Animal: Sheep

History was made on July 5, 1996 when a Finn Dorset sheep named Dolly was born at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland. Dolly lived at the Roslin Institute until her death on February 14, 2003. What was remarkable about Dolly is that she was the result of 277 attempts at cloning. Dolly was born thanks to somatic cell nuclear transfer, in which the nucleus of a donor cell is placed in a de-nucleated ovum. The donor nucleus is then reprogrammed by the ovum and the ovum develops into an embryo. Because of the controversial nature of her birth, her existence wasn't announced until one year later. She sparked fears of human cloning, but the goal of the research that lead to her existence was to reliably reproduce mammals genetically enhanced to produce therapeutic proteins in their milk.

Animals: Hippo (Owen) and Tortoise (Mzee)

In December, 2004, a horrific tragedy struck Indonesia when a tsunami swept ashore, killing hundreds of thousands of people. Many miles away, in Kenya, enormous ocean waves changed the lives of two animals. A hippo family was washed out to sea; one baby survived, stranded on a reef. When he was finally rescued, exhausted and terrified, he was named Owen after the rescuer who'd had to tackle him to complete the rescue. Owen was sent to Lafarge Ecosystems in Mombasa, Kenya. Upon his release there, he immediately ran to Mzee, the 130-year-old tortoise who resides in the reserve. Owen huddled behind Mzee, as a young hippo will do with its mother. Mzee eventually accepted Owen and the two became inseparable. They spent their days in a pond and sometimes even took walks together; the old tortoise lumbering behind the spry young hippo! Owen was eventually moved to a larger pond where he is happily socializing with other hippos.

Animal: Ground Hog

As almost any schoolchild will tell you, February 2nd is Groundhog Day. When Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his lair on Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, he predicts the length of winter. If he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter; if he doesn't, we'll enjoy an early spring. Few know, however, that Phil continues a tradition, born in England centuries ago. Originally celebrated as Candlemas Day, February 2nd falls midway between the shortest day of the year and the spring equinox. The weather at Candlemas was said to predict the weather to come, "For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May..." English settlers in Pennsylvania brought their ancient tradition with them and first celebrated Groundhog Day in 1886. First called Br'er Groundhog, Phil was renamed after King Philip and has enjoyed much media scrutiny for well over a century!

Animal: Killer Whale (Orca)

In 1965, a killer whale was captured in Puget Sound, in Washington. She was dubbed Shamu and became a star attraction at SeaWorld, in California. Now the name Shamu refers to the famous killer whale show at SeaWorld, which is Shamu's legacy. SeaWorld boasts the first killer whale to be born and thrive in captivity; Kalina was born on September 26, 1985. Since then, more than 20 killer whales have been born at SeaWorld parks and their show is so popular that SeaWorld has trademarked the name Shamu.

Animal: Polar Bear

Polar bears are an endangered species; due to global warming, their natural habitat is slowly disappearing. When an adorable polar bear cub was born at the Berlin Zoo in December, 2006 and rejected by its mother, the zoo keeper named him Knute and began to raise the tiny cub. When some animal rights activists learned of Knute's existence, they recommended that he be put to death. Their reasoning is that his rejection by his mother is part of the natural process; in the wild he would have been left to die, not raised by a kindhearted zoo keeper. Others argued that his rejection stems from the fact that a large mammal, such as his mother, should not be kept in captivity. Still others argued that, because their habitat is disappearing, zoos are the only safe places for polar bears. Knute was not killed and he continues to enthrall and captivate visitors to the zoo and his many fans around the world.

Animal: Giant Pandas

With their cute, teddy-bearish looks and charming personalities, rare giant pandas have fascinated the American public for years. The first giant panda outside of its native China was Su Lin, who lived at the Brookfield Zoo, in Chicago, Illinois. Su Lin arrived on February 8, 1937 and died just over one year later. Other giant pandas include Pan Dee (female) and Pan Dah (male) who lived at the Bronx Zoo in New York City after their arrival in 1941. Perhaps the most famous giant pandas in recent memory are Hsing Hsing and Ling Ling, a couple given to then President Richard Nixon in 1972 as a goodwill gesture from the Chinese government. Hsing Hsing and Ling Ling lived at the National Zoo in Washintgon, D.C. They remained a popular attraction until their deaths; Ling Ling died in 1992 and Hsing Hsing was euthanized due to his deteriorating health in 1999.