Temperate

Native to both Central and Southeast Asia, the Indian or Asian elephant (or Elephas maximus indicus) is a species distinguishable by a distinctive trunk, small ears, and grey skin with pink mottling around the face. They are smaller than their African counterparts, with males reaching an average height of 2.75m and weighing 4000kg, compared to the female average of 2.40m and 2400kg. They are large herbivores and live in a variety of different environments, including forests, grasslands and mountains, wherein they feed on tree leaves, bark and grasses.

The green iguana (or Iguana iguana) is a large species of lizard that lives throughout Central America, Northern South America and the Caribbean. It has a long tail with a serrated crest that goes from its head to the base of its spine, as well as muscular legs with long toes and claws. They may also have striations on their tail and body. Although named ‘green’ iguanas, they occur in many colours – commonly green, blue, brown and orange – and these different colour morphs often depend on their location of origin.

The greater flamingo (or Phoenicopterus roseus) is a large species of migratory bird that is widespread across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. It lives on the mudflats and coastal lagoons of temperate and warm environments, and is a filter feeder which uses its beak to stir up mud and filter out algae, invertebrates and seeds. Male and female flamingos look the same with pale-pink to orange-pink feathers, pink legs, a pink beak with a black tip, and often brighter pink patches on their wings.

The giant tiger land snail (or Achatina achatina) is a large species of gastropod that lives in the woodland areas of West Africa; specifically Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria, among others. They have a grey body and a conical shell that’s yellow, orange or tan with black stripes – the distinctive pattern being the inspiration for their name. The species is hermaphroditic, possessing both male and female reproductive parts, so there are no distinct ‘males’ and ‘females’.

The giant burrowing cockroach (or Macropanesthia rhinoceros) is a large insect native to the scrublands and dry forests of Northern Australia. They measure approximately 8cm long, weigh 30g, and are dark reddish-brown in colour. They are so named for their habit of digging burrows in the sandy earth, often delving up to 1m into the ground. They are a popular pet because of the ease of care and their positive response to being handled.

The Eastern brown snake (or Pseudonaja textilis) is a venomous species of reptile that lives in Australia and New Guinea. It prefers to live in dry areas so can be found in the grassland, scrubland and sparse forests. The snakes are pale to dark brown in colour, often with a paler underside, and they may have slightly darker brown mottling on their scales as camouflage.

The common death adder (or Acanthophis antarcticus) is a venomous snake that lives in the grasslands, forests and bushlands of Eastern and Southern Australia. It has a flat, triangular head, a squat body and a rapidly tapering tail, as well as a banded patternation of light brown, dark brown and grey in order for it to be well disguised in leaf litter and other debris. On average, the common death adder is between 70 and 100cm long.

The giant panda (or Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a species of bear native to the mountains of Central China. They have black and white fur in a distinctive pattern, with black legs, ears and circles around their eyes. Pandas feed almost exclusively on bamboo and, as a result, are extremely dependent on rich bamboo forests to survive. This is a low energy food, so pandas must eat a lot of it to live and spend most of their waking hours foraging and eating. Their low energy intake also means they produce very tiny and vulnerable cubs.

The Giant Galapagos tortoise (or Chelonoidas nigra) is a species of reptile endemic to the Galapagos Islands and does not appear anywhere else in the world. They come in two types – saddleback shelled and dome shelled – and both variants have a dull grey-brown shell and scaly, grey coloured skin. Saddleback shell tortoises have long necks and live in dry lowland areas, while dome shell tortoises have short necks and live in humid highland areas.

The Formosan black bear (or Ursus thibetanus formosanus) is a subspecies of the Asiatic black bear that’s endemic to Taiwan. They have a stocky build with black fur, rounded ears and a long straight snout; plus their most characteristic and distinct visual feature, which is a V-shaped white patch on their chest. The Formosan black bears are sexually dimorphic; in this case the males are much larger than females. The former weigh and measure an average of 135kg and 1.7m, and the latter average 70kg and 1.35m.