Edible-nest Swiftlet

Birds > Swiftlets

The Edible-nest Swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus), often called the white-nest swiftlet, is a celebrated aerial avian species native to the tropical coastlines and limestone karst archipelagos of Southeast Asia. Famous across human culinary history as the creator of...

Spring Amanita

Fungi > Amanitas

The Spring Amanita (Amanita velosa), also widely known to West Coast foragers as the bittersweet grisette, is an esteemed ectomycorrhizal macrofungus native exclusively to oak woodlands of western North America. Emerging in early to mid-spring as winter rains recede,...

Mensiekem Bottle Tree

Plants > Succulents & Caudiciforms

The Mensiekem Bottle Tree (Pachypodium lealii), also known as the bottle tree or Kaokoveld pachypodium, is a magnificent succulent pachycaul tree native to the hyper-arid, sun-scorched mountains of northwestern Namibia and southwestern Angola. Belonging to the dogbane...

Ringed Pipefish

Fish > Pipefish & Seahorses

The Ringed Pipefish (Dunckerocampus dactyliophorus), sometimes known as the banded pipefish, is an exquisitely patterned marine syngnathid native to tropical coral reefs across the Indo-Pacific. Closely related to seahorses and sea dragons, this slender, armor-plated...

Smooth Death Adder

Reptiles > Snakes

The Smooth Death Adder (Acanthophis laevis) is a remarkable venomous elapid snake native to the equatorial rainforests of New Guinea and neighboring Indonesian archipelagos. Although phylogenetically related to cobras, mambas, and coral snakes, death adders are...