Reptiles > Geckos & Gekkonidae
The Common Flat-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus), also known as the giant leaf-tailed gecko, is an undisputed sovereign of camouflage in the animal kingdom. Endemic strictly to the humid rainforests of eastern Madagascar, this prehistoric-looking reptile can reach...
Mammals > Marsupials & Diprotodonts
The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is one of Australia’s most universally beloved and ecologically extraordinary marsupials, an arboreal folivore that spends its entire life high within the canopy of eucalyptus forests. As the sole surviving member of the...
Plants > Orchids & Orchidaceae
The Vampire Orchid (Dracula vampira) is an extraordinary epiphytic orchid native exclusively to the misty, cloud-shrouded Andean slopes of northwestern Ecuador. Named for its dramatic, bat-like appearance and deep blackish-purple sepals that terminate in long, pointed...
Fungi > Waxcaps & Hygrophoraceae
The Golden Waxcap (Hygrocybe chlorophana) is a radiant, jewel-like macrofungus that illuminates ancient, unplowed pastures and mossy swards across the temperate Northern Hemisphere. With its glossy, lemon-yellow to golden-orange cap and translucent waxy texture, this...
Mammals > River Dolphins & Iniidae
The Araguaian River Dolphin (Inia araguaiaensis), known locally as the ‘boto do Araguaia,’ is an extraordinary freshwater cetacean discovered to be a distinct evolutionary species in 2014. Geographically isolated from its Amazonian cousin (Inia...
