World Earth Day 2019

World Earth Day 2019 Google Doodle slideshow features the wandering albatross, coastal redwood, paedophryne amauensis, Amazon water lily, coelacanth and deep cave springtail.

“The last thing I wanted to do was feature animals based on their cuteness or how they might appeal in some way to my mammalian sensibilities. We tried to focus on having a good range of organisms from around the globe,” says Google’s Earth Day 2019 doodle creator Kevin Laughlin.

“All life is incredible and worth celebrating. If I can inspire the smallest bit of curiosity or wonder in someone, that would make me very happy,” Laughlin said.

The slide show features creatures such as the Wandering Albatross, which has the widest wingspan of any living species and Paedophryne Amauensis, which holds the world record for smallest frog, and smallest vertebrate. It also had the tallest tree in the world, Coastal Redwood.

It showcases the Amazon Water Lily which is among the world’s largest aquatic plants and also Coelacanth — a 407-million-years old species — one of the world’s oldest living. Last but not the least, it has the Deep Cave Springtail, which is among the deepest-dwelling terrestrial creatures of the world.

Earth Day, which is observed on Monday this year, was founded in 1970 in response to an oil spill that occurred a year earlier off California’s coast, spewing more than 3 million gallons of oil and killing more than 10,000 seabirds, dolphins, seals and sea lions.

“All living things have an intrinsic value, and each plays a unique role in the complex web of life,” EarthDay.org said in a statement. “We must work together to protect endangered and threatened species.

The annual one-day celebration aims to raise awareness of environmental issues, with events around the globe promoting recycling, pollution reduction and care for the planet.