Sierra Garter Snake

Reptiles > Snakes

The Sierra Garter Snake (Thamnophis couchii) is a highly specialized, semi-aquatic colubrid snake endemic to the pristine granite river systems and tumbling snowmelt streams of California’s Sierra Nevada. Unlike terrestrial garter snakes that hunt in grassy...

Western Ribbon Snake

Reptiles > Colubrid Snakes

The Western Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis proximus) is an exceptionally sleek, lightning-fast colubrid snake native to the wetlands and river margins of the central United States and Central America. A close relative of the familiar garter snake, it is easily recognized by...

Pyrenean Desman

Mammals > Eulipotyphla

The Pyrenean Desman (Galemys pyrenaicus), known in Spain as the ‘Desmán Ibérico’ and in France as the ‘Rat-trompette’, is one of the most enigmatic, bizarre, and critically threatened semi-aquatic mammals on Earth. Resembling a cross between a...

Earless Monitor

Reptiles > Lizards

The Earless Monitor (Lanthanotus borneensis), reverently called the ‘Holy Grail of Herpetology,’ is an enigmatic, prehistoric-looking reptile that is the sole surviving member of the ancient family Lanthanotidae. Endemic to Borneo, this rare, semi-aquatic...

Chinese Crocodile Lizard

Reptiles > Lizards

The Chinese Crocodile Lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) is a rare, ancient, and biologically isolated semi-aquatic reptile native to the pristine, mist-shrouded mountain streams of southern China and northern Vietnam. The sole living member of the family...