Language: Japanese with scientific nomenclature
In general, waters of depths of 200 m or more are called deep seas. It was once thought that there were no living things. However, fish are now found at depths of over 8,000 m, and sea cucumbers and crustaceans are being discovered one after another at the deepest depths of over 10,000 m.
They have evolved independently in a special environment. There is a wide variety of species, such as those equipped with a means of emitting light, males that parasitize females, sex changers, those that lose their body pigments and become transparent, and those that have bacteria living inside of them to obtain nutrients.
Based on the latest knowledge, this book introduces a large number of deep-sea creatures with detailed illustrations. The volume and contents are unprecedented, and there are some unknown creatures that are illustrated in colour for the first time.
Summary in Japanese:
一般に水深200m以深を深海と呼んでいます。かつては生き物はいないと考えられていました。しかし今では8,000mを超える深さからも魚が見つかり、10,000mを超える最深部からもナマコや甲殻類などが次々と発見されています。
彼らは特殊な環境で独自の進化を遂げてきました。発光手段を備えたもの、オスがメスに寄生するもの、性転換するもの、体の色素を捨てて透明になりきるもの、細菌を体内に住まわせて栄養を得ているもの、などバラエティ豊かです。
本書では最新の知見を元にできるだけ多くの深海生物を精細なイラストで紹介しました。今までに類のないボリュームと内容になり、おそらく初めてカラーでイラスト化したようなマイナーな生物もいるかと思います。