Beautiful Graptopetalum

Plants > Succulents

The Beautiful Graptopetalum (Tacitus bellus, also classified as Graptopetalum bellum) is widely celebrated as one of the most spectacularly flowering succulents in the Americas. Discovered in 1972 by Alfred Lau in the rugged mountain barrancas of northwestern Mexico,...

Doria’s Tree-kangaroo

Mammals > Marsupials

Doria’s Tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus dorianus) is a colossal, heavy-bodied arboreal marsupial that reigns over the cloud-draped mountain rainforests of New Guinea. Weighing over 30 pounds, this magnificent folivore represents one of evolution’s most...

Darth Vader Pipevine

Plants > Pipevines

The Darth Vader Pipevine (Aristolochia salvadorrensis) is one of the most visually uncanny botanical wonders in the Neotropics. Named for its bizarre, helmet-shaped burgundy and black blossoms that bear an unmistakable resemblance to the iconic Star Wars villain, this...

Madagascan Jackal Food

Plants > Parasitic Plants

The Madagascan Jackal Food (Hydnora esculenta) is one of the most astonishing, bizarre, and grotesque botanical holoparasites on Earth. Confined exclusively to the endemic spiny desert forests of southern Madagascar, this ancient angiosperm has completely discarded...

Ruby-eyed Green Pit Viper

Reptiles > Vipers

The Ruby-eyed Green Pit Viper (Trimeresurus rubeus) is one of the most visually mesmerizing venomous reptiles in Southeast Asia. Discovered and described by herpetologists in 2011, this arboreal serpent is celebrated for its dazzling emerald-green scales juxtaposed...