The Creature Catalog Criteria

Rules are made to be broken, but we'll do our best to follow this.

“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children."

— Native American Proverb

Many people and families make “bucket lists” of things they want to see, do, or experience before they “kick the bucket.” They chase these moments of enlightenment by visiting the pyramids of Giza or seeking an adrenaline rush through activities like skydiving. You have undoubtedly heard of this family called the “Bucket List Family,” which is checking off these amazing adventures while vlogging about them. There’s this other amazing family from Canada, the Pelletier’s, who, when three of their four children are diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare and incurable disease that leads to severe visual impairment, embark on a trip around the world to experience all its beauty while they still can. They asked their kids to make a list of places they wanted to see or do before they potentially went blind. Try not to bawl your eyes out watching their journey in the recently released documentary film Blink.

Why make a catalog in the first place?

These families inspired us greatly, but we decided to approach our Creature Catalog a bit differently, rooting it in our family’s interests in threatened wildlife. In a sense, our list is like a double bucket list. We have challenged ourselves to encounter 73 threatened species before we die and before they potentially die out as a species. 

The world is a huge place, and there are literally infinite ways we could approach a trip like this. We didn’t want this trip to be a hedonistic or self-serving mission. We wanted it to have a clear purpose, providing tons of educational value for all of us. Creating this catalog as we go gives us more of a north star and just makes this trip feel more approachable. While we definitely will take pauses, have many side pursuits, and do fun things as a family totally unrelated to threatened species, compiling this catalog will bring us back to our purpose and provide direction when there are forks in the road.

What are our criteria?

As a single family, we cannot possibly document even a tiny sliver of a percentage of the threatened animals, plants, and fungi on our planet. That said, we're going to push as hard as we can! Our list has only two real criteria:

• The animal, plant, or fungi is officially threatened globally according to a conservation organization like the WWF or IUCN, a government agency like the EPA, or based on credible scientific research empirically proving a decline on the species or sub-species level. Note the use of the word “globally,” which is an important qualifier. If a plant or animal is severely threatened in one part of the world but thriving in the wild in other places, we will not focus on it or add it to the catalog, even if we accidentally encounter it. (For example, the Florida panther is highly endangered in Florida, but it is the same species as all other North American cougars, Puma concolor couguar, which are doing quite well in other places. Texan pumas were actually brought into Florida many years ago to breed in an attempt to save the Florida panther. That said, we would be so thrilled to encounter an actual Florida panther in the wild, but there are so few left, sadly.)

• Our family must be able to access this species in the wild. Animals or plants kept in zoos or other zoo-like institutions will not be included on our list. However, species rescue and rehabilitation facilities may be included if they aim to re-wild a species or are the only place in the world where a certain species can actually be encountered.

What are our sources?

To determine which species are threatened, we will rely heavily on research from non-profits, academia, and governments. However, we will remain skeptical of such institutions and seek ground-truth information from primary sources. We will also consider citizen science and independent sources.

Currently, there are an estimated 46,000 species threatened with extinction that have made it on the “Red List,” which comes from the International Union for Conservation (IUCN). The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Species Directory is another list that tracks species that are in trouble across the globe.

Then, there are many national “red lists” and more regional lists for monitoring local biodiversity and conservation needs. For example, the U.S. has an Endangered Species Act List, which is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries. The province of British Columbia has its own compendium of threatened species. There are even more local lists provided by counties, municipalities, and parks. We are indebted to all the researchers who spend their lives focused on one of the most challenging assignments, tracking these rare species and compiling this data.

Why are there 73 species on the list?

We wrote about that in our “73 and We” post. Go ahead and click the link—you can do it!

How are we going to choose the 73 that make it on the catalog?

This catalog is going to be a work in progress. It is less a bucket list and more of a compendium of our encounters. We will be guided mainly by the intersection of three things: the curiosities of our kids, travel logistics, and randomness. We are one family with limited resources. The most limited resource is our time. We are traveling intentionally and slowly through the world. In the beginning, we will be in our Airstream. We will ultimately visit many different countries and ecosystems. Which places are we most curious about? Which animals do we most want to see, draw, or film within those habitats? How feasible and safe is it for a family of five to gain access? These are some of the questions that will guide which plants or animals get on our catalog.

That said, we can only put ourselves in the path of so many wildlings in our lifetimes. We’re going to try to strategically travel to the ecosystems where we have the best chances to encounter the most threatened species. Once there, we will follow the interests of our kids and ourselves. Safety will always be the #1 consideration for us as we decide which species to pursue.

Seems kinda challenging, no?

Perhaps. We do expect moments that remind us of Werner Herzog’s reflection about making his classic film Fitzcarraldo in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, “Every man should pull a boat over a mountain once in a lifetime.”

No doubt. There will be days that feel like that.

But we believe we will get into a flow, and this will become easier as we go. The truth is we could not imagine a more fun way to live. And we also cannot see a higher purpose for our lives than to raise awareness for these creatures. This motivation makes the challenges of this project feel trivial.

But yes, when you think about it, we’ve challenged ourselves with a triple-moving target. We’re going to be looking for animals or plants who are super rare and who are, in most cases, literally on the move themselves. We’re also moving around ourselves as a family. The catalog is also moving in the sense that the species could be re-classified as threatened or endangered, and then in the best case scenario, they are once again stable, and in the worst, they vanish from the planet completely. So, for every one of these species we are fortunate enough to encounter, luck and logistics will definitely play a major role. We are praying that the stars will align for Earth Parade!

Does this mean we care more about these species than other species?

No, we’re equal-opportunity species lovers. Consider this catalog more of a random sampling of all threatened creatures on Earth. A celebration of one is a celebration of all. That said, of course, we all have our favorites :)

What are our favorites?

This is evolving, but our current favorites are:

Ori loves sloth bears and sperm whales.

Luca loves snowshoe hares.

Vivi loves green frogs.

Jaron loves dolphins and ocean mammals in general.

Dana loves anything with bioluminescence, like plankton or fireflies.

Without further adieu, here is our “Creature Catalog,” which has the date of our first encounter as a family and a link to each animal or plant page for a deeper look into why they are threatened and how you can help.