Inquisitive Shrew Mole

Mammals > Moles & Desmans

The Inquisitive Shrew Mole (Uropsilus investigator) is an ancient, morphological relic of early mammalian evolution found strictly along the rugged, mist-veiled peaks of the Gaoligong Mountains. Representing one of the most basal living lineages of the mole family...

Dalai Mountain Blind Lizard

Reptiles > Blind Skinks & Legless Lizards

The Dalai Mountain Blind Lizard (Dibamus dalaiensis) is an extraordinary legless squamate described in 2011 from Phnom Dalai in the rugged Cardamom Mountains of southwestern Cambodia. Representing one of the most specialized fossorial reptiles on Earth, this blind,...

Griffin’s Leaf-nosed Bat

Mammals > Bats

Griffin’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros griffini) is an extraordinary microbat species discovered in 2008 and formally described in 2012 from Cat Ba Island in northern Vietnam’s iconic Ha Long Bay. Named in honor of Professor Donald Redfield Griffin, who...

Emperor Dumbo Octopus

Invertebrates > Cephalopods

The Emperor Dumbo Octopus (Grimpoteuthis imperator) is a mesmerizing cirrate cephalopod described scientifically in 2021 from deep-sea research collections along the Emperor Seamount Chain in the Northwest Pacific. Named after its prominent ear-like lateral fins that...

Gulf of Mexico Anglerfish

Fish > Anglerfishes

The Gulf of Mexico Anglerfish (Lasiognathus dinema) is an extraordinary bathypelagic species discovered in 2011 during post-Deepwater Horizon natural resource assessment surveys in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Belonging to the family Thaumatichthyidae—the...