Erwin, D., J. Valentine, and D. Jablonski: "The Origin of Animal Body Plans," American Scientist, vol. 85, March 1997, pages 126–37. Recent fossil finds and new insights into animal development are producing fresh perspectives on the origin of animal body plans in the Cambrian.

Funch, P. and R.M. Kristensen: "Cycliophora Is a New Phylum with Affinities to Entoprocta and Ectoprocta," Nature, vol. 378, December 14, 1995, pages 711–14. This paper reports the exciting zoological discovery.

Levinton, J.S.: "The Big Bang of Animal Evolution," Scientific American, November 1992, pages 84–91. An interesting discussion of the sudden appearance of large numbers of new species in the fossil record.

Pawlik, J. R.: "Marine Invertebrate Chemical Defenses," Chemical Review, vol. 93, July-August 1993, pages 1911-22. An interesting look at how marine invertebrates employ chemical strategies to ward off predators, decrease crowding, prevent fouling, and even protect themselves from UV radiation.

Raff, R.: The Shape of Life: Genes, Development, and the Evolution of Animal Form, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1996. An account of how new molecular information is reshaping our ideas about the origins of the animal phyla.

Sebens, K.P.: "Biodiversity of the Coral Reefs: What Are We Losing and Why?" American Zoologist, vol. 34, 1994, pages 115–33. The extraordinary diversity of species in the coral reef ecosystem is threatened by people, either directly (through pollution) or indirectly (through global warming).

Vacelet, J. and N. Boury-Esnault: "Carnivorous Sponges," Nature, vol. 373, January 26, 1995, pages 33–35. A shallow-water cave in the Mediterranean yields a microcrustacean-eating sponge previously only encountered in very deep water. A fascinating discussion of an unusual mode of feeding in sponges.