Biodiversity (short for biological diversity) is a term used to describe the variety of life on Earth. From spectacular orchids to slimy slugs, majestic tigers to tiny eyelash mites, dazzling corals to soaring eagles, the diversity of life on this planet is truly amazing. No one even knows how many millions of species exist. So far, scientists have classified about 1.4 million species, including about 250,000 species of higher plants, 19,000 different species of fish, 10,000 species of reptiles and amphibians; 4,000 species of mammals, 9,000 species of birds, 47,000 species of fungi, and over 750,000 insect species. The rest include mollusks, corals, worms, spiders, algae, microorganisms, and their relatives. Despite these huge numbers, there may be millions of species that remain unknown. In fact, estimates of the total number of species on Earth range anywhere from 10 million to 100 million.

Beach verbena

Costa's hummingbird

Pica