Morocco: Home of Argan Oil and the Tree-Climbing Goats

Prologue: a thorny crown full of hooves Argan tree goats are iconic in Morocco. On the tawny plains …

The Treehopper: The Helmet That Shouldn’t Exist (Family Membracidae)

Prologue: a thorn that looks back Walk along a hedgerow at noon and your eyes skim past a …

Saiga Antelope: The Air-Filter of the Steppe

Prologue: wind made into an animal Stand on an open steppe long enough and the landscape begins to …

Solenodon: Venom in the Leaf Litter

Prologue: the night with a needle nose In the Caribbean, where the night is a warm sleeve and …

The Bloodless Fish: Antarctic Icefish and the Physiology of Cold

Prologue: a pulse moving through ice The Southern Ocean is a theater of contradictions—sunlight that lasts months, nights …

The Olm: Ghost of the Karst (Proteus anguinus)

Prologue: a river that runs through stone Follow the Adriatic inland and the rivers begin to misbehave. They …

Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis): Last Light of the Annamites

Prologue: a real animal, not a rumor In 1992, a team working along the Vietnam–Laos border found an …

The Dragon’s Shadow: Myth and Reality of Reptilian Kings

Prologue: In the Ashes of Fire and Stone The volcanic island of Komodo burns with heat even when …

The Gentle Giant: Elephants in Memory and Myth

A Dawn in the Savannah The first light breaks across the Serengeti. A hush lingers in the air …

The Whale’s Song: Giants of the Ocean and the Echo of Myth

1. A Breach in Time: Encounter with a Giant The horizon glows with the amber hue of a …