Name These Animals

Question

Can you definitively name these animals?

More importantly, can you find and extend the hidden number sequence?

1. With elegant, long ears, precious huge animals need to be protected.
2. Winter predator often found loping across frozen tundra.
3. You shouldn't call them puny! They're obviously small, nice animals yearning to fit in.
4. If lost at birth, a newborn one might just say "ba-a-a-!"
5. While not actually blind, they can also see with their ears.
6. These aviators are believed to be essential to our ecosystem.

Answer 1

The words are

1. Elephant: With elegant, long ears, precious huge animals need to be protected.
2. Wolf: Winter predator often found loping across frozen tundra.
3. Pony: You shouldn't call them puny! They're obviously small, nice animals yearning to fit in.
4. Lamb: If lost at birth, a newborn one might just say "ba-a-a-!"
5. Bat: While not actually blind, they can also see with their ears.
6. Bee: These aviators are believed to be essential to our ecosystem.

I imagine the number pattern is

related to the words used to make the animal name (skipping stuff at the beginning and end occasionally), every word for the first one, every second word for the following two, and the every third word for the last three. (Thanks El-Guest)

And so perhaps the next line could be

7. Equipped with long tusks, this animal also possesses a layer of protective blubber, rendering the cold waters under which it swims safe for passage.