Author: Laurel Hamers / Source: Science News
The Curious Life of Krill
Stephen Nicol
Island Press, $30
Stephen Nicol is here to change your mind about krill: They’re not microscopic and they’re far from boring.
The biologist is so sick of people misunderstanding his study subjects that he’s even gotten a (slightly botched) krill tattooed on his arm to help enlighten strangers.In The Curious Life of Krill, Nicol is taking his mission to an even bigger audience. The book is an ode to Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), which are among the most abundant animals in the world by mass. Each several centimeters long, krill cloud the ocean in swarms that can span 20 kilometers. They’re a linchpin of ocean ecosystems — a key food source for whales, penguins and other marine life. And yet, Nicol points out, few people would be able to identify these translucent, red-and-green-speckled creatures with feathery appendages.
Anyone who has ever nurtured an affection for a species that others find odd or distasteful or unremarkable will understand…
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