When biologist E.O. Wilson won the TED Prize in 2007, he wished that we all “work together to help create the key tool that we need to inspire preservation of Earth’s biodiversity.” With that, the Encyclopedia of Life began the outrageous task of cataloguing all of the Earth’s known species.

Cynthia Parr spoke at TED2012 to give updates on the Encyclopedia, which now has well over a million entries — 1,112,395 to be exact. And the Encyclopedia has found a new way for the average Joe or Josephine to get to know new species — with beautifully curated Pinterest pages. Because we love their color-coded albums, below find just a few of the amazing creatures that be found in the collections “Ruby Red,” “Mellow Yellow” and “Life is Blue.”

Scarlet Hood, or Hygrocybe coccinea, are mushrooms that grow to just two inches and can be found at the base of redwood trees. These little guys are edible, but they may not be the yummiest.

From the Scarlet Hood to the Scarlet Ibis, this bird, Eudocimus ruber, is a nomadic South American species. The Scarlet Ibis can live to be 20-years-old.

The Cardinal Beetle, or Pyrochroa coccinea, uses its red wings as a warning to show predators its toxicity. Look for it on flowers at the edge of the woods.

Catch this flowering cactus, the Claret-cup Cactus (Echinocereus coccineus) when it blooms for two to three days during the Spring.

Panamanian golden frogs, Atelopus zeteki, have green eyes, yellow-orange backs, and black spots. This colorful amphibian is critically endangered, with over 80% of its population disappearing in the past 10 years.

The Polymita picta, also known as the Cuban Land Snail, attracts mates using love darts, a kind of small arrow produced by the snail itself in the seduction process.

Look for this sunflower in Illinois, where it was introduced by American Indians prior to European settlement. Helianthus annuus, meaning annual sunflower from the Latin, is a popular pollinating site for honeybees.

Holacanthus clarionensis, better known as the angelfish, is endemic to the Eastern Pacific with populations originating from near the Baja California Peninsula. Measuring on average 20 centimeters in length, angelfish stretch about the same distance as a fork.

The Common Lobster is a scavenger who uses its claws to eat. The Homarus gammarus finds its home in mud burrows and can live up to 15 years.

This sea ascidian grows in Bali, Indonesia, and goes by the formal name Rhopalaea morph translucent blue.

Find this Fairy Bluebird, also known as the Irena puella, in the Himalayan foothills. Its diet consists of fruit, nectar and a few bugs.

This native freshwater Amazonian fish is known as the Discus fish (Symphysodon aequifasciata). Both parents of the Discus larvae care for their young.

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This blog post was a tag-team effort between Shirin Samimi-Moore, who curated the red and blue collections, and Liz Jacobs, who created the yellow collection.

Photo credits for red species:

• Hygrocybe coccinea: JC Schou
• Eudocimus ruber: Frank Kramer
• Pyrochroa coccinea: Stanislav Krejcik
• Echinocereus coccineus: Robert Sivinski

Photo credits for yellow species:

• Atelopus zeteki: Brian Gratwicke
• Polymita picta: Michael Kesl
• Helianths annus: 3266zauber
• Holacanthus clarionensis: Ross Robertson

Photo credits for blue species:

• Homarus gammarus: N Sloth
• Rhopalaea morph translucent blue: Arjan Gittenberger
• Irena puella: Public Domain
• Symphysodon aequifasciata: Patrick Farrelly

In just two weeks, students will stream back to school. And while all of us know that — coincidentally — fish travel in schools, did you know that a group of hippopotami is called a bloat? We consulted with our friends of the Encyclopedia of Life to find out other animals that travel in unusually named groups. Below, find out which animals congregate in a tower and a parliament, as well as an unexpected mammal that also settles into schools.

A murder of crows
Large, intelligent songbirds, members of the genus Corvus occur on all the continents except for South America and Antarctica. Larger forms are called “ravens,” most are called “crows” and the two smallest — in their own sub-genus — are called “jackdaws.

A school of dolphins
Long-beaked common dolphins usually travel in social groups ranging from 100 to 500 individuals. But they have occasionally been seen in larger schools of thousands.

A dazzle of zebras
Mountain zebras have what’s called a polygynous mating system. They form small breeding herds that consist of one adult stallion and 1 to 5 mares with their young. Breeding herds remain stable over many years and mares usually remain in a herd for life.

A bloat of hippos
Hippopotami live in groups of 15 or more animals. These groups are primarily females and their young, headed up by a dominant male.

A tower of giraffes
While giraffes are usually found in groups, the composition of these groups is more fluid than in other social animals.

A parliament of owls
We normally think of a lone owl, howling on a branch in the foreboding night. But, on occasion, owls do team up. When that happens, it is called a “parliament.”

Photo credits:

• Long beaked dolphin: World Register of Marine Species
• Corvus: J.M.Garg
• Mountain zebras: David Patterson
• Hippos: Paul Maritz
• Giraffes: Jamin
• Owl: Edd Deane

The Encyclopaedia Britannica may have ceased printing earlier this year, ending a 244-year run. But the Encyclopedia of Life is just getting started. An ambitious initiative to catalogue all the known species on planet Earth, the Encyclopedia of Life was inaugurated by famed biologist E.O. Wilson when he won the TED Prize in 2007 and issued this wish for the world, “I wish that we will work together to help create the key tool that we need to inspire preservation of Earth’s biodiversity.” Check out his moving TEDTalk on the wish.

At TED2012, Cynthia Parr gave an update on the Encyclopedia, revealing that the number of species catalogued had almost reached a million. But additions have grown swiftly since then. As of this afternoon 1,110,940 species have been documented through the project.

Below, some of the most interesting recent entries.

Behold a newly discovered species of chameleon, the Brookesia modern, that is so small it can fit on the head of a match. You’ll find this little guy on an island off Madagascar, Nosy Hara.

Meet Frullania knightbridgei, a newly discovered type of liverwort. Discovered on Rakiura/Stewart Island in New Zealand — which is known for its high levels of rainfall — this plants soaks up water around it like a sponge.

A new species of spider has been discovered in Auburn, Alabama. When it came time to name it, the research team showed their football loyalty, calling it the Auburn Tiger Trapdoor spider.

Spigelia sp. Popovkin 602 is a plant with pink and white flowers that does something very unusual with its seeds — its branches bend down and bury them. Also fascinating — the plant was discovered in Brazil by a local handyman.

Potamites montanicola, a newly discovered species of lizard, isn’t just notable for its beautiful coloring. The lizard is the only of its genus known to live in mountainous environments, leading scientists to question how the heck it maintains its body temperature through the cold nights.

Photo credits:

• Brookesia modern: Glaw F, Köhler J, Townsend TM, Vences M
• Frullania knightbridgei: Matt von Konrat, Peter de Lange, Matt Greif, Lynika Strozier, Jörn Hentschel, Jochen Heinrichs
• Auburn Tiger Trapdoor spider: Jason E. Bond, Chris A. Hamilton, Nicole L. Garrison, Charles H. Ray
• Spigelia sp. Popovkin 602: Alex Popovkin
• Potamites montanicola: Germán Chávez, Diego Vásquez

E.O. Wilson was awarded the TED Prize in 2007. Who should win the $1 million prize in 2013? Head to TEDPrize.org to make a nomination. The nomination process closes on August 31.