pollenivorous Silkworm

The pollenivorous silkworm has adapted to eating the pollen of the purple puffplant and other similar plants. Its teeth have been replaced by a sticky tongue, and it has decreased in size to allow it better access to the pollen ball of its preferred food and to allow it to climb with more ease. The decrease in size has also allowed it to to make better use of its silk glands, which it can now use to bridge quite large gaps. Some young worms even shoot long strands into the air to catch the wind and carry them to far-off puffplants. By moving between plants in this way, the worms serve as a more effective vector for pollen than the wind is. Puffplants which facilitate the worms are rewarded with couriers for their precious genetic material. In response to predation by perilous plents, they have also developed a series of light-sensitive spots on their backs. This allows them to tell if they are exposed in the open or in the safety of a plant bud.