Living Planet — The Web of Life on Earth
On May 8, Sir David Attenborough, one of the world's most renowned wildlife experts, celebrated his 99th birthday. Maybe you know him from one of the BBC’s celebrated wildlife documentaries, such as Planet Earth or Blue Planet. If so, you have probably noticed that Attenborough is one of those people you just have to listen to. So, when I recently visited the Cambridge Museum of Zoology, I picked up an updated version of his book "Living Planet" to find out if his writing could keep up with the TV programs.
In "Living Planet," Attenborough guides you through Earth's habitats, including the ocean, desert, and jungle, as well as more specific ones such as volcanoes and estuaries (places where rivers meet the sea). Every chapter focuses on one of these habitats and tells a story in itself, so it's up to you which part of earth's wildlife you want to explore in a reading session. Attenborough builds every story from the ground up—sometimes also down from the peaks, depending on the habitat—and shows how the existence of one species often enables the existence of another. For example, the ability of fly larvae to catch their prey even in river torrents by building nets makes the river an attractive habitat for ducks that, in turn, feed on the larvae.
Even though writing often makes a situation seem static, Attenborough illustrates the dynamics of every habitat, not only in the present but also in the past and future. It can be hard to imagine, but parts of the Sahara were once spotted with lakes and wildlife before gradual changes in the climate transformed the region. In the present, habitats are dynamic, for example because of changing seasons and animal migration, but also human influence that will continue to shape them in the future.
While you have to do without the epic music that accompanies most wildlife documentaries, Attenborough's book, for me, reads like one. Once you get over his sometimes excessive use of the words "very" and "much" (or a combination of both), his writing creates atmosphere. When he takes you on a descent through the rainforest's canopy or treks with you through a mangrove forest, pointing out what you would encounter on your way, it feels like a movie is playing in your head.
On these journeys, Attenborough finds a balance between detail and the bigger picture. Usually, he'll start with an overview and then zoom in on more specific aspects before finally zooming out again to close a chapter. This strategy is clever because few want to know every single aspect of a species' life cycle or feeding habits, but they become important when you realize how changes in these characteristics affect other actors within a habitat. In combination with Attenborough's vivid writing, even details blow your mind, making your head shake in disbelief. Did you know, for example, that birds in the Antarctic walk in a weird manner because the warm arterial blood doesn't go all the way down to their toes to prevent heat loss? Or that certain species of ants keep aphids and milk them for honeydew? Now you do, and I hope you find it as wonderful as I do.