Silky sifaka

With a population that may number fewer than 1,000, silky sifakas are one of the rarest and most critically endangered mammals on the planet. A typical day for silky sifakas consists of foraging trips for leaves and fruit, broken up by plenty of rest in the rainforest canopies of northeast Madagascar. In fact almost half the day is spent taking it easy. Living in small, female-led groups of up to 10 individuals, these large lemurs, famed for their long, silky, white fur, travel around 700 metres each day through a territory that covers many tens of hectares.

Scientific name: Propithecus candidus

Harpy eagle.                                 

Harpy eagles are some of the world's largest and most powerful birds of prey. The largest eagles of the Americas, they are also mean fliers. They hunt in and around the canopy of Central and South America's rainforests, striking at animals with deadly precision - sloths and monkeys are particular favourites. The unfortunate victims are subdued with large, viscious talons that a grizzly bear would be proud of. Named by early South American explorers after the half-woman/half-eagle monster of Greek mythology, these legendary eagles are seldom seen in the wild.

Scientific name: Harpia harpyja

Great Barrier Reef wildlife

The Great Barrier Reef can only be described as breathtakingly beautiful and one of the wonders of the natural world. It is the largest collection of corals on Earth (over 400 types) making up thousands of individual reefs of all shapes and sizes, alongside hundreds of exotic islands. This is the world's most extensive stretch of coral reef and the only living thing visible from space.

There is no doubt that the Great Barrier Reef is one of the world's richest areas of diversity; supporting a dazzling array of colourful corals, sponges, anemones and worms. Many species of tropical fish, birds, mammals and reptiles are also found here. No wonder it is one of the jewels in Australia's  crown and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sadly, pollution, climate change and outbreaks of the crowns-of-throns-    starfish are all threats to this fragile ecosystem.

Komodo dragon

The name and appearance of the Komodo dragon is straight out of legend. In reality these are huge, heavily-built monitor lizards - the biggest lizards in the world. The largest accurately recorded dragon was 3.1m long and a weighty 166kg. It was once thought that Komodos used deadly saliva containing toxic bacteria to poison their prey. Studies have now shown that they are venomous. Glands in the jaw secrete a complex mix of toxic substances into a wound made by the dragon's teeth. Komodo dragons are at the top of the food chain on their Indonesian island homes of Komodo, Rinca and Flores.

Scientific name: Varanus komodoensis