This book begins where wild animals and humans stories link, at the foot of a huge, old chestnut. In the darkness, night sounds make the Great War background far, in the middle of socioeconomic and environmental changes. Last decades saw some species, as Apennine wolf and wild cat, coming back from the brink of extinction, thanks to mountains rewilding, prey reintroduction and protection: a true, bestial unexpectede expansion. Other species, instead, remain in critical situation: it’s the case of Marsican brown bear and Bonelli’s eagle. Of course it is important to consider also smaller species, as vipers, spiders and others, that are very important for ecosystems through cascade effects. Nowadays wildlife photography is a common activity, but we must not forget that it doesn’t have to interfere with nature conservation, moreover speaking about data sharing on social networks. In this work the author, through wide frames, speaks about the importance of habitat conservation and hidden relationships between species. Even because some problems, as climate change and plastic pollution, among the most current and discussed, are absolutely pervasive and transversal. Seen from far distance, our planet is like a single, large environment, where everything is linked, and biodiversity protection sounds like the easiest autoconservation step for humans.

The book is a passionate ode to freshwater biodiversity. Using field stories, scientific data and unpublished images, some of the most endangered and precious Italian habitats are explored, from frozen lakes in altitude to lagoons on the coast, passing for streams, rivers and big lakes. Crabs, crayfish, sponges, insects larvae hiding on the bottom; mythological lampreys migrating for hundreds of kilometers; a variety of rare and common fish; toads, frogs, newts, including the very rare olm from underground pools; waterfowl and mammals on the shores. And then conservation issues, pollution, alteration, poaching, introduction of alien species, and some projects aimed to save endangered species. In order to take photos, hours of diving in frozen lakes, in the mud of dark ponds and in the strong current of the biggest rivers.

This book comes from a great love for Italian herps, from the wish of making them known to the public in all their beauty and fascination, and last but not least their need of protection. This is the first strictly photographic book about Italian frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, turtles, lizards and snakes in their natural environments, through shots obtained over many years. This work has been published with the sponsorship of Rile-Tenore-Olona Local Park (Lombardy) and Societas Herpetologica Italica (SHI)