Mammal

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.

The Nile lechwe (or Kobus megaceros) is a species of ungulate native to the marshes and swamps of South Sudan and Ethiopia. They exhibit a high level of sexual dimorphism: male Nile lechwes are larger than females, with a length of 1.6m to 1.8m, shoulder height of 1m to 1.05m and weight of 90kg to 120kg. They have long ridged horns and their coat is of a dark brown colour, with white markings on the shoulders, face and legs. The male’s neck is covered with longer, bushy hairs. Conversely, female Nile lechwes do not have horns and have a much lighter tan coloured coat.

The wild water buffalo (or Bubalus arnee), also known as the Asian water buffalo, is a very large species of bovine living in the marshes, swamps and flood plains of central east and southeast Asia. Its present range is extremely fragmented, with the majority of animals living in India, and other populations surviving in Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand and Cambodia. Wild water buffaloes have grey to black skin, with coarse dark hair covering the body sparsely, and an elongated head with small ears.

Native to the rivers and streams of Central and Southeast Asia, the Asian small-clawed otter (or Aonyx cinereus) is the smallest otter species in the world. Its sleek body is covered in brown fur, with a white belly and throat. Asian small-clawed otters grow between 72cm and 96cm in total body length and weigh 2.7kg to 5.4kg. There are no notable physical differences between females and males of this species.

The platypus (or Ornithorhynchus anatinus), also known as the duck-billed platypus, is a monotreme mammal native to streams, pools and rivers of Eastern Australia including the island of Tasmania. It has thick brown fur, wide webbed and clawed feet, a broad flat tail and a characteristic flat bill. Male platypus measure 42cm to 60cm in length, with a weight of 0.8kg to 2.5kg; whereas females are 38cm to 55cm long, weighing 0.65kg to 2kg.

The capybara (or Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the world’s largest rodent and lives throughout savannahs, forests and wetlands of South America. Its large, barrel-like body is covered in coarse brown fur. Capybaras have partially webbed feet to accommodate their semiaquatic lifestyle, a short vestigial tail, and small ears on their oblong shaped head. They typically measure 50cm to 62cm in height and 106cm to 134cm in length. Although similar in size, female capybaras tend to be heavier than males, with an average weight of 61kg for females and 50kg for males.