Plants > Ericaceae & Monotropoideae
The Ghost Plant (Monotropa uniflora), also known historically as the Indian Pipe or corpse plant, is an enigmatic, completely achlorophyllous perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the heather family Ericaceae, native to the deep, moisture-rich forest floors of North...
Fish > Scorpaeniformes & Psychrolutidae
The Blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) is one of the most culturally famous, yet scientifically misunderstood denizens of the deep ocean. Voted in popular culture as the ‘world’s ugliest animal,’ this internet celebrity looks nothing like a melted pink...
Fish > Lampriformes & Regalecidae
The Giant Oarfish (Regalecus glesne), immortalized across centuries of maritime folklore as the mythical ‘sea serpent’ and the Japanese ‘messenger from the sea god’s palace,’ is the undisputed giant of the deep twilight zone. Holding the...
Reptiles > Skinks & Scincidae
The Shingleback Lizard (Tiliqua rugosa), widely celebrated across Australian wildlife lore by colorful colloquial names including the bobtail, pinecone skink, sleepy lizard, and two-headed skink, is a heavy, heavily armored terrestrial reptile belonging to the skink...
Birds > Opisthocomiformes & Hoatzins
The Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin), known throughout the Amazon basin as the ‘stinkbird’ or ‘punk bird,’ is one of the most evolutionarily isolated, bizarre, and debated avian species on planet Earth. Belonging to its own unique taxonomic order...
