84

FieldworkFieldworkSAVING ITALY’S VIPERSDANTÉ FENOLIO’S LATEST BOOK

A HOT NEW LOOK FOR ADDERSLife in the Dark is a fascinating and splendidly illustrated volume which - literally - sheds

light on a mysterious universe where eerie creatures live in a world without lightLife in the Dark is a fascinating and splendidly illustrated volume which - literally - sheds

light on a mysterious universe where eerie creatures live in a world without light

A LOOK INTO THE ABYSS

HEREGOOGLE EARTH COORDINATES HERE

85

A 1-meter long, bright blue caecilian Caecilia sp. from the Amazon basin, a fossorial amphibian with very long teeth. On the opening spread, a bunocephalidcatfish - possibly Xyliphius lepturus - collected at a depth of 90 meters in the Amazon. Like many other species adapted to a life in the dark, it has no eyes.

86

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY DANTÉ FENOLIO

The Common Fangtooth Anoplogaster cornuta, one of the deep ocean’smost iconic fish due to its impressive (and very toothy) countenance.

hy was Life in the Dark producedand what is it? It is easier for me to startwith what this book is not. This book isnot and has never been about me.There is no ego involved – trust me, thereare countless wildlife photographers outthere with greater skills than I have.And I don’t care about personalaccolades, awards, or recognition. Theemphasis of this book is and must be onwildl i fe and on the plight of ourremaining wild places. This book has asingle purpose: to kick-start a discussionabout biodiversi ty everywhere. Inhomes, coffee shops, and around watercoolers – across the world. Even if it issuccessful, I fear the conversation is 15or 20 years too late…but better late thannever. As Jane Goodall wisely said,“There is still a lot left worth fighting for.”Let’s also focus on the positive. Forexample, the Pope just made theenvironment a priority!As a global society, we need to discussthe value of biodiversity (all livingspecies on our planet). I’ll argue our fateis irreversibly tied to biodiversity. I couldsay that biodiversity should be saved forits beauty alone – which I do believe. Icould discuss the intricate connectionsbetween food webs around the worldand explain how removing key elementsof them wil l bring on devastatingcollapses and ripple effects that will

ultimately affect all life on this planet,and that also is true. Regardless, thereare more pragmatic reasons for savingbiodiversi ty. Al low me to useamphibians as an example to explainwhy and how saving biodiversity isdirectly in our best interest. To do this, Ineed to explain a l i t t le bi t aboutamphibians.As a consequence of the incredible wayin which they can breath, all amphibiansshare the abil i ty to produceantimicrobial toxins, the sum of whichrepresent a remarkable storehouse ofcompounds that comprise apharmaceutical treasure chest formedical biochemists to harvest. Whilemany species do have lungs,amphibians can also breath throughtheir skin, which is moist and permeable.Air and water can pass through it freely,without the effor t we expend inbreathing—as long as they keep theirskin moist. Dry skin ultimately leads todeath in amphibians. Their moist,permeable skin was crucial in evolution,allowing them to leave a life in water toexploit recourses on the land. However,every advantage carries with i t adisadvantage: skin that is always wet isa veritable feast for bacteria and fungi.The evolutionary defense in amphibiansis present in every living species’ skin:microscopic granular glands that secrete

W

continued on page 91 ›

87

The Double-horned Golden-lined barbel Synocyclocheilus bicornutus is considered to be a top predator in the subterranean streams where it is found - in relatively small populations - inXingren County, Guizhou, China. The conical spines on its snout indicate that this is a mature adult in breeding condition.

88

Dottybacks, Grammas and Firefishes are marine fishes found in the “twilight zone” at the depth where sunlight dims. Left, from the top, Pichtichromis diadema,Pichtichromis dinar, Pseudochromis fridmani, Pseudochromis springeri and Gramma loreto; right, from the top, Nemateleotris decora, D. helfrichi and D. magnifica.

89

Melanocetus johnsonii (top) and Melanocetus murrayi (bottom), two deep-water anglerfishes, both trawled from more than 1,000 meters deep.

The Fangtooth Anoplogaster cornuta is a marine species which inhabitsdepths between 300 and 5,300 meters, where it lives in complete darkness.

90

Flashing Tilefishes Hoplolatilus chlupatlyi are commonly observed on Indo-Pacific rubble or sandy bottoms down to a depth of 55 meters.

The strikingly marked Blue-spotted Jawfish Opistognathus rosenblatti lives inburrows it digs on tropical coral reefs in the eastern central Pacific Ocean.

91

Top, a large house centipede, family Scutigeridae, from China; bottom,the endangered Ozark Big-eared bat Corynorhinus townsendii ingens.

toxins, keeping microbes at bay. Manyspecies produce unique blends ofantimicrobial toxins, currently unknownto medicine. And therein is one verypragmatic reason why humans shoulddo everything possible to keepamphibians (and biodiversity in general)around - they are reservoirs for treatingmicrobial diseases. Only a few of themyriad biochemically active compoundsin amphibian skin secretions are now inthe test ing/trial phase. Many arepotentially life-saving. These compoundsare of such vital importance because ourcurrent treatments for microbial diseasesare becoming ineffective. The problem isantibiot ic -resis tance. As we useantibiot ics, more and more lethalbacteria become resistant to them.Humanity now has only a singleantibiotic that is effective againstantibiot ic -resis tant s trains ofStaphylococcus, the bacteria that causesstaph infections. Resistant bacterialstrains can be deadly. My father’s bestfriend entered a southern Californiahospital with a bad case of poison oakand died days later with an antibioticresistant staph infection that he got in thehospital. How did bacteria becomeimmune to antibiotics that once killedthem efficiently? In essence, we havecreated “super bugs.” Sometimespeople fai l to fol low prescribedmedication regimes. They endtreatments early, while some bacteriaremain. The bacteria that remain are thestrongest and the most resistant. Thesereproduce rapidly and spread. Witheach treatment that leaves bacteria,

resistance increases. Bacterial formsevolve that are no longer killed by themedication that once would haveeliminated them. As more and morebacterial strains develop resistance,more and more of us will die of simplebacterial infections. In short, we arerunning out of effective antibiotics. Butall is not lost; amphibians (and greaterbiodiversity in general) may yet savethe day. Skin secretions of dozens ofamphibians have been demonstratedto kill antibiotic-resistant bacteriastrains, and can provide blueprints fornovel killers of other deadly bacteria.Likewise, amphibian skin secretionsmay be used to prevent or treatcancers, chronic pain, and otherailments. There is even an amphibianskin secretion that functionally inhibitsthe HIV virus from mucosaltransmission. We know nothing aboutthe skin secretions in the vast majorityof the world’s 7000+ amphibianspecies, but it is certain that there arethousands of unique compoundsawaiting discovery. Are you willing tobet that any par t icular speciesconsidered to be “not worth saving”isn’t the one with a skin secretion thatcould ultimately cure a human disease,treat a family member, or save yourown life? But there is a huge problem,as much as half of the world’samphibians are either facing seriousenvironmental problems, are indecline, or have gone extinct. Here’s a quick exercise to demonstratejust how many of our medicines comefrom natural sources. Open your

continued on page 96 ›

The extraordinary-looking Waterfall Climbing Loach Cryptopora thamicola is able to live for extended periods out of water, inhabiting C02-filled caves and crawling onits well-developed pectoral and pelvic fins out of the water to feed on bacteria growing on damp rocks. This specimen was photographed in northern Thailand.

92

93

This mesopelagic Cockatoo squid Cranchia scabra was captured in a trawlat a depth between 200 meters and the surface in the Sea of Japan.

Amphipods are deep-water crustaceans closely related to crabs, lobsters andshrimp. They represent an important food source to many marine animals.

94

Gunther’s Boafish Stomias affinis features photophores along its full length - thisone was captured in the Gulf of Mexico between 200 and 400 meters.

Two knifefishes from South America: Orthosternarchus tamandua (top andmiddle) and Compsaraia samueli (bottom). Both can generate electric fields.

95

Barely the size of an almond, this larval (juvenile) octopus was captured ina trawl at a depth of 200-400 meters in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Glass squid Galiteuthis phyllura (top) lives in northern Pacific waters;Black-eyed squids Gonatus onyx (bottom) are found in the Northern Pacific.

96

The parasitic candirù or vampire fish Vandellia cf. sanguinea is a typicalAmazonian basin species. This specimen was captured in the Rio Napo, Peru.

medicine chest. Make a wri t teninventory. Go online and look into theorigins of each medicine. You will beamazed at the number that camedirectly from nature. Think about theamphibian example I just provided andsubstitute any group of wildlife. Somuch of the world’s biodiversity is introuble that, more likely than not, thegroup you substitute will have a similarstory. There is no telling where the nextcure for a human disease will comefrom. Which species will provide asubstance that conquers a cancer?Which animal will produce a chemicalthat treats heart disease? Is there anorganism out there that produces achemical that would eliminate particularaddictions? While I hate to express thevalue of biodiversity to terms of humangain, it is the only argument somepeople will accept. Humanity simplycannot afford to turn i ts back onbiodiversity. Our very future depends onit. But don’t take my word for it. Look onthe internet or read up on biodiversity…decide for yourself.To be clear, the transition from a naturalextract to a medicine is a lengthy andexpensive process. Richard Conniff haspublished a great discussion of thisprocess. For example, a particularchemical compound that is showingpromise may be mixed in with dozensor even hundreds of other compounds.Isolating the important compound isdifficult. Replicating it may be verycostly and require a more efficienttechnology that wil l take t ime todevelop. Nonetheless, if we don’t

conserve our biodiversity today, thefuture will hold no natural reservoirsfrom which we can draw. They will begone...By celebrating the beauty ofbiological diversity here, it is my hopethat some will be inspired to take acloser look, and to make environmentalprotection a priority. We have little timeleft. Do this for future generations.Please, act now. .

Author DantéFenolio (above,photo by W.W.Lamar) -zoologist,biologist andwildlifephotographer - is vice-president,conservation andresearch, at theSan AntonioZoo, Texas.