Temperate

The Alpine goat is a breed of domestic goat (or Capra hircus) originating in the French Alps, found in France, Italy, and Switzerland. Alpine goats were developed as a dairy breed with a high yield of milk per animal and are adapted to the climatic conditions of their montane pastures. They have a stocky body, with long, thin limbs and neck. The short coat may be a solid brown, black, white, or grey, with black or white markings, or a patterned combination of all base colours. The head is small, with long, straight ears and slightly curved horns.

The alpaca (or Vicugna pacos) is a small, domesticated camelid species originating from the Andes regions of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. It was domesticated thousands of years ago by native South American peoples, who used alpaca fleece to create clothing. Alpacas have a long, slender neck and long legs. Their whole body is covered in thick wool, except for the face, sometimes giving them the appearance of having a ‘hairdo’. The wool may be any shade of white, red, brown, or black. Colouration may be solid or piebald.

Hermann’s tortoise (or Testudo hermanni) is a small species of tortoise that is found throughout the coastal forests of the Mediterranean. The carapace is patterned in yellow and black and varies based on the subspecies and by individual. The Eastern subspecies is much larger than the Western, reaching sizes of up to 28cm long, compared to 18cm long. Females are generally larger than males in this species. Depending on their size, Hermann’s tortoises can weigh between 2kg and 4kg.

The saiga antelope (or Saiga tatarica) is a bovid living on the steppes and grasslands of Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Russia. It is tan in colour, with a pale underside, and has large eyes and rounded ears. The distinctive large nose has broad, mobile nostrils, which is larger in males. Males are also generally built larger and heavier than females, and carry upright, pale, and slightly translucent horns, which are 28cm to 38cm long. They stand 67cm to 81cm tall at the shoulder, are 1.1m to 1.4m long and weigh between 26kg and 69kg.

The mute swan (or Cygnus olor) is a large waterfowl that lives throughout Europe and Asia, with invasive populations in North America and Japan. It is white, with black feet and an orange-red bill, and black markings around the nostrils, eyes, as well as the edge and tip of the bill. A leucistic morph can occur, which is almost indistinguishable in adults, where the legs have a pink colour instead of black. Juvenile swans are normally grey, but have a white plumage if exhibiting leucism. Mute swans have a distinctive black basal knob on the root of the beak between the eyes.

The wisent (or Bison bonasus), also commonly referred to as the European bison, is a large ungulate living in the forests and meadows of Poland, Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Slovakia, in Eastern Europe. Wisents are characterised by their large head, shoulder hump and forequarters, all of which are covered in a brown, shaggy coat. The hindquarters are less bulky and are covered in a thinner coat. Both males and females have curled horns that point inwards towards the head and look otherwise alike, though males are larger by about 5%.

The wild boar (or Sus scrofa), also known as the Eurasian wild pig, is a pig native throughout the temperate regions of Eurasia, as well as Mediterranean Northern Africa, Asian deserts and shrublands, and tropical rainforests and grasslands of Southeast Asia. It has also been introduced to North and South America and Oceania. Due to its wide distribution and adaptability, there are 16 recognised subspecies of the wild boar, varying greatly in appearance. The largest wild boars live in Central and Eastern Europe.

The takin (or Budorcas taxicolor) is a large goat-antelope living in the montane regions of Tibet, Bhutan, Northern India, Myanmar, and China. Takins have a stocky, cow-like build and are covered in shaggy fur. There are four subspecies of the takin, which vary in coat colouration and size. Legs are often darkened, to nearly black, while the overall colouration ranges from marbled black-brown to grey-yellow to golden. Males are larger than females, but both sexes have horns that measure up to 64cm in length.

The Tasmanian devil (or Sarcophilus harrisii) is a large, carnivorous marsupial native to the bushland and forests of Tasmania. It has also been reintroduced to New South Wales in Australia. Tasmanian devils have a stocky build with sturdy legs and a stout tail. They have a pointed snout, small eyes, and rounded, bald ears. The fur of the Tasmanian devil is black, with reddish brown fur on the tail and muzzle, and a white crescent-shaped marking running across the chest and shoulders. This species is sexually dimorphic, with males being larger and heavier than females.

The North Island brown kiwi (or Apteryx mantelli) is a small flightless bird native to the forests of Northern New Zealand. Its round body is covered in thick, brown feathers and supported by stocky, pink legs and feet. The kiwi has small, black eyes and a long, pink beak. Females are slightly larger and heavier than males, standing 50cm to 60cm tall and weighing around 2.8kg, compared to the male's height of 45cm to 55cm and weight of 2.2kg.