What curious kinds of life may inhabit Mars and other planets? Do weird trees and flowers grow out there? These are haunting thoughts, for man wants to know the unknown. But until trips to Mars become feasible, we must be content to explore the mysterious worlds that exist right here on Earth. In truth, landscapes of great wonder and beauty lie under our feet and all around us. They are discovered in tunnels in the ground, the heart of flowers, the hollows of trees, fresh-water ponds, seaweed jungles between tides, and even drops of water. Life in these hidden worlds is more startling in reality than anything we can imagine on other planets. Some of Earth’s own inhabitants are almost too startling for belief. They are graceful and gentle; they are horrible monsters; they are giants-or dwarfs. They communicate with each other by devices that are far beyond the reach of our senses. Modern science helps us to explore these hiding places of nature and to study the activities of their inhabitants-playing and fighting, eating and mating, taking care of their babies-living life in full swing. How could this earth of ours, which is only a speck in the heavens, have so much variety of life, so many curious and exciting creatures?
Walt Disney, foreword to Secrets of Life
