Plants > Orchidaceae & Orchids
The Chimaera Orchid (Dracula chimaera) is one of the most astonishing, eerie, and celebrated epiphytic orchids on Earth. Native to the perpetually mist-shrouded cloud forests of the Colombian and Ecuadorian Andes, this extraordinary member of the genus Dracula—named...
Invertebrates > Araneidae & Orb-weavers
Komac’s Golden Orb-weaver (Nephila komaci) holds the title of the largest web-spinning orb-weaver spider discovered in modern times. Scientifically described in 2009, this colossal arachnid is restricted to a precarious strip of ancient coastal dune forest in...
Birds > Bucerotidae & Hornbills
The Rufous Hornbill (Buceros hydrocorax), revered in Philippine culture as ‘Kalaw’ or the ‘clock of the mountains’ due to its resonant, punctual hourly vocalizations, is an imposing and magnificent canopy bird endemic to the Philippine...
Reptiles > Gekkonidae & Leaf-tailed Geckos
The Spearpoint Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus ebenaui) is an extraordinary master of camouflage endemic strictly to the lush primary rainforests of northern and eastern Madagascar. Serving as the smallest living representative of the famed leaf-tailed gecko genus...
Amphibians > Centrolenidae & Glassfrogs
Buckley’s Glassfrog (Centrolene buckleyi) is an exquisite and fragile jewel of the high-altitude Andean cloud forests, inhabiting cascading mountain torrents across Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru. Reaching elevations over 3,000 meters above sea level, this...
