Mammal

The red deer (or Cervus elaphus) is a widespread species of ungulate living throughout the temperate grasslands, woodlands and scrublands of Europe, Asia and parts of Northern Africa. Red deer have red-brown fur with a paler underside. They have large, pointed ears, large eyes and a long snout. The species is sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females and grow wide antlers with multiple branches. There are several subspecies of red deer, and size varies depending on the region and environmental conditions.

The Egyptian fruit bat (or Rousettus aegyptiacus) is a megabat living in the rainforests, deciduous woodlands and scrublands of Sub-Saharan Africa, Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula. Their body is covered in fur that may be yellow, orange or brown in colour. They have large, grey-black wings with pinker colouration around the fingers. Egyptian fruit bats have a long snout ending in a blunt nose, large round eyes and big pointed ears. On average, they measure 15cm in length, with a wingspan of around 60cm. Their weight ranges between 80g and 170g.

The striped skunk (or Mephitis mephitis) is a small mammal found throughout North America, including southern Canada, the US and northern Mexico. It is a stocky animal with short legs, a broad build and bushy tail. Its narrow face has a pointed snout and small round ears. Striped skunks are covered in thick and coarse black and white fur and are named for their distinctive pattern: black fur with a white scalp that leads into two striped along their back and onto their tail. Male skunks are 38cm to 46cm long with a 33cm to 41cm long tail, and weigh 2kg to 5.5kg.

The red fox (or Vulpes vulpes) is a medium-sized canid that lives throughout Europe, Asia and North America, as well as areas of Northern Africa. Red foxes have thick red fur that may be grizzled with brown or black and has a white underside. The tail is long and bushy and the legs are characteristically black. Males measure 96cm to 115cm in total length, of which 32cm to 38cm are constituted by the tail, and stand 35cm to 50cm tall at the shoulder. They weigh between 4.3kg and 7.6kg.

The raccoon (or Procyon lotor) is a medium-sized mammal native throughout North America. It has grey-brown coarse hair, a long black-ringed tail, a pointed snout and distinctive facial markings often described as a ‘mask’ across the eyes. Raccoons have very dextrous front paws which they use like hands. Raccoons measure 41cm to 70cm in length, with tails adding a further 19cm to 40cm. Males are typically larger than females and weigh between 2.5kg and 10.4kg, whereas females weigh 1.8kg to 7.5kg. Size and weight vary greatly across subspecies, climate and time of year.

The common wombat (or Vombatus ursinus), also known as the coarse-haired or bare-nosed wombat, is a marsupial found in the scrub and woodlands of south eastern Australia and Tasmania. It has a squat, round build with short, muscular legs and a blunt snout. The body is covered in coarse grey-brown fur. Common wombats measure between 90cm and 115cm in length from nose to rump and weigh 22kg to 39kg. There are no obvious external differences between males and females.

The siamang (or Symphalangus syndactylus) is a species of gibbon living in the rainforests of the Malay Peninsula and Indonesian island of Sumatra. Their body is covered in all-black shaggy fur, which is thinner and grey on their faces. Siamangs have very long arms - their arm span approximately measuring twice their body length, short and sturdy legs and no tail. One of their most prominent features is the throat sac under their chin, which inflates during their distinctive vocalisations. Typically, siamangs are 75cm to 100cm tall and weigh between 10kg and 13kg.

The scimitar-horned oryx (or Oryx dammah) is an antelope that used to live in and around the Sahara desert in Northern Africa. The fur of the scimitar-horned oryx is cream-white in colour, fading to tan patches on neck, chest and legs. Their face is white with brown markings. They are named for their most distinctive feature, the long, ridged and backwards curving horns which exceed 1m in length. Scimitar-horned oryxes measure 1.3m to 2.4m in length and are 1m to 1.3m tall at the shoulder.

Przewalski’s horse (or Equus ferus przewalskii) is a species of wild horse living in the steppes of Mongolia, also known as the takhi, Mongolian wild horse and the Dzungarian horse. Przewalski’s horse is smaller and has a stockier build than most other equid species. It measures 2.1m to 2.6m in length and stands between 1.2m and 1.5m high at the shoulders. Mature individuals weigh between 250kg and 360kg. Males may be slightly larger than females, though there is no obvious sexual dimorphism in this species.

The Amur leopard (or Panthera pardus orientalis) is a subspecies of the leopard found in temperate forests between the Russian Far East and China. The species is adapted for both warm summers and cold winters of the region. This big cat has a stocky, muscular build, a thick tail and broad face with small, rounded ears. The dense coat of the Amur leopard ranges from tan to orange in base colour, with a white belly. The body of the animal is covered in black rosettes, turning into solid black spots towards the legs and underside.