Red Velvet Whalefish

Fish > Whalefishes

The Red Velvet Whalefish (Barbourisia rufa) is one of the most enigmatic, bizarre, and visually striking denizens of the deep ocean, the sole representative of the monotypic family Barbourisiidae. Prowling the perpetual midnight of the mesopelagic and bathypelagic...

Fea’s Viper

Reptiles > Venomous Snakes

Fea’s Viper (Azemiops feae) is universally recognized among evolutionary herpetologists as the ultimate ‘holy grail’ of venomous snakes. Occupying its own ancient subfamily (Azemiopinae) as the sole living relict of the ancestral lineage from which...

Rhinoceros Auklet

Birds > Seabirds

The Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata), despite its common name, is not an auklet at all, but rather the sole living member of the genus Cerorhinca and the closest living relative of the true puffins. Patrolling the cold, tempestuous open waters of the North...

Black Jelly Roll

Fungi > Jelly Fungi

The Black Jelly Roll (Exidia glandulosa), also known in traditional folklore as ‘Black Witch’s Butter,’ is an intriguing and resilient wood-decaying jelly fungus native to temperate hardwood woodlands across the Northern Hemisphere. Forming shiny,...

Big-belly Seahorse

Fish > Pipefishes & Seahorses

The Big-belly Seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis), commonly referred to as the pot-bellied seahorse, is the undisputed giant of the seahorse world, reaching monumental lengths of up to 14 inches (35 cm). Inhabiting the cold, nutrient-rich coastal waters of southern...