Collared Pika

Mammals > Lagomorphs

The Collared Pika (Ochotona collaris) is an industrious, cold-adapted alpine lagomorph native to the rugged, glaciated mountain ranges of Alaska and northwestern Canada. Characterized by its soft greyish coat highlighted by a distinct pale collar band across its...

Little Brown Skink

Reptiles > Skinks

The Little Brown Skink (Scincella lateralis), widely known as the Ground Skink, is a miniature, glossy reptile that scurries through the fallen leaf litter of eastern North American woodlands. With its smooth, glass-like golden-bronze scales and serpentine movements,...

Smooth Earth Snake

Reptiles > Colubrids & Snakes

The Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae) is a diminutive, highly secretive fossorial serpent native to the deciduous woodlands of the eastern and central United States. Named for its perfectly smooth, glossy dorsal scales that lack keels, this gentle, harmless...

Slimy Sculpin

Fish > Sculpins

The Slimy Sculpin (Cottus cognatus) is an ecologically vital, bottom-dwelling coldwater fish native to pristine boreal streams and rocky lakes across northern North America and Siberia. Named for its smooth, scale-less skin coated in a thick protective mucus layer,...

Rainbow Shiner

Fish > Minnows & Cyprinids

The Rainbow Shiner (Notropis chrosomus) is an incandescent, jewel-like freshwater minnow endemic to the pristine upland river tributaries of the Mobile Bay basin in the southeastern United States. Renowned worldwide among freshwater aquarists and biologists for its...