While the slimy presence of the Australian glow-wormArachnocampa flavamay not be on everyones fascinating list of things to observe in the tropics at night.
It is fascinating to know, that the natural entrapment by its blue green emitting light, encircled by the sticky crystal like dew drops, proves to be deadly to nocturnal flying insects.
The extreme adhesive properties of this viscous substance, is according to CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), ‘insolubleonce it dries, ‘no current available solvent is capable of dissolving’ this highly viscousmucilage.
Remarkably the glow-worm manages to slide effortlessly, eating and regurgitating its mesmerising sticky snares, while making a meal of those that finally see “the light at the end of the tunnel”.
Alberto Vale
Alberto Vale is an award-winning wildlife filmmaker, cinematographer, naturalist and citizen scientist based in Cairns, North Queensland, at the gateway to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. For more than two decades, Alberto has combined wildlife cinematography with an intimate knowledge of tropical habitats, guided by a simple principle: to film wildlife successfully, you must first understand its habitat and behaviour. As founder and President of the Australian Quoll Conservancy (AQC), he has spent more than a decade conducting non-invasive field research on the endangered northern spotted-tailed quoll, developing non-invasive techniques to identify and monitor individual animals, breeding and behaviour without conventional trapping. Through WildCAM Australia®, Alberto has produced and directed internationally broadcast natural-history documentaries, including Green Tree Ants – Friend or Foe?, Quolls: Fast & Furious, and his latest production, Quollity Breeding, narrated by veteran Australian voice-over artist Katherine Kennard. Today, Alberto continues to combine cinematography, natural history and citizen science, using the camera not simply to capture wildlife, but to reveal behaviour, contribute to conservation knowledge and bring the hidden lives of Australia's native species to audiences worldwide.
Leave a Reply