Planet Zoo: Console Edition

The African crested porcupine (or Hystrix cristata) is a large species of rodent found in the semi-deserts, savannahs, and montane areas of Central and Northern Africa, as well as Italy. Its coarse, bristled fur is dark brown to black in colour, with its most distinctive feature being the black and white quills that grow from the middle of its neck, across its back and sides, and down its tail. These quills are raised upright when the porcupine feels threatened, and are very sharp. The African crested porcupine has a blunt, rounded snout, small eyes, and round ears.

The addax (or Addax nasomaculatus) is a species of antelope that lives in remote areas of the Sahara Desert. Having historically lived throughout North Africa, they are now only found in areas in Niger and Chad. The addax is cream, white, or sandy in colour, with brown markings around the face and muzzle. Both sexes have dark, twisted horns, which is why they are sometimes called screwhorn antelope. Addaxes can achieve a body length of 1.20m to 1.30m. Males are usually taller and heavier than females, standing 1.05m to 1.15m tall at the shoulder and weighing 100kg to 125kg.

The brown-throated sloth (or Bradypus variegatus) is an arboreal mammal living in the rainforests of Central and South America. It is pale grey to brown in colour, has long gangly limbs, longer arms than legs, and a short, vestigial tail. The sloth has three long claws on both of its hands and feet, although the front claws are significantly longer. The brown-throated sloth has a round head with inconspicuous ears and dark brown markings going laterally from the eyes to the side of the head.

The lar gibbon (or Hylobates lar), also known as the white-handed gibbon, is a primate that lives in the rainforests of Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand. The fur of this animal can vary from dark brown to ginger, tan, or cream in colouration. Its face is black, with a distinct white ring of hair around it. Its hands and feet are also white. Male and female lar gibbons look alike, have a head-body length of 42cm to 59cm, and weigh between 4kg and 7.6kg.

The fossa (or Cryptoprocta ferox) is a large mammal found in the forests of the island of Madagascar. It belongs to the family of Eupleridae, the Madagascan carnivores, of which the fossa is the largest. Mostly arboreal, the fossa has a long and slender cat-like build, with a tail almost as long as its body. Its fur is uniformly tan-brown. The fossa has rounded ears, a round nose, and yellow eyes resembling that of a cat. Males and females look alike, and are between 61cm to 80cm long, with the tail adding another 60cm to 75cm. Fossas weigh 5kg to 9kg.

Native to the rivers, lakes and marshes of Western and Central Africa, the red river hog (or Potamochoerus porcus) is a small member of the pig family. It has striking red fur across its body, with a black face, legs, tail and ears. The ears are adorned with long black and white tufts. Down their backs, red river hogs have a wispy, white line of hair. Their facial features and ears are surrounded by coarse white fur. They are sexually dimorphic, with males being generally larger and heavier than females, and having a wider skull with bony protrusions and long whiskers along the face.

The Asian water monitor (or Varanus salvator) is a large reptile native to the rainforests, swamps, and mangrove forests throughout much of the warmer areas of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. It is dark green to black in colouration, with pale brown and yellow reticulated markings across its whole body. These reticulations often appear as bands on the tail. The Asian water monitor displays sexual dimorphism, with males being larger.

The Old World swallowtail (or Papilio machaon) is a butterfly living in the temperate regions, woodlands and even tundras of Europe, Asia and North America. It has pale yellow wings with grey-black patterning on the forewings, and blue-black accents as well as red eyespots on the hindwings. The hindwings also have an extended ‘tail’, for which they are named swallowtail. There is no sexual dimorphism in size and appearance in the Old World swallowtail, and its average wingspan is 6.5cm to 8.6cm. The caterpillar is plump and pale green with black and orange markings on each body segment.

The monarch (or Danaus plexippus) is a butterfly found in a wide range worldwide, but is most commonly seen in North and South America. Monarchs have a wingspan of 8.9cm to 10.2cm and weigh approximately 0.5g. Its wings are orange-red with prominent black veins, lined with thick black edges and white spots. Their legs and antennae are black, and their body is black with white spots. Monarch caterpillars have a plump body covered with yellow, black and white stripes.

The Menelaus blue morpho (or Morpho menelaus) is a butterfly species found in the tropical grasslands and woodlands of Central and South America. It has distinctive bright blue and turquoise wings lined by black wing borders with white spots. The scales on their wings are structured in a way that give them a distinct, iridescent appearance. The underside of its wings are brown and populated with multiple eye spots. Male Menelaus blue morphos are smaller and have much brighter blue wings with thinner borders than females. On average, the Menelaus blue has a wingspan of 12cm.