Ringed Kingfisher

Birds > Coraciiformes

The Ringed Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata) is the undisputed heavyweight giant of the New World kingfishers and the largest kingfisher in the Americas. Stretching over fifteen inches long with a wingspan exceeding two feet, this magnificent, shaggy-crested fisher...

Hooded Skunk

Mammals > Carnivorans

The Hooded Skunk (Mephitis macroura) is a uniquely elegant, silken-coated mesopredator native to the desert canyons and scrublands of the American Southwest and Central America. Distinguished from its familiar cousin, the Striped Skunk, by an extraordinary ruff of...

Plains Viscacha

Mammals > Rodents

The Plains Viscacha (Lagostomus maximus), celebrated across Argentina as the ‘Vizcacha de las Pampas’, is the heavy-bodied, mustachioed colonial engineer of South America’s vast grasslands. Belonging to the chinchilla family Chinchillidae, this...

Black Wildebeest

Mammals > Even-Toed Ungulates

The Black Wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou), celebrated throughout southern Africa as the White-tailed Gnu, is one of the most distinctive, spirited, and historically triumphant antelopes on the African continent. Distinct from the larger Blue Wildebeest by its dark...

Queen Bolete

Fungi > Boletales

The Queen Bolete (Boletus regineus), celebrated across the Pacific coast and American Southwest as the regal monarch of the porcini family, is one of the most prized, succulent, and majestic wild edible mushrooms in North America. Formerly considered a regional...