The hardhead, also known as the white eyed duck, is the only true diving duck found in Australia. The common name "hardhead" has nothing to do with the density of the bird's skull, instead referring to the difficulty encountered by early taxidermists in processing the head. Hardheads are found in wetter, coastal regions of Australia, particularly in the south-east, but are known to disperse as far afield as New Guinea, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.
The Pacific golden plover is a migratory shorebird that breeds during Alaska and Siberia summers. During nonbreeding season, this medium-sized plover migrates widely across the Pacific. The genus name is derived from pluvia, Latin for “rain.” It was once believed that golden-plovers flocked when rain was imminent. The Latin species name fulva means tawny or yellowish-brown. In the Hawaiian language, the bird is called kōlea. The Māori of New Zealand call the bird kuriri.
Steller's eider is a migrating Arctic diving duck that breeds along the coastlines of eastern Russia and Alaska. It is the rarest, smallest, and fastest flying of the eider species. Amongst the Inupiat Eskimo, Steller's eider is known as the "bird that sat in the campfire", referring to the burnt-ish color of the male's belly.
The bontebok is a subspecies of Damaliscus pygargus, an antelope found in South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia. D. pygargus has two subspecies; the bontebok, occurring naturally in the Fynbos and Renosterveld areas of the Western Cape, and the blesbok occurring in the Highveld.
The pumpkinseed is a North American Freshwater fish of the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. It is also referred to as pond perch, common sunfish, punkie, sunfish, sunny, and kivver.
Protomelas taeniolatus is a Haplochromine cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi in Eastern Africa. The fish is popular in the aquarium hobby due to the bright rainbow-like colors of adult males and its relatively peaceful temperament. Juvenile and female P. taeniolatus, like many Haplochromines, do not display bright coloration.
The four-eyed fishes are a genus, Anableps, of fishes in the family Anablepidae. They have eyes raised above the top of the head and divided in two different parts, so that they can see below and above the water surface at the same time.
The bigeye thresher is a species of thresher shark, family Alopiidae, found in temperate and tropical oceans worldwide. Like other thresher sharks, nearly half its total length consists of the elongated upper lobe of the tail fin. Its common name comes from its enormous eyes, which are placed in keyhole-shaped sockets that allow them to be rotated upward. This species can also be distinguished by a pair of deep grooves on the top of its head, from which its scientific name is derived.
The white-bellied minivet is a species of minivet found in Nepal and India, mostly in dry deciduous forest.
The barbeled houndshark is a species of ground shark and the only member of the family Leptochariidae. This demersal species is found in the coastal waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Mauritania to Angola, at depths of 10–75 m (33–246 ft). It favors muddy habitats, particularly around river mouths. The barbeled houndshark is characterized by a very slender body, nasal barbels, long furrows at the corners of the mouth, and sexually dimorphic teeth. Its maximum known length is 82 cm (32 in).
The crimson-fronted parakeet, also known as Finsch's parakeet or Finsch's conure, is a small green Neotropical parrot. It is found in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and western Panama. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and heavily degraded former forest.
Stephen's lorikeet, also known as the Henderson lorikeet or the Henderson Island Lorikeet, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to Henderson Island in the Pitcairn Islands of the South Pacific.
The big skate is the largest species of skate in the waters off North America. They are found along the Pacific Coast from Alaska to Baja California, typically from the intertidal zone to a depth of 120 m (390 ft), and feed on benthic invertebrates and small fishes. They are unusual among skates in that their egg cases may contain up to seven eggs each. This species is one of the most commercially important skates off California and is sold for food.
The shortspine thornyhead, also known as the channel rockcod, shortspine channel rockfish or spinycheek rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is sometimes referred to as the "idiot fish" or "idiot cod" due to its large oversize head/eyes. It is found in the northern and northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Anableps anableps, the largescale four-eyes, is a species of four-eyed fish found in fresh and brackish waters of northern South America and Trinidad. This species grows to a length of 30 centimetres (12 in) TL. This fish can occasionally be found in the aquarium trade. The fish does not actually have four eyes, but instead each eye is split into two lobes by a horizontal band of tissue, each lobe with its own pupil and separate vision. This allows the fish to see above and below the surface of the water at the same time.
The Peacock Eel or Spotfin Spiny Eel is a spiny eel found in freshwater habitats throughout Southeast Asia. They are commercially important as food and aquarium fish.
The common Surinam toad or star-fingered toad is a species of frog in the family Pipidae found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical swamps, swamps, freshwater marshes, and intermittent freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Sarawak pygmy swellshark is a species of catshark, belonging to the family Scyliorhinidae. It is found in the benthic zone near the edge of the Pacific continental shelf, at depths of 118–165 m.
Lampetra ayresii is a species of lamprey in the family Petromyzontidae. It is also called the river lamprey or western river lamprey. It is found in the eastern Pacific, specifically from Tee Harbor, Juneau in Alaska to the Sacramento–San Joaquin drainage in California, USA. It can survive in both marine surface waters and freshwater lakes, rivers, and creeks. In freshwater, it is found typically in the lower portions of large river systems. It is a predatory fish and feeds on fishes in the size range of 10–30 cm. It feeds by attaching to prey using its round, sucker-like mouth. Adult western river lampreys typically grow to about 21 cm (8.3 in) total length (TL), but can reach 31 cm (12 in) TL.
Plectroglyphidodon phoenixensis, also known as the phoenix damsel, is a species of Perciformes in the family Pomacentridae.
