Common Purple Snail

Invertebrates > Mollusks

The Common Purple Snail (Janthina janthina), also celebrated as the violet sea snail, is one of the ocean’s most extraordinary pelagic invertebrates. Unlike virtually all other marine snails that crawl along the benthic seafloor, this delicate gastropod spends...

Crown Poison Frog

Amphibians > Frogs & Toads

The Crown Poison Frog (Ranitomeya fantastica), also affectionately known in herpetology as the fantastic poison frog, is a miniature jewel of the western Amazonian rainforest in Peru. Renowned for its intricate geometric dorsal patterns resembling an ornate royal...

Sierra Newt

Amphibians > Salamanders & Newts

The Sierra Newt (Taricha sierrae) is a robust, charismatic salamander endemic to the rugged western foothills and middle slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. Formerly regarded as a subspecies of the California newt (Taricha torosa), molecular...

Red Spitting Cobra

Reptiles > Snakes

The Red Spitting Cobra (Naja pallida) is one of Africa’s most striking and unmistakable venomous snakes. Cloaked in vivid shades of terracotta, bright salmon-pink, or fiery coral-red, this medium-sized elapid is celebrated for its specialized defensive weaponry:...

Western Green Mamba

Reptiles > Snakes

The Western Green Mamba (Dendroaspis viridis) is a long, slender, and venomous elapid native to the lush tropical rainforests of coastal West Africa. Renowned for its brilliant emerald coloration and lightning-fast agility, this strictly arboreal serpent spends the...