Cascade Torrent Salamander

Amphibians > Salamanders & Newts

The Cascade Torrent Salamander (Rhyacotriton cascadae) is a small, cold-adapted amphibian endemic strictly to the volcanic Cascade Mountain Range of Washington and Oregon. Specialized for living in the splash zones and cold gravel trickles of mountain waterfalls, it...

Columbia Torrent Salamander

Amphibians > Salamanders & Newts

The Columbia Torrent Salamander (Rhyacotriton kezeri) is a charming, hyper-specialized amphibian belonging to the ancient, endemic Pacific Northwest family Rhyacotritonidae. Inhabiting cold, moss-covered gravel seepages and waterfall splash zones in old-growth coastal...

Horned Coot

Birds > Rails & Coots

The Horned Coot (Fulica cornuta) is an extraordinary, giant aquatic rail found exclusively on the freezing, windswept volcanic lakes of the high Andean Puna. Renowned for its bizarre, erectile black ‘horn’ of flesh and feathers that protrudes from its...

Spot-tailed Earless Lizard

Reptiles > Lizards

The Spot-tailed Earless Lizard (Holbrookia lacerata) is a rare, ground-dwelling reptile endemic to the rocky limestone plateaus and shortgrass savannas of Texas and northern Mexico. Easily distinguished from all other earless lizards by the distinct rows of round...

Western Skink

Reptiles > Lizards

The Colorado Desert Fringe-toed Lizard (Uma notata) is an exquisite, highly specialized sand-dwelling reptile endemic to the wind-sculpted sand dunes of the Colorado Desert. A true marvel of evolutionary adaptation, it possesses comb-like scales on its hind toes that...