Archey’s Frog

Amphibians > Primitive Frogs

Archey’s Frog (Leiopelma archeyi) is an extraordinary, primitive amphibian endemic exclusively to the misty mountaintops of New Zealand’s North Island. As a member of the ancient family Leiopelmatidae, this tiny, nocturnal ‘living fossil’ has...

Bornean Bristlehead

Birds > Passerines

The Bornean Bristlehead (Pityriasis gymnocephala) is one of the most enigmatic, taxonomically isolated, and ancient passerine birds in the world. Sole surviving member of its own monotypic family, Pityriasidae, this living fossil is strictly endemic to the lowland...

Chinese Crocodile Lizard

Reptiles > Lizards

The Chinese Crocodile Lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) is a rare, ancient, and biologically isolated semi-aquatic reptile native to the pristine, mist-shrouded mountain streams of southern China and northern Vietnam. The sole living member of the family...

Shortnose Gar

Fish > Gars

The Shortnose Gar (Lepisosteus platostomus) is a fascinating, ancient predatory fish and a true ‘living fossil’ belonging to the archaic family Lepisosteidae. Native to the meandering river channels, oxbow lakes, and tranquil backwaters of the Mississippi...

Australian Lungfish

Fish > Lungfishes

The Australian Lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri), celebrated throughout Queensland as the Queensland lungfish or Burnett salmon, is an extraordinary, archaic sarcopterygian (lobe-finned) fish and one of the most famous ‘living fossils’ on Earth. Belonging...