African Clawless Otter

Mammals > Carnivorans

OverviewThe African Clawless Otter (Aonyx capensis), also celebrated as the Cape Clawless Otter or Groototter, is the second-largest freshwater otter on Earth and a formidable semiaquatic predator native to the river basins and coastal waters of sub-Saharan Africa....

Medicinal Leech

Invertebrates > Annelids

OverviewThe Medicinal Leech (Hirudo medicinalis) is an iconic, highly specialized sanguivorous annelid worm that holds an extraordinary place at the intersection of natural ecology, pharmacology, and human medical history. Belonging to the family Hirudinidae within...

Danube Crested Newt

Amphibians > Newts & Salamanders

OverviewThe Danube Crested Newt (Triturus dobrogicus) is a specialized, elegant caudate amphibian that represents one of the signature endemic vertebrates of the expansive Danube River drainage in central and southeastern Europe. Belonging to the iconic ‘crested...

Striped Marlin

Fish > Ray-finned Fish

OverviewThe Striped Marlin (Kajikia audax) is one of the ocean’s most breathtaking, hydrodynamically advanced apex pelagic billfish, cruising the sunlit epipelagic zones of the Indo-Pacific. Belonging to the family Istiophoridae alongside sailfish and spearfish,...

American Bison

Mammals > Even-Toed Ungulates

The American Bison (Bison bison), designated as the official national mammal of the United States, is the heaviest terrestrial mammal in North America and a quintessential symbol of the Great Plains. A prominent member of the family Bovidae, this massive ungulate...