This gentle giant is the largest shark in UK seas, reaching up to 12m in length. There's no need to fear them though, they only eat plankton!

Considered Britain's most threatened butterfly, the high brown fritillary can be only be found in a few areas of England and Wales.

The bright green ring-necked parakeet is an escapee and our only naturalised parrot; its success is likely due to warmer winters.

This dainty white butterfly is now only found in a few parts of Britain, where it flutters slowly through woodland clearings.

The mistle thrush likely got its name from its love of mistletoe - it will defend a berry-laden tree with extreme ferocity! It is larger and paler than the similar song thrush, standing upright…

The notch-horned cleg-fly isa horse fly dark grey in colour, with grey-brown mottled wings and intricately striped, iridescent eyes. There are 30 species of horse-fly in the UK; this is one of the…

This stunning hermit crab has only returned to our southern shores in recent years. Let us hope it stays for good this time!

The early gentian is a rare plant that is only found in the UK. It likes sunny, lowland chalk grasslands, its purple, trumpet-shaped flowers blooming in May and June.

Once widespread, this attractive plant has declined as a result of modern agricultural practices and is now only found in four sites in South East England.