A model showcases designs on the catwalk during the NE(degrees)¤TIGER Couture 2012 on the second day of China Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012 on October 25, 2011 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Space Shuttle Discovery leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on its way to the Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center August 11, 2011 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Space Shuttles Endeavour and Discovery switched buildings as they are being decommissioned with the end of the Shuttle program. (Photo by Roberto Gonzalez/Getty Images)

The bloodwood tree (Pterocarpus angolensis) is a deciduous tree with a high canopy, reaching about 15m in height and has dark bark. The red sap is used traditionally as a dye and in some areas mixed with animal fat to make a cosmetic for faces and bodies. It is also believed to have magical properties for the curing of problems concerning blood, apparently because of its close resemblance to blood. The name bloodwood for these trees stems from the dark red to brown sap that accumulates on wounds on the trunks.

Rose-ringed Parakeets roost in a copse in Wormwood Scrubs Park on December 6, 2011 in London, England. Approximately 2,500 parakeets roost in the copse at the centre of Wormwood Scrubs which has been designated by English Nature as an important site of natural significance. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

The electronically animated giant baby Miguelin (created by Isabel Coixet in collaboration with the special effects team behind Alien vs. Predator) was seen in the Spanish Pavilion at the site of Shanghai 2010 World Expo on April 27, 2010 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by China Photos)

Russian police cadets march during general rehearsal of the Victory Day parade on the Dvortsovaya Square in St. Petersburg, Russia, 07 May 2021. The military parade marking the 76th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in the World War II will take place on the Dvortsovaya Square on 09 May 2021. (Photo by Anatoly Maltsev/EPA/EFE)

Tim Laman is a field biologist and wildlife photojournalist. His pioneering research in the rain forest canopy in Borneo led to a PhD from Harvard and his first National Geographic article in 1997. Since then, he has pursued his passion for exploring wild places and documenting little-known and endangered wildlife by becoming a regular contributor to National Geographic. He has eighteen articles to his credit to date, all of which have had a conservation message. Some have focused on endangered species such as Orangutans or Hornbills, while others, such as a series of articles on Conservation International’s Biodiversity Hotspots, have highlighted regions under intense pressure.