They build and build, get to the stage to fight and mate . . . In our field work, we do not see them again after they've done all that. How and why dragonflies develop as they do provides the real mystery, though, and it is one Marden hopes to solve. Still others live on cold methane ice. The real extremophiles, the ones who can take the very highest temperatures, the very worst conditions, and the least oxygen . . .
Real animals can thrive in some pretty extreme areas, though.
Plus, because they're multicellular, animals have adaptation options that are not open to bacteria. Some animals have adapted to deal with limited-oxygen environments and others somehow survive in the presence of extremely hot water, in some instances having that water touch their bodies for brief periods of time. Even among the same species, such as tube worms Fisher specializes in, the adaptations and differences can be striking. For example, tube worms at thermal vents live hard and die young. In the nutrient-rich, quickly changing environment, they have adapted to grow and reproduce very quickly during their typically short lives.