Prologue

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Foreword ix
4. Prologue 1
5. 1. The Search for Undiscovered Life 4
6. 2. The Immortal Animals 11
7. 3. Elfin Farmers and Cactophylic Carpenters 22
8. 4. Darkness and the Cave of the Jaguar 44
9. 5. The Winding Path to Field Biology 54
10. 6. The Desert at the Bottom of the World 70
11. 7. Different Actors, Different Scripts 91
12. 8. Desert in the Sky 128
13. 9. The Vampire and the Phantoms of All Hallows’ Eve 136
14. 10. Land of the Shah 142
15. 11. Impenetrable Land of Thorns 157
16. 12. The Devil’s Town 187
17. 13. In the Shadow of the Pyramids 205
18. 14. Naming the Anonymous 221
19. 15. From Howling Wolf Mice to Fairy Armadillos 238
20. 16. Aridity’s Cornucopia 246
21. 17. Life in the Desert of Salt 252
22. 18. Land of Diamonds 271
23. Epilogue 276
24. Appendix. Scientific and Common Names of Species Mentioned in the Text, by Region and Major Category 287
25. Selected Readings 293
26. Acknowledgments 307
27. Index 311