Temperate

The little penguin (or Eudyptula minor), also known as the blue penguin, is a small species of marine bird that lives on the coastlines and in the surrounding oceans of Southern Australia and New Zealand. It has dark blue feathers dorsally – on its back – and white feathers ventrally – covering its belly and chin. The little penguin has black eyes, a black beak, and pink feet. Males and females of this species look alike. Little penguins stand 30cm tall on average, and weigh between 1.1kg and 1.5kg.

The quokka (or Setonix brachyurus) is a small species of wallaby that lives in the swamps, scrublands and forests of Rottnest Island and Bald Island, as well as the coast of South-West Australia. It has thick, buff-brown fur, large and powerful hindlegs, small and dextrous forearms, and a thin tail. It has rounded ears and a round face, with a characteristic ‘smiling’ expression. Quokkas measure 40cm to 54cm in length, with an additional 25cm to 30cm tail. Males are slightly larger than females, weighing between 2.7kg and 5kg, compared to females at 1.5kg to 3.5kg.

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.

The Old World swallowtail (or Papilio machaon) is a butterfly living in the temperate regions, woodlands and even tundras of Europe, Asia and North America. It has pale yellow wings with grey-black patterning on the forewings, and blue-black accents as well as red eyespots on the hindwings. The hindwings also have an extended ‘tail’, for which they are named swallowtail. There is no sexual dimorphism in size and appearance in the Old World swallowtail, and its average wingspan is 6.5cm to 8.6cm. The caterpillar is plump and pale green with black and orange markings on each body segment.

The monarch (or Danaus plexippus) is a butterfly found in a wide range worldwide, but is most commonly seen in North and South America. Monarchs have a wingspan of 8.9cm to 10.2cm and weigh approximately 0.5g. Its wings are orange-red with prominent black veins, lined with thick black edges and white spots. Their legs and antennae are black, and their body is black with white spots. Monarch caterpillars have a plump body covered with yellow, black and white stripes.

The Menelaus blue morpho (or Morpho menelaus) is a butterfly species found in the tropical grasslands and woodlands of Central and South America. It has distinctive bright blue and turquoise wings lined by black wing borders with white spots. The scales on their wings are structured in a way that give them a distinct, iridescent appearance. The underside of its wings are brown and populated with multiple eye spots. Male Menelaus blue morphos are smaller and have much brighter blue wings with thinner borders than females. On average, the Menelaus blue has a wingspan of 12cm.

The European peacock (or Aglais io) is a species of butterfly living throughout the temperate grasslands and woodlands of Europe and Asia. It has four red wings with brown edges and distinctive eye spots. These eye spots may be made up of yellow, blue, red or purple scales and have black surrounding marks. The undersides of the wings are brown to black. Males and females looks alike, although females may be up to 10% larger than males. European peacocks reach a wingspan of 5cm to 6.4cm.

The cloudless sulphur (or Phoebis sennae) is a butterfly found in temperate open areas – grasslands, parks, gardens, watercourses and seashores – of North, Central and South America. It has yellow wings with brown and/or black spots and borders. Females tend to be less vibrant than males and have yellow spots along the dark wing borders. The cloudless sulphur has a wingspan of 5.5cm to 7.8cm. Caterpillars of the cloudless sulphur are bright yellow or green with a yellow stripe and blue spots along each side.

Found in the wood, grass and scrubland of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, the maned wolf (or Chrysocyon brachyurus) is a species of canid named for the dark, thick mane running down the centre of its neck to its shoulder blades. It has long, thin limbs and an overall lanky appearance. The maned wolf is covered in red, shaggy fur on its body, and short, black fur on its legs. Male and female maned wolves are similar in size and appearance, standing 73cm to 95cm tall at the shoulder.