What creature lives in salty or brackish water, provides an ideal breeding ground for countless organisms, and helps maintain a thriving planet?
The Mangrove!
Featured Creature: Xenohyla truncata
What tiny creature dwells in a unique coastal forest, where it is famous for its appetite?
That would be Xenohyla truncata, or Izecksohn’s Brazilian treefrog.
Featured Creature: Tuatara
Which ancient reptile is as old as crocodiles, has equally scary teeth, and can see all the way to the heavens?
Of course it’s New Zealand’s own Tuatara!
Featured Creature: Black Drongo
What small but fearless songbird can astonish with its aerial acrobatics and is always ready to battle much bigger birds for dominance?
The Black Drongo!
Featured Creature: Azolla
What 100 million year old creature brought on the ice age but is so tiny that a cluster can fit on your finger tip?
That would be Azolla!
Featured Creature: Rattlesnake Plantain
What curious creature sounds like it will bite, but is actually used to heal?
It is the Goodyera orchid, and it is a plant of contradictions!
Featured Creature: Zombie Ant Fungus
What creature preys on ants and other insects, invading their bodies, seizing control of their minds, and killing them off to reproduce, all the while inspiring zombie stories that terrify us humans?
Welcome to Zombie Ant Fungus, or Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis!
Featured Creature: Self-Heal
What unassuming weed could really brighten your garden and heal the world?
Self-heal!
Featured Creature: Nilgai
Which creature is the largest Asian antelope, considered sacred to some and pest to others?
The Nilgai!
Featured Creature: Wombats
What creature roams the Australian Outback, extends its hospitality to others in times of need, and eludes predators with a unique rear end?
The tiny, mighty wombat! This little roly-poly ball of densely matted fur is a staple of Australia’s menagerie of weird and wonderful creatures.
Featured Creature: Velvet Worms
What ancient invertebrate can breathe through its skin, squeeze through tight spots, and use slime to attack prey?
The velvet worm!
Featured Creature: Mantis Shrimp
What creature has the best and most adaptable eyesight in the natural world, packs a wicked punch harder than a bullet and can change its body colors at will?
This would be the mantis shrimp in the stomatopod family!
Featured Creature: Luna Moths
What nocturnal creatures native to North America are known for their beauty and the fact that they don’t eat at all in their adult life?
Luna moths!
Featured Creature: Banana Slug
What slimy creature improves its forest ecosystem, uses clever tactics to impair predators, and might make you think twice about a favorite fruit?
The Banana Slug!
Featured Creature: Dandelions
What prolific gold-flowered plant is loved by children, helps mitigate drought, has powerful medicinal properties and is named for an apex predator?
The dandelion, of course! (Taraxacum officinale)
Featured Creature: Cats
What mammal makes a mysterious sound that scientists can’t figure out, can jump straight up to a height eight times their body length, and loves us when we love them?
Felis catus, the mostly tame, sometimes feral, house cat!
Featured Creature: Beaver
Which creature fights fires, creates wetlands, recharges groundwater, alters landscapes, and is a climate hero?
Beavers!
Featured Creature: Peafowl
Which bird from Asia is sought after worldwide, holds a beautiful crown with a purpose, and graces our eyesight with colorful feathers?
Peafowls!
Featured Creature: Zebra
Which migratory creature is native to 15 countries, has the longest mammal migration known, and has a unique coat pattern across individuals?
The Zebra!