In the oceans, living space has both vertical and horizontal dimensions: with an average depth of 3800 meters, the oceans offer 99% of the space where life can develop. And the deep sea, immersed in total darkness since the dawn of time, occupies 85% of ocean space, the planet's largest habitat. Yet the deep sea is mostly uncharted--only about 5% of the seafloor has been mapped with any reasonable degree of detail--and we know very little about the creatures that call it home. Current estimates about the number of species yet to be found vary between ten and thirty million. The deep sea is without doubt Earth's largest reservoir of life. Combining the latest scientific discoveries with astonishing color imagery, this book takes readers on a voyage into these dark realms, with more than two hundred color photographs of sea monsters, living fossils, and ethereal bioluminescent creatures.--From publisher description.