The Asian Mongoose is one of the world's worst invasive species and was often introduced into new lands in order to control rat and snake populations.  Specifically in the Hawaiian islands, the Mongoose was introduced to limit the exploding rat populations.  However, the Asian mongoose found other animals more appetizing and easier to catch than rats.  These animals included many of Hawaii's endangered species and several water birds such as the Hawaiian Goose.  The mongoose stole eggs from nests and fed on baby birds to the point where they were almost wiped out.  Now the mongoose is kept under constant watch and is often hunted in order to keep Hawaii's birds from becoming extinct.  

The asian mongoose can withstand a wide range of habitats and lives in areas such as deciduous forests, grasslands, and various wet lands.  This species can also feed on a variety of organisms including rats, birds, reptiles, frogs, crabs, insects, and scorpions.  The mongoose can hunt during the day and night and is often found on the ground, preferring not to climb in trees.  Due to its ability to withstand various habitats, eat a a wide range of animals, and have no true predator where it has been introduced, the mongoose has relatively large populations.  Although this species only produces two to four in a litter, the mongoose has a short interval between, and often leads to overpopulation where it is found.  

The Amur Leopard is one of the rarest cats in the world with less than 50 remaining in the wild.  This leopard use to occupy several different areas, but has been reduced to one region, the Russian Far East.  Here, they live in an area of only 5,000km2.  During the 1970's the population of the Amur leopard was reduced by 80% due to habitat destruction, prey scarcity, illegal poaching, and several other human conflicts.  Humans have reduced the habitat of this wild cat by 80% as well for logging and creating new cropland, leaving very little forest for this species to survive.  The amur leopard also shares a common prey with humans, deer.  In Russia, humans raise deer as a source of food and business.  Due to the scarcity of prey, these leopards will venture into owner's land to find food, and are immediately killed to save their livestock.  The amount of Amur leopards is continuing to dwindle, and time is running our for this species.

The Amur leopard is found in temperate forest biomes where winters are often long and cold, and the weather consists of a wide range of possibilities.   The hairs of its coat can reach 7cm long during the winter, and 2.5cm long during the summer. During the winter months, its coat will also become whiter to blend in with the snow covered landscape, while in the summer it will take on a yellowish coat.  The Amur leopard also has longer legs than its other fellow leopards, most likely for walking in deep snow.  A male amur leopard can weigh between 32 and 48kg, and a female between 25 and 43kg.  This species is often solitary and must carry prey to a safe area to avoid other watchful predators.  It feeds on a limited amount of animals including deer, boars, hares, and badgers.  The amur leopard usually lives between 10-15 years, and often has 1-4 cubs per litter who will not leave their mother until they are two years old.  

The Cheetah is one of the fastest land mammals alive, reaching speeds of almost 70 miles per hour.  The cheetah has acquired a variety of adaptations in order to reach optimum speeds to catch their prey.  Its sleek, long body accompanied by a flexible spine, narrow head, and long legs gives the cheetah an aerodynamic body that is capable of reaching high speeds.  The cheetah also has nonretractable claws and a long tail to ensure balance during quick, sharp turns.  This species has become a running machine that is almost never beaten by other animals. 

The cheetah is often found in grasslands where shrubs are low and the land is open.  A solitary animal, it usually hunts during the day on gazelles, impalas, hares, and other small birds and mammals.  Cheetahs can weigh between 110 to 140 pounds and reach a height of 30 inches (at the shoulder).  Cheetahs also rely heavily on their mothers when they are born.  A litter usually consists between two and four cubs, and will stay with their mothers until they are approximately 15 months old.  An interesting physical feature of the cheetah is its tear stains that connect from their eyes to their mouth.  This adaptive trait serves as an antiglare device that reflects the sun during the day when the cheetah is hunting.  

The Monarch Butterfly is beautiful and bright with its distinctive orange, black, and white colorings.  However, this is a red alert for the monarch's common predators, as this signals that it is poisonous, foul tasting, and nasty.  When the monarch butterfly is just a caterpillar, it feeds on milkweed plants which contain toxins and poison.  This toxin stays in the Monarch when it matures into an adult butterfly and wards off predators.  Shrews, moles, and birds are aware of the monarch's distinct coloring and will avoid eating this insect.  Birds that eat too many of this species can become violently ill and sick, and learn to avoid them.  

The monarch butterfly has a wingspan of of up to 4 inches and a lifespan of approximately 7 months.  These butterflies are migratory and will travel thousands of miles to reach Mexico or Southern California.  Due to this long journey, a monarch butterfly will never make it to its destination and back until the fourth generation of that individual butterfly.  Along the way, the monarch will lay eggs in milkweed plants and produce as many offspring as possible.