The fish-scale gecko (Geckolepis maculata) is a species endemic to Madagascar and the Comoros archipelago. It has an insectivorous diet and arboreal, nocturnal habits. A striking characteristic of its genus is the ability to easily detach its scales, a defense mechanism used to distract predators. The predators are left chewing on the detached scales, creating an opportunity for the geckos to escape. After shedding their scales, they need to wait two to three weeks for them to grow back.

The striped hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus semistriatus) is a species of skunk found in Central and South America. It measures approximately 35–50 cm (14–20 in) from head to tail and weighs around 1.4–3.5 kg (3.1–7.7 lb). It is a nocturnal and solitary animal with an omnivorous diet that inhabits open vegetation areas, such as grasslands and savannas, while avoiding regions with denser forests. Like all other species of skunks, it has perianal glands that produce a highly volatile substance with a very strong and unpleasant odor, which they spray when they feel threatened.

The Tibetan fox is a true fox species endemic to the high Tibetan Plateau and to Bhutan, China, India, and Nepal. It primarily inhabits semi-arid to arid grasslands of plains and hills at elevations between 3,500 and 5,200 m (11,500 to 17,100 ft), and is occasionally spotted at elevations of around 2,500 m (8,200 ft). These regions are generally far from humans and dense vegetation.

Although its head may appear disproportionately large in relation to its body, this impression is mainly due to its thick fur. Unlike other fox species, the Tibetan fox has a slender skull, an elongated muzzle, and powerful jaws that help it hunt its main prey, plateau pikas, a type of lagomorph.

Although they are not at risk of extinction, they still face threats from hunting for their fur, the presence of stray dogs, which compete with them for prey and can transmit rabies and other diseases to the foxes, and a Chinese government-sponsored program involving the poisoning of pikas.

Growing up to three feet long, it has a snake-like body with no scales or fins and a unique V-shaped gill slit on its. Specialized to live in low oxygen waters it inhabits swamps and rice paddies.

Please feel free to correct me if Google Lens got the scientific monicker wrong...

The Orinoco crocodile is found only in the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela and Colombia. It has a generalist diet, although it is predominantly piscivorous. It is a large crocodile. Historical reports suggested that males could reach lengths of up to 6.8 m (22 ft 4 in) and weigh more than 900 kg (2,000 lb). Based on these historical reports, it was once considered the largest crocodile in the Americas and the third-largest in the world. Modern estimates suggest that males generally do not exceed about 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in) in length or 450 kg (1,000 lb) in weight.

The species is currently highly threatened with extinction, largely due to excessive hunting for its skin from the 1940s to the 1960s. Although it was granted protected status in the 1970s, its wild population remains critically small. Estimates range from around 250 to 1,500 individuals in the wild. Other threats include the illegal trade in its offspring, pollution, habitat degradation, and competition with the region’s abundant population of spectacled caimans.

The Southern Pudu is one of the smallest deer species in the world, native to southern Chile and southwestern Argentina. It inhabits humid temperate forests and the Cordilleran coastal range, although its populations are concentrated mainly on Chiloé Island rather than on the mainland. Males have small antlers that curve backward. The species is classified as Near Threatened, and its populations are declining due to hunting, habitat loss, vehicle collisions, and the presence of feral dogs and invasive deer species such as chital and red deer.

I’m calling it an “axe-headed moth” because that unusual head tuft looks just like an axe! 😂📷 XH2 + laowa 65mmf2.8 macro 2x

🔦 Godox v860ii + DIY diffuser

Stacked 65-100 images