Sabana Surinam Toad

Amphibians > Frogs & Toads

The Sabana Surinam Toad (Pipa parva) is a diminutive, highly specialized aquatic amphibian belonging to the family Pipidae. Endemic to the warm, lowland plains flanking the Lake Maracaibo basin in northern South America, this miniature cousin of the giant Surinam toad...

White-bellied Mole Lizard

Reptiles > Worm Lizards

The White-bellied Mole Lizard (Bipes albus), commonly referred to in Mexico as an ajolote or two-legged worm lizard, is an extraordinary member of the family Bipedidae. Endemic strictly to the sun-scorched deserts of the southern Baja California Peninsula, this...

Hardwicke’s Woolly Bat

Mammals > Bats

Hardwicke’s Woolly Bat (Kerivoula hardwickii) is a miniature, aerial insectivore renowned in evolutionary biology for participating in one of the natural world’s most astonishing mutualistic symbioses. While insectivorous bats typically roost within caves,...

Dung Cannon Fungus

Fungi > Pin Molds

The Dung Cannon Fungus (Pilobolus crystallinus), popularly known as the ‘hat thrower’ or ‘shotgun fungus,’ is one of the most astonishing biomechanical wonders in the entire living world. Thriving exclusively as a specialized coprophilous...

Ant Fern

Plants > Ferns

The Ant Fern (Lecanopteris mirabilis) is an extraordinary epiphytic fern endemic to the rain-drenched montane cloud forests of New Guinea and the Moluccan islands. Globally celebrated by evolutionary botanists as one of the plant world’s most intricate...