Temperate

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.

The European badger (or Meles meles) is a large species of mustelid inhabiting woodlands, shrublands and even man-made parks and pastures throughout Europe. The badger’s most distinct feature is its facial pattern, with two distinct black stripes extending from the neck over ears and eyes down to the snout, across a white face. Its body is covered in thick grey fur, with black legs and lighter fur on the sides. European badgers have a shoulder height of 25cm to 30cm and a head-body length of 60cm to 90cm, with a short tail measuring additional 12cm to 24cm.

The Eurasian lynx (or Lynx lynx) is a medium-sized cat that is found in temperate and boreal forest and mountains of Europe and Asia. It has a broad, stocky build with large feet, and is known for its short tail and distinctive ear tufts. Its coat colour ranges from cream to tan, with black spots all over the body. Both the tail tip and ear tufts are black too. Males and females look alike, although males are slightly larger and significantly heavier. Male Eurasian lynxes weigh 20kg up to 45kg, with a head-body length of 98cm to 109cm and shoulder height of 60cm to 75cm.

The Alpine ibex (or Capra Ibex) is a large species of mountain goat native to the Alpine regions of Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia. Its thick coat is a uniform brown on the body, with a pale underside and a darker coloration on legs and tail. Alpine ibexes have large ridged horns that curve backwards towards the body. Males are much larger and heavier than females. They have 69cm to 98cm long horns, measure 1.49m to 1.71m in length and 0.9m to 1.05m in height, and weigh 80kg to 100kg.

The American bullfrog is a large species of amphibian that lives in the swamps, ponds and lakes of the USA and Canada. Depending on its environment, it may be dark green, pale green or pale brown dorsally with a paler coloured belly. It may have darker spots on its back and a banding pattern on its legs, although some variations of the bullfrog have no pattern. The American bullfrog is sexually dimorphic; females are larger than males, and males have distinctive yellow coloration on their throat and a much larger tympanum (ovular hearing gland) on the sides of their head.

The North American beaver is a large species of rodent that lives in the temperate woodland and riverine areas of the USA and Canada. The North American beaver has a double coat, meaning its fur has a surface layer of long, coarse hairs and an undercoat of shorter, finer hairs. This coat gives the beaver’s fur a coarse appearance. The beaver may be brown, red or tan in appearance and have small ears and eyes, a black nose high on the snout and large, pronounced front teeth. North American beavers have a head-body length of 74 to 90cm and a tail length of 20 to 35cm.

Various subspecies of moose are native to Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the USA and Canada. They live in boreal and deciduous woodland and their diet consists mostly of the young shoots from trees and woody plants. The moose is a large deer with thick brown fur and a noticeable neck hump. They have a characteristic nasal proboscis. The Alaska moose is the largest subspecies, males are extremely large, measuring between 1.7 and 2.3m tall at the shoulders, have a head-body length of 2.4 to 3.1m and weigh 380 to 700kg.