A fine line

The habitats of the equator are home to half the world’s animal and plant species

For most of us, it’s just a line on a map. But as a new six-part series reveals, the equator, which divides the planet into northern and southern hemispheres, is also a climatic and evolutionary powerhouse.

Although they cover only five per cent of the Earth’s surface, equatorial habitats, which are among the most extreme and diverse in the world, are home to half of all animal and plant species.