Planet Zoo

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.

The European peacock (or Aglais io) is a species of butterfly living throughout the temperate grasslands and woodlands of Europe and Asia. It has four red wings with brown edges and distinctive eye spots. These eye spots may be made up of yellow, blue, red or purple scales and have black surrounding marks. The undersides of the wings are brown to black. Males and females looks alike, although females may be up to 10% larger than males. European peacocks reach a wingspan of 5cm to 6.4cm.

The cloudless sulphur (or Phoebis sennae) is a butterfly found in temperate open areas – grasslands, parks, gardens, watercourses and seashores – of North, Central and South America. It has yellow wings with brown and/or black spots and borders. Females tend to be less vibrant than males and have yellow spots along the dark wing borders. The cloudless sulphur has a wingspan of 5.5cm to 7.8cm. Caterpillars of the cloudless sulphur are bright yellow or green with a yellow stripe and blue spots along each side.

A generalist predator and scavenger, the striped hyena (or Hyaena hyaena) is native to North Africa, the Middle East and Western Asia. It lives in a variety of environments, from open savannahs, grass and woodlands to arid, mountainous areas. The striped hyena has strong forelimbs and a muscular neck with shorter hind legs, giving the body a sloped build. The head is broad with a wide snout, wideset eyes and large pointed ears. Striped hyenas have tan fur with vertical black stripes along their body and legs. A long mane runs along the entirety of the spine and ends in a thick, bushy tail.

The red-necked wallaby (or Notamacropus rufogriseus) is a medium-sized marsupial native to Eastern Australia and Tasmania. As a member of the kangaroo family it shares the distinctive appearance of large, muscular hind legs and tail, comparatively small forearms, large ears and a blunt snout. The red-necked wallaby has grey fur with a red-brown tinge and a paler underside. The fur on its ear tips, around its nose, and on its feet is black. This species is sexually dimorphic, with males being larger than females.

Found in grasslands, rainforests and dried scrublands, the nine-banded armadillo (or Dasypus novemcinctus) is a species of armoured mammal native to North, Central, and South America. There are nine subspecies of nine-banded armadillo spread throughout its range, with a lot of variation in appearance between them. Generally, nine-banded armadillos are covered by a mottled pink-grey carapace made up of large plates across their shoulders and hips, and nine characteristic segmented plates over the torso, which merges into their long, plated tail.

Found in the wood, grass and scrubland of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, the maned wolf (or Chrysocyon brachyurus) is a species of canid named for the dark, thick mane running down the centre of its neck to its shoulder blades. It has long, thin limbs and an overall lanky appearance. The maned wolf is covered in red, shaggy fur on its body, and short, black fur on its legs. Male and female maned wolves are similar in size and appearance, standing 73cm to 95cm tall at the shoulder.