Tuesday 18 June
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Golden-crowned sifaka (Propithecus tattersalli)
The golden-crowned sifaka is the smallest of the sifakas, and was first described in 1988. The coat is creamy white, and the common name is…
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Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi)
The Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) is the world's largest eagle, and one of the most threatened raptors. The male and female…
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Southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii)
The southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) is one of the largest bony fish in the world. The incredibly streamlined and powerful body is…
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Tiger (Panthera tigris)
One of the largest of the 'big cats', the tiger (Panthera tigris) is an instantly recognisable animal and an iconic symbol of conservation…
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Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus)
The largest of the gibbons, sometimes referred to as the ‘lesser apes’, the siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) is known for its graceful…
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Humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus)
The humphead or Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) is one of the largest reef fishes in the world and is the largest member of the wrasse…
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Brazil-nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa)
A particularly distinctive species because of its towering height, the Brazil-nut tree is widely considered to be one of the most…
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Wallace’s golden birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera croesus)
Named in affectionate honour of renowned British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who discovered the species in 1859, Wallace’s golden…
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Purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis)
The sole surviving member of an ancient group of amphibians that evolved some 130 million years ago, the discovery of the purple frog…
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Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
The Critically Endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) has been exploited for thousands of years as the sole source of…
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Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis)
The black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) is the most well known of the five living rhinoceros species, with its aggressive reputation…
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Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus)
The Mediterranean monk seal is one of the most endangered mammals in the world. The description of this species by Aristotle was the first…
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Antiguan racer (Alsophis antiguae)
Possibly the world's rarest snake, the Antiguan racer is small, non-venomous and good-natured. Unusually amongst snakes, this species shows…
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Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)
The remarakable axolotl is part of the family of ‘mole salamanders’, but exhibits an unusual and extreme trait known as neoteny, or…
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Bali starling (Leucopsar rothschildi)
The Bali starling is one of the rarest birds in the world and relatively new to science being first described in 1912 by Walter Rothschild…
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Bekko tombo (Libellula angelina)
The bekko tombo is a stunning golden to rusty-brown dragonfly adorned with a dark stripe down the centre of the abdomen and a distinctive…
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Beluga (Huso huso)
The beluga (Huso huso) is the largest sturgeon in the world and the largest European freshwater fish; it can reach up to five metres in…
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Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest animal to have ever lived, being almost as big as a Boeing 737 and even larger than…
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Boulder star coral (Montastraea annularis)
Prior to 1994, the wide variability exhibited in the appearance of Montastraea annularis was attributed to the different environmental…
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Café marron (Ramosmania rodriguesii)
On sending his pupils out to explore for rare and interesting plants, a school teacher on the island of Rodrigues in 1980 was astounded when…
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Cayman Island blue iguana (Cyclura lewisi)
Endemic to Grand Cayman, this magnificently striking blue iguana is one of the most endangered lizards on Earth. Indeed, at the time of its…
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Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus)
The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) is the largest salamander in the world, and is fully aquatic, with many adaptations for…
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Crested black macaque (Macaca nigra)
Macaques are medium-sized to large-sized monkeys with stocky bodies. Some, like this species, possess only a very short rudimentary tail…
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Dlinza pinwheel (Trachycystis clifdeni)
The exceptionally striking Dlinza pinwheel (Trachycystis clifdeni) immediately stands out for the unusual whorl of bristles that…
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Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
The gharial is one of the largest crocodilians (a group that also includes crocodiles, alligators and caimans) with the narrowest snout of…
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Giant devilray (Mobula mobular)
The immense, graceful giant devilray (Mobula mobular) has large, pointed pectoral fins which enables it to traverse great stretches of…
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Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is universally admired for its appealing markings and seemingly gentle demeanour. A member of the…
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Goliath frog (Conraua goliath)
The massive goliath frog (Conraua goliath), as its name alludes, is the largest frog in the world with individuals weighing over three…
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Grandidier’s baobab (Adansonia grandidieri)
This imposing and unusual tree occurs only on the island of Madagascar, where it is threatened by the encroachment of agricultural land…
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Great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran)
The massive and well-known great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) has the most distinctive hammer of its genus. It is particularly wide and…
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Hispaniolan solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus)
This ancient and distinctive mammal, capable of secreting toxic saliva, faces very real and immediate threats to its survival. One of…
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Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus)
The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is the world's most threatened species of cat, and is currently teetering on the brink of extinction…
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Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus)
The prehistoric-looking Javan rhinoceros is one of the world’s rarest large mammals. The name rhinoceros derives from the Greek for 'nose…
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Kakapo (Strigops habroptila)
The kakapo (Strigops habroptila) is a Critically Endangered, giant, nocturnal parrot. It is a classic example of evolution on an isolated…
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Knysna seahorse (Hippocampus capensis)
The Knysna seahorse is the most endangered seahorse in the world. It possesses the characteristic seahorse shape and the body is encased in…
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Loneliest palm (Hyophorbe amaricaulis)
Information on Hyophorbe amaricaulis is currently being researched and written and will appear here shortly.…
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New Zealand black stilt (Himantopus novaezelandiae)
The New Zealand black stilt, or Kakï, is one of the most threatened wading birds in the world. This slender wading bird is very distinctive…
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Parana pine (Araucaria angustifolia)
A victim of unsustainable commercial logging, the Critically Endangered Parana pine is one of Brazil’s rarest trees. This majestic tree has…
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Ploughshare tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora)
This species is one of the rarest land tortoises in the world. Its common name refers to the appearance of the 'gular scute' at the lower…
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Pygmy three-toed sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus)
With only a small population confined to a single tiny island off the coast of Panama, the pygmy three-toed sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus)…
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Rabb's fringe-limbed treefrog (Ecnomiohyla rabborum)
Rabb’s fringe-limbed treefrog (Ecnomiohyla rabborum) was first discovered in 2005, and only described as a new species as recently as 2008…
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Rameshwaram parachute spider (Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica)
Named after the Indian island of Rameshwaram, this tree-dwelling tarantula has light and dark tiger-like markings on its body and legs that…
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Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis)
The Siamese crocodile is a small, freshwater crocodilian (a group that also includes alligators, caimans and the gharial), with a relatively…
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Slender-billed curlew (Numenius tenuirostris)
Among the world’s most endangered and least understood bird species, the slender-billed curlew (Numensis tenuirostris) is the rarest bird in…
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Spix’s macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii)
Spix’s macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) is one of the world’s rarest birds, believed to have become extinct in the wild as of 2000. This elegant…
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Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii)
Orangutan means 'person of the forest' and this Asian ape is indeed truly arboreal. Recent genetic evidence has led to the re-classification…
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Tiger chameleon (Archaius tigris)
With a length of just 16 centimetres, this enchanting species is relatively small for a chameleon. Body colour varies from inconspicuous…
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Waved albatross (Phoebastria irrorata)
The waved albatross is unique in being the largest bird in the Galapagos Islands, and the only albatross species found entirely within the…
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Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)
The gorilla is a heavily built primate and is the largest of the living apes. Until recently it was considered a single species, but DNA…
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Yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes)
The yellow-eyed penguin is one of the most endangered of all penguin species. These birds are slate grey with a white breast. As their…
