Schematic
Useful for body regions; intentionally not photorealistic.
Representation Gallery
Every representation answers some questions and hides others.
Use the axolotl as one example: a schematic emphasizes body plan, a field note emphasizes context, classification emphasizes relationships, and an evidence card emphasizes provenance. None is “the animal itself.”
Field-note frame
Observe: external gills, limbs, tail fin.
Context: freshwater, Xochimilco/Valley of Mexico source context.
A note records what was looked for; it does not prove every inference.
Classification stack
AnimaliaChordataAmphibiaAmbystomaA. mexicanum
Evidence card
DAS-SRC-001Animal Diversity Web / University of Michigan
Use: classification, geographic/habitat context, physical description.
Linked reference only; no source image copied.
Natural history illustration
Biodiversity Heritage Library provides digitized historical natural-history material, including an 1889 Smithsonian-contributed volume marked public domain. This candidate links to the item as a representation-history reference without importing its plates.
Open DAS-SRC-012Why no animal photos here?
Licensing and provenance are part of the experience. Rather than fill the atlas with convenient but weakly documented stock imagery, this release uses authored schematics and leaves a clear path for later rights-reviewed media.