Small plants also float near the surface of Earth s oceans and lakes, within range of sunlight. Animals live everywhere plants live, also surviving at much greater depths in Earth s waters. In addition, some animals can fly in the lower reaches of the atmosphere, and some burrow in the upper reaches of the lithosphere. Over much of Earth s land surfaces, the outermost crust is covered by an extremely thin film where tiny plants and animals mix with inorganic materials to form a wondrous thing called soil. The great majority of Earth s land plants grow in soil.
Humans use vast areas of Earth s surface to cultivate their favorite food plants.
From a perch in the atmosphere, these areas often appear as rectangular shapes in various shades of green. Humans Humans are by far the most amazing of Earth s phenomena. They possess limbs equipped with flexible, grasping digits called hands. They have sensory organs called eyes that can see colors and are located relatively close together, giving humans depth perception. They are endowed with extremely large brains.