Rainforest

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.

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.

The black-and-white ruffed lemur (or Varecia variegata) is a species of primate native to the eastern rainforests of Madagascar. As the name implies, its coat is made up of distinct black and white patches: the underside, head, paws and tail are black, while limbs, back and the distinctive ruff are white. Black-and-white ruffed lemurs are 50cm to 55cm long, with a tail of around 60cm length. Like in other lemurs, females are slightly larger than males.

The sun bear is a small species of bear that lives in the tropical rainforests of South-East Asia. It has dark brown to black fur with a yellow-tan face and muzzle with a distinctive orange-coloured crescent marking across its upper chest. The sun bear has a broad head, long oblong snout and small rounded ears. Males and females look the same, but males are 10% to 20% larger than females. They measure between 120 and 150cm in length and weigh between 27 and 65kg.

The proboscis monkey is a species of primate that lives in the rainforests, mangroves and swamp forests of the Isle of Borneo (Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei). The monkeys have dark orange fur on their backs and the top of their heads, paler orange fur on their chests, stomachs and upper arms and grey fur on their lower bodies, legs and forearms. Males have a distinctive elongated nose that hangs down over their lip. Females do not have this pronounced feature, although their noses are still quite prominent for primates.

The Malayan tapir is a mammal native to the rainforests of South East Asia. The Malayan tapir’s head, shoulders, front legs and back legs are black, and their mid-body and back end is white. It is a heavy-set animal and has a distinctive prehensile proboscis nose. Malayan tapirs measure between 1.8 and 2.5m in length and weigh between 250 and 540kg. Females tend to be slightly larger than males and 10% to 20% heavier.

The giant Malaysian leaf insect is a large species of insect that lives in the Western tropical rainforests of Malaysia. This species exhibits extraordinary camouflage. As its name suggests, it has evolved to blend in with the leaves of the trees in which it lives. Females are 12cm in length, broad and flat in appearance and have small vestigial wings that do not allow them to fly. Males are approximately 9cm in length and much more slender. They have long wings and can fly.

The clouded leopard is a medium-sized arboreal cat that lives in the forests and grasslands of South East Asia. It has yellow to grey fur that is covered in large black reticulated rings. Their head, legs and tail are covered in black spots and stripes. Clouded leopards are between 69 and 108cm long, with a tail length of 61 to 91cm. Males are larger than females. Clouded leopards weigh between 11 and 23kg.

The binturong, also known as the bearcat, is a species of mammal that lives in the forests of South and South-East Asia. It has a long, stocky body with comparatively short broad legs. They have wiry black hair with a brown face and white-tipped rounded ears. Females are approximately 20% larger than the males. The binturong has a head-body length of 71-91cm, and a tail length of 56-91cm. The males weigh between 9-20kg and the females weigh between 11-32kg.

The North Sulawesi babirusa is a species of pig native to the Sulawesi island of Indonesia and several small surrounding islands. The North Sulawesi babirusa is mostly hairless with grey skin. Male babirusas have four large tusks that curl back towards their skull. The North Sulawesi babirusa has a head-body length of 85 to 110cm, a tail length of 29 to 32cm and a shoulder height of 58 to 66cm. Male babirusas weigh between 70 and 100kg and female babirusas weigh between 45 and 80kg.