Near Threatened

The markhor (or Capra falconeri) is a large goat from Central Asia, which is also sometimes called the screw-horned goat. They are stocky creatures with sturdy, barrel-shaped bodies. Their cloven hooves allow them to climb steep mountains and cliffs. They are covered in thick fur, which is grey-brown for males and a lighter, richer brown in females. A primitive black stripe follows the spine, and legs and face have dark markings. Males have a long, shaggy beard along the entire length of the neck. Both sexes carry thick, curled horns, which are significantly longer in males.

Hermann’s tortoise (or Testudo hermanni) is a small species of tortoise that is found throughout the coastal forests of the Mediterranean. The carapace is patterned in yellow and black and varies based on the subspecies and by individual. The Eastern subspecies is much larger than the Western, reaching sizes of up to 28cm long, compared to 18cm long. Females are generally larger than males in this species. Depending on their size, Hermann’s tortoises can weigh between 2kg and 4kg.

The wisent (or Bison bonasus), also commonly referred to as the European bison, is a large ungulate living in the forests and meadows of Poland, Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Slovakia, in Eastern Europe. Wisents are characterised by their large head, shoulder hump and forequarters, all of which are covered in a brown, shaggy coat. The hindquarters are less bulky and are covered in a thinner coat. Both males and females have curled horns that point inwards towards the head and look otherwise alike, though males are larger by about 5%.

A generalist predator and scavenger, the striped hyena (or Hyaena hyaena) is native to North Africa, the Middle East and Western Asia. It lives in a variety of environments, from open savannahs, grass and woodlands to arid, mountainous areas. The striped hyena has strong forelimbs and a muscular neck with shorter hind legs, giving the body a sloped build. The head is broad with a wide snout, wideset eyes and large pointed ears. Striped hyenas have tan fur with vertical black stripes along their body and legs. A long mane runs along the entirety of the spine and ends in a thick, bushy tail.

Found in the wood, grass and scrubland of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, the maned wolf (or Chrysocyon brachyurus) is a species of canid named for the dark, thick mane running down the centre of its neck to its shoulder blades. It has long, thin limbs and an overall lanky appearance. The maned wolf is covered in red, shaggy fur on its body, and short, black fur on its legs. Male and female maned wolves are similar in size and appearance, standing 73cm to 95cm tall at the shoulder.

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 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 Southern white rhinoceros is a large species of ungulate native to Southern Africa (South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia). They are large, broad animals with thick, grey skin. The Southern white rhinoceros has two horns, with the front horn being much longer than the secondary horn. The head of the rhinoceros is almost rectangular in shape with a square snout. They have protuberant ears on the top of their head and a hump at the base of the neck formed of the musculature that supports the head.

The jaguar (or Panthera onca) is a species of big cat that lives throughout South America, Central America and Mexico, with rare individual sightings in southern USA. Although they can live in multiple environment types, they prefer to be in dense forests, near swamps and rivers. They are stockily built compared to the other big cat species, weighing an average of between 56 and 96kg, and measuring 112 to 185cm long. They have yellow to orange fur with black rosette patterning, and a white underside.

Thomson’s gazelle (or Eudorcas thomsonii) is a small species of grazing mammal that lives in Africa’s Serengeti regions of Tanzania and Kenya. It prefers to live in dry grassland – although is also found in woodland – and has a tan coloured back, white underside and a dark stripe on their flank. They also have a tan muzzle, white cheeks and eye region, as well as black streaks running from their eyes to the start of the muzzle.