Great Basin Bristlecone Pine

Plants > Conifers

The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) is the oldest non-clonal living organism on planet Earth, an ancient, gnarled coniferous sentinel that has stood vigil atop the freezing, storm-lashed mountain crests of the American West for nearly five millennia....

Welwitschia

Plants > Gnetophytes

Welwitschia (Welwitschia mirabilis) is undeniably one of the most bizarre, ancient, and botanically unique gymnosperm plants on the face of the Earth. Confined strictly to the hyper-arid gravel plains of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southern Angola—one of the...

Saltwater Crocodile

Reptiles > Crocodilians

The Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), affectionately known in Australia as the ‘salty,’ is the largest living reptile on planet Earth and the supreme aquatic apex predator of the tropical Indo-Pacific. A terrifying living relic of the archosaurian...

Red-Eyed Tree Frog

Amphibians > Frogs & Toads

The Red-Eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas) is an internationally recognized icon of the Neotropical rainforest, celebrated worldwide as a charismatic ambassador for tropical biodiversity and amphibian conservation. Inhabiting the lush, humid forest canopies and...

Scarlet Elf Cup

Fungi > Cup Fungi

The Scarlet Elf Cup (Sarcoscypha coccinea) is an exquisite ascomycete fungus that brightens the drab winter and early spring forest floor across the Northern Hemisphere. Emerging from decaying, moss-cloaked hardwood twigs half-buried in leaf litter, its brilliant...