Yellow-crowned Gonolek

Birds > Bushshrikes

The Yellow-crowned Gonolek (Laniarius barbarus), also celebrated as the common gonolek, is one of the most vividly plumaged songbirds in equatorial West Africa. Belonging to the bushshrike family (Malaconotidae), this secretive yet vocally conspicuous bird skulks...

Clown Killifish

Fish > Killifishes

The Clown Killifish (Epiplatys annulatus), also known as the banded panchax or rocket killifish, is a miniature, brightly colored surface-dwelling cyprinodontiform fish native to the lowland rainforest freshwater pools and swamps of coastal West Africa. Renowned for...

Giant Tailless Whip Scorpion

Invertebrates > Amblypygi & Whip Spiders

The Giant Tailless Whip Scorpion (Damon medius) is a formidable, prehistoric-looking arachnid belonging to the ancient order Amblypygi. Inhabiting humid tropical rainforests and dark subterranean cave systems throughout West Africa, this nocturnal creature possesses...

Featherleg Baboon Spider

Invertebrates > Theraphosidae & Tarantulas

The Featherleg Baboon Spider (Stromatopelma calceatum) is a magnificent and formidable arboreal tarantula native to the humid tropical rainforests and palm groves of West Africa. Known for its dense, feather-like fringes of setae that line its elongated legs, this...

Walter’s Duiker

Mammals > Antelopes & Gazelles

Walter’s Duiker (Philantomba walteri) is a charming, miniature forest antelope native to the unique ecological corridor of the Dahomey Gap in West Africa. Formally recognized and described by science in 2010 after researchers discovered distinct genetic...