Western Spotted Skunk

Mammals > Carnivorans

The Western Spotted Skunk (Spilogale gracilis) is an acrobatic, weasel-like carnivoran celebrated for its extraordinary and dramatic defensive threat display: performing a vertical handstand on its front paws before spraying. Far more agile and fast-moving than the...

Rock Pocket Mouse

Mammals > Rodents

The Rock Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus intermedius) is a famous, small desert rodent celebrated globally as a textbook example of rapid evolutionary adaptation and natural selection. Inhabiting the rocky deserts of the American Southwest, populations living on pale...

Merriam’s Kangaroo Rat

Mammals > Rodents

Merriam’s Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys merriami) is an extraordinary, bipedal desert rodent native to the arid desert basins of North America. Renowned for its kangaroo-like hopping locomotion and its astonishing ability to live its entire life without ever taking a...

Beira

Mammals > Antelopes & Gazelles

The Beira (Dorcatragus megalotis) is an extraordinary, elusive dwarf antelope endemic to the scorched, vertical limestone mountains of the Horn of Africa. The sole member of its genus, this agile mountain cliff-scaler is instantly recognized by its colossal,...

Swamp Antechinus

Mammals > Marsupials

The Swamp Antechinus (Antechinus minimus) is a specialist carnivorous marsupial uniquely adapted to the wet, windswept coastal heathlands and dense tussock grasslands of southeastern Australia and Tasmania. Distinguished by its warm yellowish-brown fur, stocky build,...