Temperate

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 axolotl (or Ambystoma mexicanum) is an amphibian found exclusively in freshwater lakes in Mexico, with only Lake Xochimilco remaining as their natural habitat. Its wild type is green and brown in colour, with dark speckles across the body, however axolotls in the pet trade are often leucistic (white) or come in a number of other, vibrant colourmorphs. They have prominent gill fans protruding from their necks, a feature common in all salamander larvae, although due to their more aquatic lifestyle, the axolotl keeps these external gills.

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 Danube crested newt (or Triturus dobrogicus) is an amphibian species living in the slow-flowing waters, tributaries and surrounding woodlands of the Danube River. Sides and back of the newts are covered in black and brown skin with white and black mottling, while their belly and throat are coloured bright red and orange with dark patterns. As with all crested newts, the species expresses sexual dimorphism where males have a distinctive spiked crest running down the length of their spine during breeding season.

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.

Among the largest of cranes, the red-crowned crane (or Grus japonensis) is a species of wading bird native to the wetlands, rivers and tidal flats of eastern Russia, China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan. Many cranes migrate and spend their summer in Russia, China and Mongolia, and the winter in Korea and China. Japan’s population of red-crowned cranes however are residents and do not migrate. The plumage of red-crowned cranes is white, with black tail feathers, neck and face, as well as a row of black feathers on the wings.

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 fire salamander (or Salamandra salamandra) is an amphibian living in the deciduous forests throughout mainland Europe. Its skin is black with yellow spots, although there can be much variation in their patterning. Fire salamanders are between 15cm to 30cm long and weight approximately 30g to 50g. Males and females do not differ in size or appearance. While larvae are aquatic, adults cannot swim and spend their lives on solid ground.

The European fallow deer (or Dama dama) is an ungulate found in grasslands and woodlands throughout Europe. The coat is tan with rows of white spots on the body, with a pale underside and throat, although there are various morphs such as leucism (white), melanism (black) and menil (paler coat without tail markings) occurring in European fallow deer as well. Males, called bucks, have large palmate antlers which span an average length of 60cm when fully developed, whereas females, called does, do not.