WOLFFIA: The wolffia species of water plants include the world's smallest flowering plant. A dozen of these plants would easily fit on the head of a pin, and two plants in bloom will fit inside a small printed letter ‘o’. They are eaten as vegetables in some parts of Asia.
WELWITSCHIA: The gigantic welwitschia plant is unique to Namib Desert. It consists of only two leaves. Its life span is 400 to 1500 years. The Namib desert has a rare water source=dogs that drift across from the coast. The welwitschia's leaves absorb tiny particles of water from the foggy air.
APOLLO BUTTERFLY: Teh Apollo butterfly lives on some of the highest mountains of Europe and Asia. It flies only when sunshine warms it. When the sun goes behind a cloud, it drops to the ground to save energy. Now this is true energy conservation!
INDIAN PIPE: The rare Indian pipe is a smooth, leafless, waxy, herbaceous plant. It is colourless because it has no chlorophyll. When mature, it turns black. The plant obtains nourishment from decaying organic matter.
GIANT LOBELIA: The giant lobelia is found on Mount Kenya. It can grow upto a height 8 m and has spiky blue flowers. It traps air in its hair to keep warm.
AXOLOTL: The axolotl is a salamander found only in Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco in central Mexico. Since Lake Chalco has been completely drained by the people living in the region to avoid periodic flooding, and Lake Xochimilco is on the verge of drying up, axolotls are threatened with extinction.
DUMBO OCTOPUS: The dumbo octopus has been named so because of its ear-like fins, which protrude from the top of its body, and look like the ears of Dumbo=Walt Disney's flying elephant. These octopuses live in extreme depths of the oceans and are some of the rarest members of the octopus family.
MOUNTAIN GRASSHOPPER: The mountain grasshopper has stiff flaps instead of wings. They stay near the ground so that they do not get blown away by the strong mountain wind. In this way, some of these insects survive even above the snowline.