ABSTRACT
From outrageous temperatures to toxic sludge, inhospitable habitats are home to some of the hardiest organisms on Earth. When Pompeii worms say, It's like a sauna in here, they aren't kidding! Most animals don't need much to survivesunshine, fresh water, food, shelter, and air to breathe are a good start. So much for the comforts of home! Instead, it's filled with pitch, or liquid asphalt, which oozes up along with gases like carbon monoxide and methane from deep under the ground. In other words, Pitch Lake is a tar pit-in fact, the biggest in the world, holding 10 million tons of oozy asphalt. That's not quite the island home authors had in mind. These single-celled creaturesvarious species of bacteria and archaea-not only live in Pitch Lake, but eat there, too! Their meals consist of the tar and chemicals surrounding them. Besides the gooey neighborhood and nasty menu, creatures in Pitch Lake face other obstacles that would stop most species cold.
