Life in the dark : illuminating biodiversity in the shadowy haunts of planet earth

Deep inside caves, at the bottoms of oceans and lakes, beneath the ground: these concealed habitats are absent of sunlight. This strange and fascinating world of complete darkness is not a solitary place—it is inhabited by millions of life forms. Yet most humans—creatures of daylight—have never seen any of them. Until now. In this fascinating—sometimes eerie—book, extreme wildlife photographer and scientist Danté Fenolio brings the denizens of these shadowy haunts into focus. Life in the Dark shows us the many ways in which life forms have adapted to lightless environments, including refinements of senses, evolution of unique body parts, and illumination using "biological flashlights." With more than 200 mesmerizing color photographs, Life in the Dark unveils bizarre creatures like the firefly squid, the giant Amazonian catfish, the Chinese cavefish, and even the human bot fly, which lives in the darkness beneath its host’s skin. Fenolio’s rich and vibrant images shed new light on the world’s fascinating creatures of darkness. Deep inside caves, at the bottoms of oceans and lakes, beneath the ground: these concealed habitats are absent of sunlight. This strange and fascinating world of complete darkness is not a solitary place--it is inhabited by millions of life forms. Yet most humans--creatures of daylight--have never seen any of them. Until now. In this fascinating--sometimes eerie--book, extreme wildlife photographer and scientist Dante Fenolio brings the denizens of these shadowy haunts into focus. Life in the Dark shows us the many ways in which life forms have adapted to lightless environments, including refinements of senses, evolution of unique body parts, and illumination using "biological flashlights." With more than 200 mesmerizing color photographs, Life in the Dark unveils bizarre creatures like the firefly squid, the giant Amazonian catfish, the Chinese cavefish, and even the human bot fly, which lives in the darkness beneath its host's skin. Fenolio's rich and vibrant images shed new light on the world's fascinating creatures of darkness. This book explores the possibility that life exists on Mars. It provides an interdisciplinary overview of the early evolution of life in hydrothermal ecosystems on Earth, focusing on the problem of remote sensing and incorporating geological work relevant to the search for evidence of early life on Earth and Mars. It discusses the belief that studying thermal spring deposits as part of this search may be the best opportunity to test whether life on earth is a "unique experiment", or whether there is life elsewhere in the solar system.Offers an exciting look into the possibility of life on Mars.-- Provides an interdisciplinary discussion of the early evolution of life in hydrothermal ecosystems on Earth.-- Presents controversial information comparing ecosystems on Earth and Mars. Presents Hundreds Of Creatures Like The Firefly Squid, Tarantula Hawks, And Blind Spiny Eels That Have Adapted To Habitats Devoid Of Light Such As Caves, The Bottoms Of Oceans And Lakes, And Underground. An Introduction To Life In The Dark -- The Deep Sea -- Dark Freshwater Habitats -- Fossorial Wildlife -- Subterranean Life -- The Parasites Within -- Conservation -- Appendix: Amphibian Skin Secretions And Potential Use By Humans : A Short Bibliography. Danté Fenolio. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.