Temperate

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.

The cougar is a large species of felid that lives in the forests, mountains, grassland, deserts and scrubland of Canada, the USA, Mexico, and all of South America. The cougar is also commonly known as the puma and the mountain lion. The cougar has sandy coloured fur, thick legs and a thick tail, a broad head with rounded ears, a white muzzle and dark tear marks coming down from the eyes. Male cougars have a head-body length of 120 to 200cm, a height of 60 to 90cm at the shoulder, a tail length of 63 to 95cm and weigh between 53 and 100kg.

The California Sea Lion is a species of eared seal native to the coastal regions of the Western USA and Mexico. This sea lion is usually dark brown in colour with paler coloration on the sides and belly, although some females are pale brown in colour. Young pups are different in appearance, possessing a juvenile coat that is tan and fluffy, which they lose for their adult coat when they are between 5-7 months old. Male California sea lions measure 2.25 to 2.5m in length and weigh 250 to 350kg. Females are much smaller, measuring 1.8 to 2.1m and weighing 80 to 100kg.

The American alligator is a large species of crocodilian that lives in the rivers, swamps, marshes and wetlands of the Southern USA and Mexico. American alligators may be dark green, brown or grey in colour. They have a broad rounded head with a large gape and many teeth, of which some can be seen protruding externally. The body of the American alligator is broad, with several raised ridges of scales running down their back. Their legs stick out laterally and they move close to the ground but will raise themselves off the ground when running.

The African penguin is a flightless bird that inhabits the coastline and islands of South Africa and Namibia. The African penguin has a black back and flippers, black feet and a black face ‘mask’ with white surround. It also has a white torso with a black strap across the upper chest. The eyes of the African penguin are surrounded by pink patches which are used in thermoregulation. Each penguin has a unique pattern of black spots on its chest. African penguins are 60 to 68cm in size and weigh between 2.2 and 3.5kg. Males are slightly larger than females and have a longer beak.