Planet Zoo: Console Edition

Colloquially known as the peacock, the Indian peafowl (or Pavo cristatus) is a large bird native to Southern Asia but which humans have introduced worldwide. The males – peacocks – are famous for their bright blue shiny feathers and extremely large ornamental tail, which they fan out to show off the size and distinctive appearance of their eye-spotted feathers. This is designed both to impress females and intimidate other males. Female peafowl – peahens – look very different to their male counterparts, sporting brown feathers, a flash of blue on the back of their necks, and no tail fan.

Native to both Central and Southeast Asia, the Indian or Asian elephant (or Elephas maximus indicus) is a species distinguishable by a distinctive trunk, small ears, and grey skin with pink mottling around the face. They are smaller than their African counterparts, with males reaching an average height of 2.75m and weighing 4000kg, compared to the female average of 2.40m and 2400kg. They are large herbivores and live in a variety of different environments, including forests, grasslands and mountains, wherein they feed on tree leaves, bark and grasses.

The Himalayan brown bear (or Ursus arctos isabellinus) is a subspecies of brown bear that lives in the mountains of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern India, West China, Nepal, Kazakhstan and Tibet. They are very rare and extremely endangered – the size of the population left in the wild are unknown, but they are threatened by numerous factors including habitat fragmentation through human development, as well as poaching for their fur and other body parts.

Native to northern USA and Canada, the grizzly bear is in fact a subspecies of brown bear (or Ursus arctos horribilis) and is often called the North American brown bear to prevent confusion. A Grizzly can be identified by its thick, brown fur, a large shoulder hump, a straight snout and rounded ears. They have strong front legs with long claws used for digging and hunting.

The green iguana (or Iguana iguana) is a large species of lizard that lives throughout Central America, Northern South America and the Caribbean. It has a long tail with a serrated crest that goes from its head to the base of its spine, as well as muscular legs with long toes and claws. They may also have striations on their tail and body. Although named ‘green’ iguanas, they occur in many colours – commonly green, blue, brown and orange – and these different colour morphs often depend on their location of origin.

The greater flamingo (or Phoenicopterus roseus) is a large species of migratory bird that is widespread across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. It lives on the mudflats and coastal lagoons of temperate and warm environments, and is a filter feeder which uses its beak to stir up mud and filter out algae, invertebrates and seeds. Male and female flamingos look the same with pale-pink to orange-pink feathers, pink legs, a pink beak with a black tip, and often brighter pink patches on their wings.

The Goliath frog (or Conraua goliath) is an extremely large species that lives in the African rainforests of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, specifically in the fast-flowing rivers and streams. It can be green to dark brown in colour, with a paler underbelly, large yellow eyes, and may also have small, ridged bumps on its skin. Males are larger than females, weighing between 0.6 and 3kg and measuring between 17 and 30cm long. The species is endangered due to being over-hunted for food, as trophies and by the pet trade.

The Goliath birdeater (or Theraphosa blondi) is an extremely large species of tarantula native to the tropical rainforests, swamps and marshes of Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, Brazil and Venezuela. It is tan brown in colour, covered in red-brown hair, has a large abdomen with a large, round thorax, thick segmented legs, and elongated pedipalps (mouth parts). The female is larger than the male, and both sexes have pronounced appendages on the end of their abdomen known as ‘spinnerets’ that aid in web deposition.

The Goliath beetle (or Goliathus goliatus) is a large species of insect that lives in the savannah and rainforests of Central Africa. The males and females are different in appearance and size; the males being larger – between 60 and 100mm – with a dark brown abdomen, a brown thorax with white stripes, black legs, as well as a white head with a Y-shaped horn. The females have shorter, thinner stripes on the thorax, are smaller in size – between 50 and 80mm – and do not have a horn.

The golden poison frog (or Phyllobates terribilis) is a species of poison dart frog endemic to the rainforests of the Pacific Coast of Colombia. Although being called ‘golden’ frogs, they are actually found in mint green, yellow and orange colour morphs. All variants measure an average of 50 to 55mm and have extremely poisonous skin that’s used as a defense mechanism against predators, while their bright colouration acts as a warning signal to potential threats.