Plants > Euphorbiaceae & Spurges
The Sandbox Tree (Hura crepitans), also known vividly as the ‘possumwood’ or ‘dynamite tree,’ is one of the most fearsome and formidable botanical species in the Neotropics. Reaching towering heights up to 130 feet in the Amazonian rainforest...
Amphibians > Hylidae & Tree Frogs
The Lesser Swimming Frog (Pseudis minuta) is a highly specialized, water-dwelling member of the tree frog family (Hylidae) native to the vast wetlands and pampas lagoons of southern South America. Unlike typical tree frogs that climb arboreal branches, species of the...
Fungi > Amanitaceae & Caesar Mushrooms
The Eastern Caesar’s Mushroom (Amanita jacksonii), also known as the American Slender Caesar, is one of the most magnificent and brilliantly colored mushrooms in the forests of eastern North America. Named in honor of Canadian mycological illustrator H.A.C....
Invertebrates > Phasmatidae & Giant Stick Insects
The Red-winged Stick Insect (Eurycnema versirubra), also celebrated in entomology as the Giant Malayan Stick Insect, ranks among the heaviest and most visually impressive phasmatids on the globe. Measuring nearly a foot in length, adult females resemble thick, vibrant...
Invertebrates > Pelagothuriidae & Pelagic Sea Cucumbers
The Pelagic Swimming Sea Cucumber (Pelagothuria natatrix) is one of the most astonishing evolutionary departures in the animal kingdom. While virtually all other echinoderms—including sea stars, urchins, and standard sea cucumbers—are strictly bound to the sea floor,...
