diff --git a/src/realmModels/Taxon.js b/src/realmModels/Taxon.js
index 3676dfb54..50535c75e 100644
--- a/src/realmModels/Taxon.js
+++ b/src/realmModels/Taxon.js
@@ -160,6 +160,43 @@ class Taxon extends Realm.Object {
     };
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Inverse of mapApiToRealm: maps a live Realm Taxon into the plain,
+   * snake_case ApiTaxon shape the API and most display/search code expect.
+   * Live Realm objects expose camelCase mapTo accessors (preferredCommonName,
+   * defaultPhoto); we read those (falling back to the snake_case keys so a
+   * plain object passes through unchanged) and return a detached POJO. Use
+   * this whenever a live Taxon needs to leave the data layer (React/Zustand
+   * state, async boundaries, child components) so we aren't passing around an
+   * object Realm can invalidate underneath us.
+   *
+   * @param {object} taxon - a live Realm Taxon (or an already-plain object)
+   * @returns {object} plain ApiTaxon-shaped object
+   */
+  static mapRealmToPojo( taxon ) {
+    if ( !taxon ) return taxon;
+    const photo = taxon.defaultPhoto || taxon.default_photo;
+    return {
+      id: taxon.id,
+      name: taxon.name,
+      rank: taxon.rank,
+      rank_level: taxon.rank_level,
+      iconic_taxon_name: taxon.iconic_taxon_name,
+      ancestor_ids: taxon.ancestor_ids
+        ? Array.from( taxon.ancestor_ids )
+        : undefined,
+      preferred_common_name: taxon.preferredCommonName ?? taxon.preferred_common_name,
+      default_photo: photo?.url
+        ? {
+          id: photo.id,
+          url: photo.url,
+          attribution: photo.attribution,
+          license_code: photo.license_code ?? photo.licenseCode,
+        }
+        : undefined,
+    };
+  }
+
   static uri = item => ( item && item.default_photo ) && { uri: item.default_photo.url };
 
   static schema = {
diff --git a/tests/unit/models/Taxon.test.js b/tests/unit/models/Taxon.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8b3572016
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/models/Taxon.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+import Taxon from "realmModels/Taxon";
+import safeRealmWrite from "sharedHelpers/safeRealmWrite";
+
+describe( "Taxon", ( ) => {
+  describe( "mapRealmToPojo", ( ) => {
+    it( "returns the value unchanged when given null or undefined", ( ) => {
+      expect( Taxon.mapRealmToPojo( null ) ).toBeNull( );
+      expect( Taxon.mapRealmToPojo( undefined ) ).toBeUndefined( );
+    } );
+
+    describe( "with an already-plain snake_case object", ( ) => {
+      const apiTaxon = {
+        id: 745,
+        name: "Silphium perfoliatum",
+        rank: "species",
+        rank_level: 10,
+        iconic_taxon_name: "Plantae",
+        ancestor_ids: [1, 2, 3],
+        preferred_common_name: "Cup Plant",
+        default_photo: {
+          id: 7,
+          url: "https://example.com/photo.jpg",
+          attribution: "(c) someone",
+          license_code: "cc-by",
+        },
+      };
+
+      it( "passes the snake_case fields through unchanged", ( ) => {
+        const result = Taxon.mapRealmToPojo( apiTaxon );
+        expect( result.id ).toBe( 745 );
+        expect( result.name ).toBe( "Silphium perfoliatum" );
+        expect( result.rank ).toBe( "species" );
+        expect( result.rank_level ).toBe( 10 );
+        expect( result.iconic_taxon_name ).toBe( "Plantae" );
+        expect( result.preferred_common_name ).toBe( "Cup Plant" );
+      } );
+
+      it( "maps the default_photo fields", ( ) => {
+        const result = Taxon.mapRealmToPojo( apiTaxon );
+        expect( result.default_photo ).toEqual( {
+          id: 7,
+          url: "https://example.com/photo.jpg",
+          attribution: "(c) someone",
+          license_code: "cc-by",
+        } );
+      } );
+
+      it( "returns a detached array copy of ancestor_ids", ( ) => {
+        const result = Taxon.mapRealmToPojo( apiTaxon );
+        expect( Array.isArray( result.ancestor_ids ) ).toBe( true );
+        expect( result.ancestor_ids ).toEqual( [1, 2, 3] );
+        // a copy, not the same reference we passed in
+        expect( result.ancestor_ids ).not.toBe( apiTaxon.ancestor_ids );
+      } );
+    } );
+
+    it( "leaves default_photo undefined when the photo has no url", ( ) => {
+      const result = Taxon.mapRealmToPojo( {
+        id: 1,
+        name: "Life",
+        default_photo: { id: 9, attribution: "(c) someone" },
+      } );
+      expect( result.default_photo ).toBeUndefined( );
+    } );
+
+    describe( "with a live Realm Taxon", ( ) => {
+      let realmTaxon;
+
+      beforeEach( ( ) => {
+        safeRealmWrite( global.realm, ( ) => {
+          realmTaxon = global.realm.create( "Taxon", {
+            id: 123,
+            name: "Danaus plexippus",
+            rank: "species",
+            rank_level: 10,
+            iconic_taxon_name: "Insecta",
+            ancestor_ids: [48460, 1, 47120],
+            // exercise the camelCase mapTo accessors
+            preferred_common_name: "Monarch",
+            default_photo: {
+              id: 555,
+              url: "https://example.com/monarch.jpg",
+              attribution: "(c) lepidopterist",
+              license_code: "cc-by-nc",
+            },
+          } );
+        }, "create Taxon for mapRealmToPojo test" );
+      } );
+
+      afterEach( ( ) => {
+        safeRealmWrite( global.realm, ( ) => {
+          global.realm.delete( realmTaxon );
+        }, "delete Taxon for mapRealmToPojo test" );
+      } );
+
+      it( "returns a detached plain object, not a live Realm object", ( ) => {
+        const result = Taxon.mapRealmToPojo( realmTaxon );
+        // a plain object literal, not a live Realm.Object the database can invalidate
+        expect( Object.getPrototypeOf( result ) ).toBe( Object.prototype );
+        expect( result.id ).toBe( 123 );
+        expect( result.name ).toBe( "Danaus plexippus" );
+        expect( result.rank ).toBe( "species" );
+        expect( result.rank_level ).toBe( 10 );
+        expect( result.iconic_taxon_name ).toBe( "Insecta" );
+      } );
+    } );
+  } );
+} );