Spineless by Susan Middleton

Page 1

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


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