Malayan Tapir

Mammals > Odd-Toed Ungulates

The Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus), also affectionately known as the Asian Tapir or ‘Oreo Tapir’, is the largest of the world’s four living tapir species and the only one indigenous to the Old World. Inhabiting the deep, shadowy understory of...

Alligator Gar

Fish > Gars

The Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula) is the undisputed mega-fish titan of North American freshwaters and one of the largest exclusively freshwater fish on Earth, easily exceeding eight feet in length and 250 pounds in weight. Often called a ‘living...

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...

Hellbender

Amphibians > Salamanders

The Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), known colloquially by evocative folk names such as the ‘snot otter,’ ‘devil dog,’ and ‘Appalachian alligator,’ is North America’s largest native amphibian. Belonging to the...

Chinese Giant Salamander

Amphibians > Salamanders

The Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias davidianus) is a prehistoric aquatic titan, reigning as the largest living amphibian on Earth. Often called a ‘living fossil’ due to an ancestral lineage that dates back more than 160 million years to the Jurassic...