Animals are cool. Let's talk about our favorites!
Whales: all are cool, but orcas and blue whales are the coolest
Bears: all bears rock, but Kodiak bears and polar bears specifically are my favorites
Frogs: colorful frogs are the coolest imo, that's why poison dart frogs are my favorites
Birds: the golden eagle and bald eagle are the coolest birds, and owls in general are awesome, although I find the faces of barn owls unsettling
Cats: house cats of all kinds are the best pets, sure, but the big cats are some of my favorite animals ever and I love all of them. Tigers in general are probably my single favorite animals (tied with orcas) but lions, cheetahs, leopards etc. all rock.
Whales: Agree. The picture below is a blue whale's fluke that I took back in 2009. Humpback whales are also cool because of their tendency to breach. They look like they're having so much fun! Pretty much all marine mammals are awesome: dolphins, walruses, seals, etc. Also, while they are sharks and not whales, I will mention whale sharks. Super cool and chill.
Bears: Agree. Pandas (both giant and lesser/red varieties) also require mentioning.
Frogs: Couldn't disagree more. Frogs are gross and terrifying. Lizards, on the other hand, are pretty cool. We have a ton that live in our yard. They eat bugs. Yay!
Birds: Birds of prey and owls are cool. Not terribly fond of others, especially those who shit on my car.
Cats: My wife and kids suckered me into agreeing to four cats. Mostly they're cool, but their fucking fur gets everywhere, and one of them pees all over the place, which pisses me off. We also have a mid-sized (about 40-50 pounds) dog. She's pretty awesome but super-neurotic. Big cats are super cool, and tigers are the best.
Koalas are also cool.
Elephants and kangaroos are awesome animals. The only time I've ever seen an adult elephant in person was at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago as a kid and it blew my mind how giant those things are.
Since I live in Southern California and have kids, I have spent a fair amount of time at the San Diego Zoo and the Wile Animal Park over the past couple decades. Both are super cool. I'm not a huge fan of elephants, although I think they're really interesting creatures. Speaking of "how giant those things are, on one visit, a male elephant was ... umm ... sporting wood. I have a picture somewhere. It was pretty damn amazing.