The red eft can be found in woodland habitats throughout eastern North America. The salamander hatches and reproduces in water but spends the juvenile stage of its life on land, where its bright orange or red coloring warns predators of its unpalatable taste.

Common Fire Salamander

The common fire salamander is found throughout central and southern Europe in cool forests where it can find shade and moisture. Though the general population is considered stable, some local populations have declined due to habitat and other threats.

Spotted Salamander

Bright yellow spots distinguish the secretive spotted salamander, which spends most of its life hidden in dark, damp places. Ranging from eastern Canada throughout the eastern and midwestern United States, the spotted salamander’s numbers are generally stable but sensitive to changes in its ecology. Rising water acidity in certain habitats, habitat loss, and the pet trade are negatively affecting its population.

Kaiser’s Spotted Newt

Endemic to a small region in Iran, the Kaiser’s spotted newt may number fewer than a thousand in the wild and has come under particular threat from international pet trades conducted over the Internet. The rate of decline from this threat has been estimated to be as much as 80 percent in recent years, and the salamander is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Marbled Newt

This newt gets its name from the marbled green and black markings on its body. It is large among newts and is found in parts of Spain, Portugal, and France, where it inhabits woodland areas with access to the ponds or other water sources it frequently visits as juveniles and adults.

Red-Backed Salamander

The red-backed salamander—which gets its name from the red stripe that often appears along the length of its back—is unusual among salamanders in that it spends its life on land and, having no lungs, breathes through its skin.

European Fire Salamander

Found in central and southern Europe and in parts of the Middle East and northern Africa, the European fire salamander is distinguished by bright coloration that may include markings of black, yellow, and orange. Like many salamanders, it spends much of its time in hiding where there is shade, moisture, and protection from predators.

Mudpuppy

Among the largest of the salamanders, mudpuppies live on the bottoms of lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams, and never leave the water. Mudpuppies are one of only a few salamanders that make noise. They get their name from the somewhat embellished notion that their squeaky vocalizations sound like a dog’s bark.

Mudpuppies are easily distinguishable by their bushy, red external gills, which they grow as larvae and never lose. They have flat heads, wide tails, stubby legs, and feet with four distinct toes. Their bodies are gray or brownish-gray with blue-black spots.

Taliang Knobby Newt

Found in parts of China’s Sichuan Province, the Taliang knobby newt is listed as near threatened by the IUCN. Though not uncommon in the narrow range in which it’s found, the newt is under threat from collection for use in traditional Chinese medicine and—less frequently—the international pet trade.

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A picture of an endangered Asian crested ibis soaring over China is a first-prize winner in the first annual World’s Rarest Birds international photo competition, organizers announced in January.Launched in 2010, the competition ranked pictures of birds that fall into three categories determined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature: endangered or data deficient, critically endangered or extinct in the wild, and critically endangered migratory species.

2.Scaly-Sided Merganser

Two endangered scaly-sided mergansers glide across the water in a picture that won fifth place in the “endangered or data deficient” category.

Habitat loss and illegal hunting have reduced the bird’s population to about 2,500 individuals in Russia and China, according to the nonprofit BirdLife International.

3.Forest Owlet

A picture of central India’s forest owlet earned fourth place in the “critically endangered or extinct in the wild” category.The species lives in a severely fragmented forest habitat that continues to be destroyed, according to the nonprofit BirdLife International.

4.Orange-Bellied Parrot

This “touching image” of two orange-bellied parrots won the category for critically endangered migrating birds, according to a World’s Rarest Birds contest statement.The small parrot breeds only in southwestern Tasmania (see map) and migrates to southeastern Australia in the winter, where agriculture and development are crowding out its habitat. Probably fewer than 150 animals remain in the wild, according to BirdLife International.

5.Kakapo

One of the rarest birds of all is New Zealand’s kakapo. The above picture of the large, flightless bird approaching the camera snagged first place in the “critically endangered or extinct in the wild” category.Only 124 animals remain in the wild—the species has been largely wiped out by introduced predatory mammals such as feral cats.

6.Honduran Emerald

A photograph of a Honduran emerald perched on a branch earned fifth place in the “critically endangered or extinct in the wild” category.Found only in Honduras, the hummingbird exists in an “extremely small and severely fragmented range,” which is declining due to habitat loss, according to BirdLife International.

7.Palila

A “superb study” of a palila in Hawaii received sixth place in the “critically endangered or extinct in the wild” category, according to a World’s Rarest Birds contest statement.Habitat loss, cat predation, and drought have contributed to the species’ ongoing decline in its native Hawaii. The bird’s numbers are expected to plummet by 97 percent over the next 14 years, according to BirdLife International.

8.Christmas Island Frigatebird

A picture of a Christmas Island frigatebird flying over the Indian Ocean snagged third place in the “critically endangered or extinct in the wild” category.The bird, found only on the Australian territory of Christmas Island (map), is disappearing due to habitat loss, phosphate mining, marine pollution, and overfishing, among other causes.

9.Brazilian Merganser

A “captivating” photo of a Brazilian merganser and her ducklings won second prize in the “critically endangered or extinct in the wild” category, according to a World’s Rarest Birds contest statement.In a sign of hope for the species, recent data from Brazil suggest that the merganser’s status is better than previously thought, according to BirdLife International.

10.Great Indian Bustard

A shot of the Great Indian bustard in mid-flight snagged fourth place in the “endangered or data deficient” category.Widespread hunting for sport and food in India is driving the bird to extinction, according to BirdLife International.

11.Marvellous Spatuletail

The third place winner in the “endangered or data deficient” category is a picture of Peru’s marvellous spatuletail. (Watch video of the rare bird’s courtship display.)A “stunning” hummingbird restricted to just two sites, the bird’s population is estimated to be less than a thousand, and it’s decreasing due to deforestation for cash crops such as marijuana and coffee, according to a World’s Rarest Birds contest statement.

12.Red-Crowned Crane

Named a second place winner in the “endangered or data-deficient” category, the above picture shows a red-crowned crane making a courtship display.Though the bird’s population is stable in Japan, the mainland Asian population is declining due to habitat loss and degradation of wetlands for agriculture and development, according to BirdLife International.

Despite the misleading name, bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) is actually a plant originating from this stunning seed.

The mineral cacoxenite bears a striking resemblance to a Koosh ball in this picture.

This image shows Telophase HeLa (cancer) cells expressing Aurora B-EGFP (green).

This image depicts the eye and antenna base of a Ichneumon wasp.

This image is a tasty visualization of crystallized soy sauce.

This image of a wasp nest, magnified 10 times and using stereomicroscopy, was taken by Riccardo TaiariolLa Spezia, Italy.

This image shows a wistar rat retina outlining the retinal vessel network.

Dr. Robert Markus took this picture of Mirabilis jalapa (four o’clock flower) stigma with pollen.

It’s not a jellyfish. It’s a juvenile bivalve mollusc.

It’s not a jellyfish. It’s a juvenile bivalve mollusc.

Peering deep into a Zebrafish brain, Oliver Braubach takes this image of its olfactory bulbs.