Vulnerable

Identifiable by its white to grey fur, black rosettes across its body, and black spots on its face, the snow leopard (or Panthera uncia) lives in the mountains of Nepal, Tibet, Northern India, Southern Siberia, Pakistan, Bhutan and Mongolia. The animal’s fur is extremely thick and well insulated, which helps it comfortably withstand sub-zero temperatures as low as -25oC. They mostly feed on mountain goats and sheep, but also hunt birds and rodents.

The mandrill (or Mandrillus sphinx) is a species of large monkey that lives in the rainforests and plateaus of Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Congo. They have olive to dark grey fur, a white stomach, and distinctive coloration on the face; a long pink strip runs down the middle of their muzzle to their nostrils, with blue pads on either side. They also have a yellow beard. Mandrill males are much larger than – and look very different from – females, with extremely bright colours on their faces and hindquarters.

The Komodo dragon (or Varanus komodoensis) is a large species of reptile that lives on the Indonesian isles of Komodo, Rinca, Flores and Gili Motang. They are a dull green-brown in colour with wide set limbs with a wide gape, have a long, muscular tail, and a yellow forked tongue. The males reach an average length of 2.59m and usually weigh between 79 and 91kg, whereas the females are smaller, averaging 2.29m long and between 68 and 73kg.

Also known as the ‘Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros’, the Indian Rhinoceros (or Rhinoceros unicornis) is a large grazing ungulate native to the river basins of Northern India, Nepal and Bhutan. The species can be distinguished by its short, thick horn and brown-grey bumpy skin, which is often likened to plate armour. Male rhinos are bigger than females – the former averaging 2100kg and 3.7m long, compared to the latter’s average of 1600kg and 3.2m. As well as their difference in size, males look different thanks to their large neck folds.

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.

The common hippopotamus (or Hippopotamus amphibius) is a large mammal native to the rivers of Sub-Saharan Africa. They are large, water dwelling animals with long protruding teeth, nostrils on the top of their snout, small ears and thick grey-brown skin. Males are 4 to 5m long and weigh between 1500 and 2000kg, whereas females measure between 3.3 and 4.2m, and weigh 1000 to 1500kg.

The cheetah (or Acinonyx jubatus) lives in the savannahs and dry woodlands of Central and Southern Africa. They can be recognised by their slim body, deep chest, thin legs and tail, as well as dark ‘tear marks’ on the face. Not to mention their most distinctive feature – their spots. Cheetahs are famous for being the fastest land animal, reaching up to 70mph when pursuing their prey. This is generally medium-sized mammals such as gazelle and impala.

Endemic to the Seychelle Islands, an Indian Ocean archipelago east of the African coast, the Aldabra giant tortoise (or Aldabrachelys gigantea) is a reptilian species capable of growing to extremely large sizes. Males average between 200 and 250 kg, while the smaller females still average between 121 and 159kg. Their shells are a dull, grey-brown colour made up of peaked keratinous plates and their skin is scaly and grey.