Mammal

The American plains bison (or Bison bison bison) is a large ungulate native to the USA and Canada. Bison are characterised by their large head, shoulder hump and forequarters, all of which are covered in a shaggy coat. Their hind-quarters are comparatively less muscled with a thinner coat. Both sexes have horns are similar in size, but males are much heavier due to having more muscle.

African wild dogs (or Lycaon pictus) are also known as African hunting dogs or painted wolves. They live throughout sub-Saharan Africa – the continent has several different populations and five subspecies in total. The dogs are slim and tall in comparison to other canines, with extremely large rounded ears and distinctive colouration. Generally they have yellow and black mottled fur with white patches on their legs, chest and tail, however this varies on the subspecies. Some may also have a spot-like patterning on parts of their body.

The African elephant is native to Sub Saharan Africa and lives in savannahs, forests and mountains. African elephants are large and thickset with thick grey skin and a characteristic trunk that they use for vocalising, drinking and grasping food. Both male and female African elephants have tusks. Elephants are known for their intelligence and strong social bonds. Female herds bond for life and will remember and communicate with family members even if herds split up. Bonds are especially strong between mothers and their babies.

Living throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, the African buffalo (or Syncerus caffer caffer) is the largest member of the cow family – bovids – found in the African wild. They are typically between 1.7 and 3.4m in length, measure 1.0 to 1.7m tall, and are identifiable by their distinctive horns, which are broad, curved and unite in a ‘boss’ in the centre of their forehead. The dominant male in a herd will often have the largest horns.

The aardvark (or Orycteropus afer) is a medium-sized insectivore that lives throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. They have pink-grey skin with sparse, coarse hair, large slender ears and an elongated head that ends in a pig-like snout. Males are slightly larger than females, but both sexes are generally between 105 and 130cm long, have a tail between 60 and 70cm, and weigh between 40 and 65kg.