Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle
Asia // Endangered // Testudines // image source
Fun Fact: This softshell turtle almost always remains buried in sand underwater. It only comes up to breathe twice a day.
Temminck’s Tragopan
Asia // Least Concern // Galliformes // photo source
Fun Fact: Tragopans are a type of pheasant. The name comes from tragos, the Greek word for “goat”, and Pan, an ancient Greek nature god who had goat legs and horns.
Basking Shark
Northern, Southern oceans // Vulnerable // Chondrichthyes // image source
Fun Fact: Basking sharks feed primarily on zooplankton and other tiny animals. Despite their similarities to the whale shark, they are not closely related (as far as sharks go).
Alligator Gar
North America // Conservation Status Unknown // Osteicthyes // photo source
The Alligator Gar can live to be over 50 years old, but the average lifespan in the wild is closer to 20 years. Unusually for a fish, it can survive out of water for up to two hours.
