Lesser Earless Lizard

Reptiles > Lizards

The Lesser Earless Lizard (Holbrookia maculata) is a charming, sand-dwelling reptile widely distributed across the arid grasslands and desert plains of North America. Famous for having no visible external ear openings, it has evolved this remarkable anatomical...

Blue Sucker

Fish > Suckerfishes & Loaches

The Blue Sucker (Cycleptus elongatus) is a magnificent, long-lived big-river fish belonging to the sucker family Catostomidae. Easily distinguished by its slender, torpedo-shaped body, sickle-shaped dorsal fin, and deep steel-blue or slate-black breeding coloration,...

Mockernut Hickory

Plants > Trees & Shrubs

The Mockernut Hickory (Carya tomentosa, formerly Carya alba), also widely known as the White Hickory or Big-bud Hickory, is a grand, slow-growing hardwood tree native to the upland deciduous forests of the eastern United States. Celebrated for its exceptionally heavy,...

Highfin Carpsucker

Fish > Ray-finned Fish

The Highfin Carpsucker (Carpiodes velifer) is the most environmentally sensitive and elegant member of the carpsucker genus, native to the flowing rivers of the central and eastern United States. Celebrated for its extraordinarily tall, whip-like dorsal fin that often...

River Carpsucker

Fish > Ray-finned Fish

The River Carpsucker (Carpiodes carpio) is the most abundant and widespread carpsucker in North America, inhabiting the sprawling, silty river channels and reservoirs of the Great Plains and Mississippi Valley. Distinguished by its robust, compressed body,...