| [00:01.400] |
North of the equator, |
| [00:02.620] |
two and a half thousand miles from the nearest landmass of North America, |
| [00:06.930] |
lies the most isolated chain of islands in the world - Hawaii |
| [00:12.520] |
The longest archipelago in the Pacific, |
| [00:15.210] |
Hawaii consists of over 100 ancient volcanic islands, |
| [00:19.150] |
stretching for 2,000 miles |
| [00:22.270] |
Yet it is so remote that less than 500 kinds of animal settled here in 30 million years |
| [00:29.920] |
But for those who did make it to this lush and fertile land, |
| [00:34.020] |
the world was their oyster |
| [00:36.370] |
Here, coconut palms have been replaced by giant tree ferns standing over seven metres tall |
| [00:42.280] |
From the 13 kinds of spider that made it here, |
| [00:45.150] |
over 100 new species evolved - like the happy-face spider |
| [00:49.150] |
From just one species of fruit fly came over 1,000 others |
| [00:53.560] |
And here, caterpillars were free to become carnivores |
