N T H E DA R K
lluminating Biodiversity in the Shadowy Haunts of Planet Earth
DantĂŠ Fenolio
Stunning, never-before-seen photographs of creatures that live in complete darkness.
Illuminating Biodiversity in the Shadowy Haunts of Planet Earth
Danté Fenolio 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. Danté Fenolio, a zoologist, biologist, and wildlife photographer, is the director of conservation and research at the San Antonio Zoo.
“With brilliant photography and illuminating words, this book truly opens the dark worlds of life for all to reflect upon and enjoy.”— George Raab, president emeritus, Chicago Zoological Society, and former director, Brookfield Zoo
“It is through masterful works such as Life in the Dark that I can step back and take in the sheer beauty of the forms of life so ubiquitous, yet so unknown, on our planet. Danté Fenolio’s eye for pictorial composition is not just among the best there is, it is among the best that ever was. Life in the Dark is destined to be a classic.”—Tracey T. Sutton, Nova Southeastern University “Delightful, amazing, and inspiring. Danté Fenolio’s stunning photography and crisp, authoritative text bring to life the intriguing and bizarre creatures that live in the darkest of places. This book is an extraordinary gift.”—Marty Crump, author of In Search of the Golden Frog “A fascinating and visually stunning glimpse into a kaleidoscopic array of weird and wonderful creatures that inhabit a world beyond the reach of light.”—Robin Moore, author of In Search of Lost Frogs: The Quest to Find the World’s Rarest Amphibians
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LIFE IN THE DARK Illuminating Biodiversity in the Shadowy Haunts of Planet Earth
Danté Fenolio “That infernal Danté has done it again. He has created a series of photographs so beautiful that it is impossible for us to imagine these creatures otherwise.” —Michael J. Lannoo, editor of Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species “In these pages, Danté Fenolio gives a rare glimpse inside a hidden world of strange adaptation and the sometimes bizarre answers evolution comes up with to meet the demands of life in the dark.” —David Bickford, National University of Singapore Publication date: April 2016 978-1-4214-1863-6
9 x 11, 312 pages $39.95 / £26.00 hardcover
Sales queries: Kerry Cahill Sales Director 410-516-6936 kpc@press.jhu.edu
222 color photographs Also available as an e-book
Media queries: Kathryn Marguy Publicist 410-516-6930 krm@press.jhu.edu