Amphibians > Toads
Hurter’s Spadefoot (Scaphiopus hurterii) is a stocky, nocturnal fossorial amphibian uniquely adapted to the drought-prone sandy soils of the south-central United States. Named in honor of the Swiss-American naturalist Julius Hurter, this secretive burrower is...
Reptiles > Geckos
The Ocellated Velvet Gecko (Oedura monilis) is one of Australia’s most strikingly patterned and charismatic nocturnal squamates. Native to the vast inland woodlands and granite belts of Queensland and New South Wales, this arboreal gecko is celebrated for its...
Birds > Shorebirds
The Black-faced Sheathbill (Chionis minor), colloquially known to polar explorers as the ‘paddy,’ is one of the most uniquely resilient and eccentric land birds on Earth. Belonging to an ancient lineage of aberrant shorebirds, it is one of only two...
Birds > Owls
The Southern White-faced Owl (Ptilopsis granti) is an enchanting small nocturnal raptor celebrated across global ornithology and popular culture for its extraordinary, shape-shifting defensive postures. Adorned with a pristine white facial disc sharply outlined in jet...
Mammals > Rodents
Kozlov’s Pygmy Jerboa (Salpingotus kozlovi) is a marvel of evolutionary miniaturization and extreme arid adaptation. Ranking alongside its close kin as one of the smallest mammalian rodents on the planet, this diminutive bipedal desert specialist thrives in the...
