Adults care for pufflings for about 45 days after they’re born.

Kizilkup Canyon, Kazahstan

Macau 

COSTA RICA

Arenal Volcano looms above a horse grazing in the fertile northern lowlands. The country’s mountainous terrain meant that it never developed large farms, as other countries in Central America did, so it was never dominated by a powerful landholding class. Costa Rica’s small-property owners have elected presidents who’ve made education a priority, ensured clean water, instituted social security, and established free clinics in most villages.

Lakes that are rich in carbonates and phosphorous, such as Mono Lake in California, are thought to have been common on early Earth, perhaps providing an environment for life to form.