Surviving: How Animals Adapt to Their Environments

A kaleidoscope of magnificent photographs details the astonishing diversity of evolutionary adaptation among animales and plants.

Several million species inhabit the earth, survivors of more than three billion years of evolution. The plants and animals that have avoided extinction have had to adapt to a variety of harsh conditions.

Packed with sumptuous photographs, Surviving presents the most striking examples of these incredible artists of survival, including:

• The crab spider, which changes color to hide from its prey.
• The gecko that clings to a vertical rock with feet that have developed tiny suction cups.
• Emperor penguins, which work shifts with their mate, cradling their precious egg between their legs to protect it from the bitter Antarctic cold.
• The Portuguese man of war that drifts harmlessly on the waves until it is attacked, whereupon the sting from its tentacles paralyzes the attacker.

  Surviving provides fascinating explanations of how species have adapted to survive the challenges and complexities of an ever-changing ecosystem.

Alessandro Minelli is a professor of zoology at the University of Padua, Italy. He specializes in evolutionary developmental biology and is the author of several books about evolution and animal behavior.

Maria Pia Mannucci, an author and illustrator, writes about the biogeography of invertebrates and natural history.