photography of wildlife is unexcelled, Photo by Geneva Bumb Shanti
and intimacy the small creatures who make up the foundation of animal life
Susan Middleton is an acclaimed photographer, author, and lecturer specializing in the portraiture
in marine waters.”
of rare and endangered animals, plants, sites, and cultures. For thirteen years she was the chair of
—Edward O. Wilson
the Department of Photography at the California Academy of Sciences, where she now serves as research associate. Her most recent book is Evidence of Evolution (Abrams, 2009). Her photographs have been exhibited worldwide in fine art and natural history contexts, and are represented in the
P o rt r a i t s o f M a r i n e I n v e rt e b r at e s, t h e B a c k b o n e o f L i f e
S u sa n M i d d l e t o n
Sciences and the National Gallery of Art. She was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 2009. She lives in San Francisco.
Jacket front: Pacific Giant Octopus, Enteroctopus dofleini Jacket back: San Juan Stalked Jelly, Haliclystus “sanjuanensis”
couture of marine life—nudibranchs, jellies, octopuses, sea stars, crabs, anemones, coral, worms, shrimp, clams,
sea urchins, cowries, and sea nymphs, to name but a few of the creatures whose spectacular wardrobes defy description. Astonishingly diverse in their shapes, patterns, textures, and colors, marine invertebrates are mostly invisible to our eyes, living their lives predominantly beneath the surface of the ocean. In Spineless, highly acclaimed photographer surprising world of marine invertebrates in this
stunning new view that elegantly combines art with science. This collection of more than 150 remarkable images is the result of seven years of painstaking fieldwork across the Pacific Ocean. They were obtained using special photographic techniques developed by Middleton to best capture these extremely fragile, and often tiny, creatures on camera. Vivid portraits reveal the exceptional qualities of these animals, including the startling variety in their design and construction. Each image is a portrait of a unique individual, unlike any other, with features and gestures all its own. With these gorgeous images, Middleton not only makes us keenly aware of the stark reality that we are losing so many of these animals to environmental destruction, but she also helps us to discern why it matters. Marine invertebrates constitute 98 percent of the known animal species in the ocean—we can’t afford to lose them. In her foreword, renowned marine biologist Sylvia A. Earle highlights the disturbing fact that we are stressing our oceans so much that many of these invertebrates are in steep decline, and if they don’t thrive, we won’t thrive. Middleton’s engaging essays present marine invertebrates as the protagonists in the unfolding drama of life on earth and examine how they acquired their vast array of body designs as well as the underlying unity that drives this spectacular diversity of lifestyles. Scientist Bernadette Holthuis contributes profiles describing each species pictured. Some appear here for the very first time, and two species were actually “discovered” during the course of this project.
ZAbrams
Take this journey into another realm, one that
115 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011 www.abramsbooks.com
Printed in China
T
hey are nature’s fashion show, the haute
Susan Middleton explores the mysterious and
P o rt r a i t s o f M a r i n e I n v e rt e b r at e s , the Backbone of Life
permanent collections of the National Academy of
Spineless
has brought to life
Spineless
S u sa n
whose brilliant
Middleton
“Susan Middleton,
U.S. $50.00 Canada $57.50 U.K. £30.00
co-exists right here with us on Earth, and marvel at the U.S. $50.00 Can. $57.50 U.K. £30.00 ISBN 978-1-4197-1007-0
spineless wonders that live there!
Z Abrams
Foreword by
Sylvia A. Earle
To the little things that run the world
6
Spineless Portraits of M a r i n e I n v e rt e b r at e s, the Backbone of Life
S us an M i d dl et o n Foreword by
Sylvia A. Earle
Abrams, New York
7
Page 1:
Page 5:
Pacific Giant Octopus Enteroctopus dofleini
Taylor’s Sea Hare Phyllaplysia taylori
Page 2:
Pages 6–7:
Hopper’s Hermit Aniculus hopperae
Opalescent Nudibranch Hermissenda crassicornis
Pages 2–3:
Right:
Bloody Hermit Dardanus sanguinocarpus
Kanaloa Squat Lobster Babamunida kanaloa
Pages 4–5:
Giant Fleshy Scale Worm Hololepida magna
8
Contents Foreword Sylvia A. Earle 10
Introduction 16
The Tree of Life Ancestral Relationships 28
Basic Designs for Living Body Plans 102
Unity and Diversity Life Activities 166
Species Profiles Bernadette V. Holthuis 228
About the Photography 250
Acknowledgments 254
9
22
23
Ten-Lined Sea Urchin and Knobby Liomera Eucidaris metularia and Liomera monticulosa
42
Stubby Squid Rossia pacifica
Above:
Pacific Leopard Flatworm Pseudobiceros sp. Below:
Orange-Rimmed Flatworm cf. Maiazoon orsaki
48
Four-Lined Flatworm Pseudobiceros gratus
49
68
69
This page and opposite:
Widehand Hermit Elassochirus tenuimanus
209
photography of wildlife is unexcelled, Photo by Geneva Bumb Shanti
and intimacy the small creatures who make up the foundation of animal life
Susan Middleton is an acclaimed photographer, author, and lecturer specializing in the portraiture
in marine waters.”
of rare and endangered animals, plants, sites, and cultures. For thirteen years she was the chair of
—Edward O. Wilson
the Department of Photography at the California Academy of Sciences, where she now serves as research associate. Her most recent book is Evidence of Evolution (Abrams, 2009). Her photographs have been exhibited worldwide in fine art and natural history contexts, and are represented in the
P o rt r a i t s o f M a r i n e I n v e rt e b r at e s, t h e B a c k b o n e o f L i f e
S u sa n M i d d l e t o n
Sciences and the National Gallery of Art. She was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 2009. She lives in San Francisco.
Jacket front: Pacific Giant Octopus, Enteroctopus dofleini Jacket back: San Juan Stalked Jelly, Haliclystus “sanjuanensis”
couture of marine life—nudibranchs, jellies, octopuses, sea stars, crabs, anemones, coral, worms, shrimp, clams,
sea urchins, cowries, and sea nymphs, to name but a few of the creatures whose spectacular wardrobes defy description. Astonishingly diverse in their shapes, patterns, textures, and colors, marine invertebrates are mostly invisible to our eyes, living their lives predominantly beneath the surface of the ocean. In Spineless, highly acclaimed photographer surprising world of marine invertebrates in this
stunning new view that elegantly combines art with science. This collection of more than 150 remarkable images is the result of seven years of painstaking fieldwork across the Pacific Ocean. They were obtained using special photographic techniques developed by Middleton to best capture these extremely fragile, and often tiny, creatures on camera. Vivid portraits reveal the exceptional qualities of these animals, including the startling variety in their design and construction. Each image is a portrait of a unique individual, unlike any other, with features and gestures all its own. With these gorgeous images, Middleton not only makes us keenly aware of the stark reality that we are losing so many of these animals to environmental destruction, but she also helps us to discern why it matters. Marine invertebrates constitute 98 percent of the known animal species in the ocean—we can’t afford to lose them. In her foreword, renowned marine biologist Sylvia A. Earle highlights the disturbing fact that we are stressing our oceans so much that many of these invertebrates are in steep decline, and if they don’t thrive, we won’t thrive. Middleton’s engaging essays present marine invertebrates as the protagonists in the unfolding drama of life on earth and examine how they acquired their vast array of body designs as well as the underlying unity that drives this spectacular diversity of lifestyles. Scientist Bernadette Holthuis contributes profiles describing each species pictured. Some appear here for the very first time, and two species were actually “discovered” during the course of this project.
ZAbrams
Take this journey into another realm, one that
115 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011 www.abramsbooks.com
Printed in China
T
hey are nature’s fashion show, the haute
Susan Middleton explores the mysterious and
P o rt r a i t s o f M a r i n e I n v e rt e b r at e s , the Backbone of Life
permanent collections of the National Academy of
Spineless
has brought to life
Spineless
S u sa n
whose brilliant
Middleton
“Susan Middleton,
U.S. $50.00 Canada $57.50 U.K. £30.00
co-exists right here with us on Earth, and marvel at the U.S. $50.00 Can. $57.50 U.K. £30.00 ISBN 978-1-4197-1007-0
spineless wonders that live there!
Z Abrams
Foreword by
Sylvia A. Earle