漂流者 25

Hawaii's 20 surviving species of honeycreeper also evolved from just a few individuals

Compared to seabirds,

honeycreepers are poor fliers

So how did the ancestors of these forest birds and Hawaii's other castaways get here?

The answer may be blowing in the wind

Even the gentlest breeze can have a huge impact

Tree ferns stir and release their lightweight spores

Thermal updrafts can carry the spores 30,000 feet into the jet stream

And there are even animals designed to ride these high-altitude air currents

Near-weightless spiderlings are expert ballooners,

catching the wind with their gossamer threads

Like spores,they, too, can hitch a ride on the jet stream

Enduring temperatures of minus 30 degrees centigrade,

a spider can cross the breadth of the Pacific in a matter of days