Mammal

The plains zebra (or Equus quagga) is native to Eastern and Southern Africa, preferring to live in easy reach of water sources on the savannah. The species is divided into six subspecies, separated due to different features, usually varying strip patterns, and lack of interbreeding between groups. Plains zebra have the black and white stripes famous of all zebra, but are smaller than Grevy’s zebra and larger than mountain zebra. Males and females can both be 1.10 to 1.45m in height, and between 2.17 and 2.46m in length, although males are generally 10% larger than females.

The okapi (or Okapia johnstoni) is a secretive species native to the dense forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. They have a distinctive appearance with a grey-white face, dark brown coat across their torso, as well as bright white stripes across their legs and hindquarters. The sexes differ slightly as the males also have small horns, whereas females have whorls of hair in the equivalent area. Both average 1.4 to 1.6m tall and 2.4 to 2.6m long.

The nyala (or Tragelaphus angasii) is a secretive antelope that lives in the thick undergrowth of the South-Eastern African savannah. They are sexually dimorphic, with males much larger than females; the former has a dark grey shaggy coat, yellow legs and twisted, yellow tipped horns, whereas the latter are tan in colour. Both sexes also have vertical white stripes on their back. Males measure between 0.9 and 1.1m tall, 1.35 to 1.95m long, and weigh 98 to 125 kg. Females are between 0.75 and 0.9m tall, 1.35m to 1.95m long, and weigh between 50 and 68kg.

The mandrill (or Mandrillus sphinx) is a species of large monkey that lives in the rainforests and plateaus of Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Congo. They have olive to dark grey fur, a white stomach, and distinctive coloration on the face; a long pink strip runs down the middle of their muzzle to their nostrils, with blue pads on either side. They also have a yellow beard. Mandrill males are much larger than – and look very different from – females, with extremely bright colours on their faces and hindquarters.

The Japanese macaque (or Macaca fuscata) is a species of monkey endemic to the islands of Japan. It lives in a variety of environments, including the sub-arctic forests of Japan’s northern regions, and is therefore also known as the snow monkey. It has a thick beige fur coat, white belly and pink face, with males measuring an average of 57cm long and weighing 11kg. Females are slightly smaller, averaging 52cm long and weighing 8kg.

Also known as the ‘Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros’, the Indian Rhinoceros (or Rhinoceros unicornis) is a large grazing ungulate native to the river basins of Northern India, Nepal and Bhutan. The species can be distinguished by its short, thick horn and brown-grey bumpy skin, which is often likened to plate armour. Male rhinos are bigger than females – the former averaging 2100kg and 3.7m long, compared to the latter’s average of 1600kg and 3.2m. As well as their difference in size, males look different thanks to their large neck folds.

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 giant panda (or Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a species of bear native to the mountains of Central China. They have black and white fur in a distinctive pattern, with black legs, ears and circles around their eyes. Pandas feed almost exclusively on bamboo and, as a result, are extremely dependent on rich bamboo forests to survive. This is a low energy food, so pandas must eat a lot of it to live and spend most of their waking hours foraging and eating. Their low energy intake also means they produce very tiny and vulnerable cubs.