Uncia uncia
Endangered

Found above the tree line and near permanent snow in central Asia's dry mountainous country, the snow leopard has been prized as a hunter's trophy, destroyed as a predator of domestic flocks, and sought as a source of valuable fur. Complete information as to its numbers is not available, but almost everywhere it is considered to be rare or in decline. Currently, the most serious threat to its survival is loss of habitat due to human expansion.

The Blue whale is, and always has been, the largest animal ever to exist on earth. This whale can grow to a length of 33m (110ft) and weigh 190 tonnes but on the average it is much smaller. The Blue whale is called a "rorqual" a Norwegian word for "furrow" and refers to the pleated grooves running from its chin to its navel. The throat grooves, in addition to streamlining the shape of the whale, allow the throat area (cavum vent-rale) to expand tremendously during feeding, and can hold 1,000 tons or more of food and water when fully expanded. By taking tonnes of water into its mouth and filtering out the fish or krill with its baleen plates a medium-sized Blue whale can eat over 4 tons of krill a day.

The Giant Panda is one of the most misunderstood animals on the planet. For many years, it was believed to be a type of racoon, like the similarly named red panda. However, genetics testing and observation have revealed that the panda is in fact, a bear. It has several adaptations that make it unusual. First is the fact that it has six digits on the front paws, giving it an opposable thumb ideal for holding onto the stalks of bamboo which it consumes in great amounts. The genitalia of the male are rear-pointing and small which is also decidedly unbearish, and much more like those of the red panda. It has only been since 1995 that the Panda has been officially considered a bear.

Poison dart frogs, members of the Dendrobatidae family, wear some of the most brilliant and beautiful colours on Earth. Depending on individual habitats, which extend from the tropical forests of Costa Rica to Brazil, their colouring can be yellow, gold, copper, red, green, blue, or black. Their elaborate designs and hues are deliberately ostentatious to ward off potential predators, a tactic called aposematic coloration.