Life Everlasting : The Animal Way of Death

From one of the finest naturalists and writers of our time, a fascinating investigation of Nature's inspiring death-to-life cycle. How does the animal world deal with death? And what ecological and spiritual lessons can we learn from examining this? When a good friend with a terminal illness asked if he might have his "green burial" at Heinrich's hunting camp in Maine, it inspired the acclaimed biologist and author to investigate the hidden world of what happens after death in nature.

Life Everlasting illuminates the remarkable post-death processes that occur around us constantly. From beetles to bald eagles, ravens to wolves, Heinrich reveals the fascinating and mostly hidden world of scavengers and decomposers, while examining the ancient and important role we too play in connecting death to life.

Despite focusing on death and decay, this is a life-affirming exploration that convinces us physical demise is not an end to life, but an opportunity for renewal—a worldwide tour of the role of death in nature that is consistently fascinating and fun to read.