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Ross Piper

Animal Earth: The Amazing Diversity of Living Creatures Paperback – March 20, 2015

by Ross Piper (Author)

58 ratings

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“With vivid, prismatic photos, zoologist Piper offers encounters with dozens of improbable-looking but beautiful organisms you’ve never heard of.” ―Entertainment Weekly

What most think of as the animal kingdom―from elephants to amphibians―in fact accounts for only a tiny portion of the tens of millions of species that scientists speculate inhabit planet Earth. Animal Earth is an unbiased tour of this still largely undiscovered world, illuminating the bizarre appearances and hidden lives of the creatures that share our planet, but which we’ve rarely, if ever, seen.

What is perhaps more surprising is that this bewildering range of animal species can be traced to a small number of lineages, sharing a common body plan and evolutionary history. Animal Earth not only provides an evenhanded summary of each but also reflects the latest research on the evolutionary relationships between species. How they all fit in the tree of life is a topic that has been debated for decades, not least because new species are being discovered all the time; some lesser-known lineages, such as the Chaetognatha (arrow worms) and Xenoturbellida (strange worms) continue to defy classification.

Given our technological achievements, humans are in a uniquely privileged position to protect animal diversity. As Ross Piper makes clear, each species is an integral component of the ecosystem we live in, and we protect animal diversity not only for its own sake but to maintain the natural systems that keep us alive. 540 color illustrations

Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Thames & Hudson
Publication date

March 20, 2015
Dimensions

9.5 x 1.3 x 11.1 inches
ISBN-10

0500291659
ISBN-13

978-0500291658
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Dr. Piper sets out the astounding panoply of the world’s fauna.”
- The Wall Street Journal

“The book’s main draw is its striking images, capturing the iridescent eyes of mantis shrimps . . . a brilliantly multicolored Persian carpet flatworm, sea slugs . . . that look more like sculptures than living organisms, and sinister wasp close-ups that will both haunt readers and draw them back for more.”
- Publishers Weekly

“With vivid, prismatic photos, zoologist Piper offers encounters with dozens of improbable-looking but beautiful organisms you’ve never heard of―many of them microscopic or marine.”
- Entertainment Weekly

“Even among the species known to science, there are many that remain undiscovered by the public. Some of these species are very strange, some are truly incredible and lots of them are very small. . . . Animal Earth brings a few of these hidden lives to life.”
- Wired.com

“Can we all agree to show the ribbon worm some more love? It’s just one of the hundreds of amazing, bizarre, and often-overlooked animals in Ross Piper’s new book.”
- Slate

“We get a glimpse of those most hidden [species].”
- Woman Around Town

“Colorful, frilly, or grotesque forms abound.”
- Natural History

“Nothing short of fabulous.”
- Rangefinder

“The photographs here provide a fount of inspiration for both the creatively and scientifically inclined.”
- Fast Co. Design

“Of the 540 color illustrations in this biospecific tome, most could be confused for selections of modern art photography or graphic design, so visually arresting are the creatures here.”
- Art Desk

About the Author

Ross Piper, PhD, is a zoologist and writer based in the United Kingdom.

Product details

Publisher : Thames & Hudson; Reprint edition (March 20, 2015)
Language : English
Paperback : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 0500291659
ISBN-13 : 978-0500291658
Item Weight : 3.95 pounds
Dimensions : 9.5 x 1.3 x 11.1 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,667,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #284 in Organic Evolution
- #1,628 in Plant & Animal Photography
- #1,766 in Natural History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
58 ratings

Customer reviews

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4 star		7%
3 star		4%
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Top reviews from the United States

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CeCe

Not just a coffee table book

Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2019

Verified Purchase

I kept checking this book out of the library over and over. I finally acknowledged I wanted to own it, something I don’t do often. I am fascinated by the varieties of underwater life. The photos make it easy to study the details. Text is fascinating too, not quite scholarly but written to inform and to draw us into the clear fact of biodiversity. Well done. The author traveled the world, studying and photographing the creatures, highly respected academically.

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Kindle Customer

Zoologist recommended

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2014

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I got my PhD in Zoology in 1982 and I was curious about the latest thoughts on the many odd phyla and the relationships between phyla, especially in regards to info that has been gained by DNA evidence. I read the entire book just for fun and it seemed accurate to me. The photography is stunning and the price of the book is quite a bit less than all the graduate level zoology textbooks I have seen. The title is slightly off, however, as you can see from the picture that the title says the "The Amazing Diversity of Living Creatures". Curious that they changed the name Pogonophorans to Siboglinids with no cross reference. It used to be a phylum but is now in the Annelida.

3 people found this helpful

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Cliff Landesman

with strikingly beautiful pictures, that covers the full range of animals

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2016

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An extraordinary book, with strikingly beautiful pictures, that covers the full range of animals, from A to Z, in all their diversity, with photographs of sample species for each phyla. I used this book in combination with Simon Barnes's Ten Million Aliens to gain a better understanding of the diversity of animal life. They complemented each other well. Barnes tells stories; Piper shows pictures (and provides more detailed scientific information).

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Manuel Sanchez

An Excellent Overview of the Animal Kingdom

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2014

Verified Purchase

1) The pictures are stunning.

2) Many of the pictures are of animals that are rarely seen in photographs.

3) The book splits the entire animal kingdom into 35 groups of equal importance—the phyla. This approach provides a manageable account of animal diversity, with at least one good look at each "province" of the kingdom. The resulting sense of completeness is well worth the price of a few oversimplifications (which are acknowledged in the text).

4) Although the text deserved better copyediting, it is accessible and full of interesting details.

3 people found this helpful

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G. Matteson

Overlooked biological artistry.

Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2014

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This amazing visual collection surveys all the animal lineages briefly, paying special attention to the small and hidden ones that are often overlooked. Photomicrographs and illustrations reveal amazing forms. And the descriptions of modes of living and reproducing impress one with the diversity of life that has evolved to fill niches from the bottom of the ocean to the tops of trees and the interiors of our bodies.

One person found this helpful

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P. Krafft

Beautiful pictures! Not so beautiful creatures?

Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2014

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I saw this book recommended on Twitter by Iain Couzin, a prominent researcher in animal behavior. I got it for my mom because she is an artist and an animal lover. I was expecting a beautiful picture book of manifold exotic animals. Indeed, there were many beautiful colors, but the animals were a bit more exotic than I was expecting!

Do buy if you are curious about the diversity of life on earth or if you want inspiration for something interesting to paint. Do not buy if you are afraid of creepy critters!

One person found this helpful

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SJD

Very nice book

Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2013

Verified Purchase

this book has it all, amazing photography, high quality reprints and lots of information. i bought this book for my son for christmas and he loved it. Read it cover to cover all Christmas day, astounding photos and facts! enjoy

One person found this helpful

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Zwykly Klijent

Fantastic!

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2016

Verified Purchase

Amazing discovery. Very enlightening, with incredible photos and illustrations. A real treasure at any price!

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Top reviews from other countries

Magnus Johnson

I'll be recommending this to my students at the University of Hull

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 1, 2017

Verified Purchase

In a world of instant information on the web we sometimes struggle to get undergraduates to read real books. Dense, detailed, academic texts with a catalogue-like approach to describing animal diversity and taxonomy can be daunting for students. At the same time, we don't want them reading superficial coffee-table books. This text is somewhat of a hybrid - beautiful images that draw you in and then detail in the text which is both accessible and appropriate for undergraduates. I'll be recommending this book as brain-bait for my 2nd year Aquatic Zoology course which forms part of our Marine Biology degree at Hull. Hopefully with their interest piqued students will go on to read more deeply in other traditional and excellent tests such as Brusca and Brusca or Ruppert, Fox and Barnes (and, of course, the primary literature).

3 people found this helpful

Lauren Downard

Gorgeous Book!💗

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 10, 2018

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This is an absolutely gorgeous book with so much detail and beautiful illustrations and photographs! It is perfect for any aspiring Marine Biologists out there! I love it💗

One person found this helpful

G. Gromble

colourful and informative

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2014

Verified Purchase

more than a coffee table book but, sadly, shy of a text book. this book has the most exquisite images of the lesser known members of the animal kingdom. it also has fascinating 'factoids' sprinkled throughout with much speculation as to their lifestyles since many of them have been little studied. had it contained more information about the animals on display, and in a more thematic manner (beyond the basic classification of these creatures), then I might have awarded it a fifth star.

One person found this helpful

Incredible forms of Life

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2014

Verified Purchase

An awesome book, in the true sense of the word! The beautiful photography reveals a world of creatures so extraordinary it is nearly impossible to believe we share the same planet. I got this for my daughter as she is interested in zoology and paleontology, and she is loving it.

Holly

Stunning

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2018

Verified Purchase

Stunning and informative. Got it for a text book but actually really enjoy reading it in my spare time.

One person found this helpful

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