Super-Species contest winners: where on Earth will you find these 10 outrageous creatures? In the imaginations of Science World readers! They're the winners of our "Design Your Own Super-Species" contest

In January, we invited students in grades 6 through 10 to combine traits from up to three existing animals to design one ultimate species. Thousands of drawings and essays poured in, and our team of 25 judges had a mind-boggling time narrowing down the crates of terrific entries to l0 winners. We would like to thank all participants for sharing their hard work with us.

Each winner will receive a prize pack from Zoo Tycoon. The award-winning PC game puts players in command of creating the ultimate zoo. Besides providing great entertainment, it offers players of all ages a review of global ecosystems, and challenges them to flex research and critical-thinking skills to solve problems involving conservation, habitat building, and zoo management.

GLAMINGO

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Giraffa rubber

ANCESTORS: Giraffe + Flamingo

CREATOR: Jillian Fialko; Kings Junior High; Kings Mills, Ohio

WINNING TRAITS: The glamingo uses strong legs to dart across Africa's grassy savannas. A pointed beak helps nab food like algae, insect larvae, and crustaceans. While the glamingo has predators like cheetahs, lions, and hyenas, its taste is hardly appealing to most animals.

SWAIGERHOG

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cygnus tigris

ANCESTORS: Swan + Hedgehog + Tiger

CREATOR: Divya Gal; Countryside School; Champaign, Illinois

WINNING TRAITS: An acute sense of hearing, night vision, sharp spines, and the ability to swim and fly make the swaigerhog almost invincible to predators. It feeds on fish and aquatic plants, and lives in groups of 5 to 10 in southeastern Russia.

MACHEENO

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Acinonyx hyacinthus didermocerus

ANCESTORS: Rhino + Cheetah + Hyacinth macaw

CREATOR: Heather Hartmann; Stanford Middle School; Long Beach, California

WINNING TRAITS: The macheeno adapts quickly to new environments and can thrive anywhere. It has no predators because it's strong, fast, and ranks high on the food chain. It enjoys squawking loudly.

CHEETUREA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Polaris bizarro

ANCESTORS: Cheetah + Turtle + Eagle

CREATOR: Giselle Resendez; Faulk Middle School; Brownsville, Texas

WINNING TRAITS: Sharp eagle eyes and claws, along with lightning cheetah speed, make the cheeturea tops in catching prey. This omnivore lives in South Africa and retreats into its turtle shell to sleep--so no predator can snack on it at night.

RED-EYED SNEEL

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Agalychnis viridis

ANCESTORS: Frog + Snake + Eel

CREATOR: Cailin Timm; NRHEG Middle School; Eliendale, Minnesota

WINNING TRAITS: The red-eyed sneel is a "hoppin', hissin' critter with an attitude"! It lives in or near American and Mexican waters, eats mostly rodents, and zaps enemies with a shock. A colorful body warns other animals that it's pure poison to mess with!

PORCATTURTLE

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Spikius shelliflieus

ANCESTORS: Porcupine + Turtle + Bat

CREATOR: Matthew Verch; Christ Lutheran School; Little Rock, Arkansas

WINNING TRAITS: The nocturnal omnivore lives mostly in the tree canopies of South America. A hard shell, quills, and camouflage protect it from predators. Near-transparent wings help the porcatturtle fly and scout prey. Added plus: a special enzyme to digest poison ivy.

STARK

SCIENTIFIC NAME Stark ish

ANCESTORS: Starfish + Shark

CREATOR: Lauren Teixeira; B. F. Brown Middle School; Fitchburg, Massachusetts

WINNING TRAITS: The stark grows to the size of a watermelon and lives off the Florida coast. It behaves like a piranha--it's small, mean, and carnivorous. If a predator by chance bites off an arm--no problem. The stark grows it back.

GOOLAPHRAM

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Jelapi galepaguma

ANCESTORS: Bighorn sheep + Duck + Elephant

CREATOR: Jeffrey Parks; Glendale Junior/Senior High School; Flinton, Pennsylvania

WINNING TRAITS: The North American herbivore weighs one ton, stands 15 feet, and boasts a wingspan of 30 feet. Its size is usually enough to discourage predators like bears and wolves.

SNISHKEY

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Reptillia gorrilium

ANCESTORS: Snake + Fish + Monkey

CREATOR: Neelam Patel; Northern Middle School; Hagerstown, Maryland

WINNING TRAITS: Fins on the snishkey's head help it swim, and gills allow it to breathe underwater. A snake's tongue provides a keen sense of smell, while a rattled tail scares off predators. Monkey arms allow it to swing swiftly among rainforest trees.

BUCK-TOOTHED BEAVGOLEON

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Castorus zealandensis

ANCESTORS: Chameleon + Beaver + Mountain goat

CREATOR: Dana Diehl; Loyalsock Middle School; Williamsport, Pennsylvania

WINNING TRAITS: This New Zealander uses a sticky tongue to capture food from a safe distance. It's covered with water-repellant, color-changing fur for camouflage.

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