Mammal

The dama gazelle (or Nanger dama) is a species of ungulate living in the Sahara desert and the Sahel. It has a short white coat on its belly, legs, hindquarters, and face, and red-brown fur on its back, shoulders, and neck. On its head, the dama gazelle has large protuberant ears and a black, curled horn. These horns are present on both males and females, however those of females are much shorter. Horn length in males ranges from 25cm to 35cm, with female horns around half that size on average.

The dromedary camel (or Camelus dromedarius) is a camelid living throughout North Africa, the Middle East, and Western Asia. It has also been introduced to European countries and Australia. Dromedaries are usually sandy brown, tan, or cream in colour, but may also have dark or pied colouration. They have a single hump on their back, long legs, and a long neck. The dromedary camel has a domed head with small, rounded ears, large eyes with long lashes, and large, protuberant lips.

The black rhinoceros (or Diceros bicornis), also known as the hook-lipped rhinoceros, is a large ungulate native to the grasslands and scrublands of Southern and Eastern Africa. Black rhinos have two horns on their face, with the anterior horn being much longer than the posterior horn. They have thick, grey skin, stocky limbs, small eyes, and oval-shaped ears. The black rhinoceros stands 1.40m to 1.80m tall at the shoulder, is 3m to 3.75m long, and weighs between 800kg and 1400kg. Males and females are similar in size.

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.

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.