Image of the Day: Grasshoppers Eating Like Mice

In New Zealand, giant, flightless grasshoppers eat fleshy fruits and spread the seeds after passing them through their digestive tracts, a role usually performed by mice.

Seeds ingested by the large grasshoppers, called weta, have higher germination rates than seeds that were not ingested, a new study finds.

The results show that weta are similar to small mammals elsewhere in the world in that they are both seed predators as well as efficient seed dispersers. New Zealand is one of the world's most isolated landmasses and was free of mice until the arrival of humans in the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

The mice now living on New Zealand are threatening weta with extinction, and some scientists worry that this could change the structure and function of New Zealand forests.

The study, led by Catherine Duthie of Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, is detailed in the March 17 issue of the journal Science.