Hispaniola

by Eladio Fernández

A short flight from the Florida coast, Hispaniola offers unique opportunities, not just to photographers like Fernndez, but to evolutionary biologists as well. At 40 million years, Hispaniola is far older than the Galpagos. Its considerable age, along with a diversity of habitats--from mountains and cloud forests to savannahs and tropical lowlands--makes this island one of the most spectacular, if poorly understood, troves of biota on the planet. The extraordinary richness of species, much of it endangered and yet to be described, is showcased here in nearly 400 spectacular photographs. The photos are accompanied by essays--in both English and Spanish--that make known the Hispaniolan fungi, plants, and animals by the experts who know them best.