Blue Wildebeest
The blue wildebeest (or Connochaetes taurinus) is a large antelope native to Southern Africa. It is also known as the common or white-bearded wildebeest, or brindled gnu. They have a pale grey or brown coat with dark stripes across their neck, shoulders, and chest. Blue wildebeest have a long black tail and a long black mane, which either stands up or drapes over the neck depending on the subspecies. The beard trailing under the neck is white. The species is sexually dimorphic, with males being larger than females, but both males and females have distinctive, L-shaped horns.
Red Deer
The red deer (or Cervus elaphus) is a widespread species of ungulate living throughout the temperate grasslands, woodlands and scrublands of Europe, Asia and parts of Northern Africa. Red deer have red-brown fur with a paler underside. They have large, pointed ears, large eyes and a long snout. The species is sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females and grow wide antlers with multiple branches. There are several subspecies of red deer, and size varies depending on the region and environmental conditions.
Egyptian Fruit Bat
The Egyptian fruit bat (or Rousettus aegyptiacus) is a megabat living in the rainforests, deciduous woodlands and scrublands of Sub-Saharan Africa, Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula. Their body is covered in fur that may be yellow, orange or brown in colour. They have large, grey-black wings with pinker colouration around the fingers. Egyptian fruit bats have a long snout ending in a blunt nose, large round eyes and big pointed ears. On average, they measure 15cm in length, with a wingspan of around 60cm. Their weight ranges between 80g and 170g.
Striped Skunk
The striped skunk (or Mephitis mephitis) is a small mammal found throughout North America, including southern Canada, the US and northern Mexico. It is a stocky animal with short legs, a broad build and bushy tail. Its narrow face has a pointed snout and small round ears. Striped skunks are covered in thick and coarse black and white fur and are named for their distinctive pattern: black fur with a white scalp that leads into two striped along their back and onto their tail. Male skunks are 38cm to 46cm long with a 33cm to 41cm long tail, and weigh 2kg to 5.5kg.
Raccoon
The raccoon (or Procyon lotor) is a medium-sized mammal native throughout North America. It has grey-brown coarse hair, a long black-ringed tail, a pointed snout and distinctive facial markings often described as a ‘mask’ across the eyes. Raccoons have very dextrous front paws which they use like hands. Raccoons measure 41cm to 70cm in length, with tails adding a further 19cm to 40cm. Males are typically larger than females and weigh between 2.5kg and 10.4kg, whereas females weigh 1.8kg to 7.5kg. Size and weight vary greatly across subspecies, climate and time of year.
Common Wombat
The common wombat (or Vombatus ursinus), also known as the coarse-haired or bare-nosed wombat, is a marsupial found in the scrub and woodlands of south eastern Australia and Tasmania. It has a squat, round build with short, muscular legs and a blunt snout. The body is covered in coarse grey-brown fur. Common wombats measure between 90cm and 115cm in length from nose to rump and weigh 22kg to 39kg. There are no obvious external differences between males and females.
Spectacled Caiman
The spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) is a medium-sized crocodile that lives in the wetlands, savannahs and forests of Central and South America. It can be green, brown, yellow or gray, with bands on the tail and body. It gets its name from the distinctive bony ridge it has between its eyes which makes it appear as if it is wearing glasses. The body of this caiman is slender, with other ridges of scales on the back. The male measures between 1.50 and 2 m in length on average (although with age some reach 2.50 m) and weighs between 13 and 40 kg.
Capybara
The capybara (or Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the world’s largest rodent and lives throughout savannahs, forests and wetlands of South America. Its large, barrel-like body is covered in coarse brown fur. Capybaras have partially webbed feet to accommodate their semiaquatic lifestyle, a short vestigial tail, and small ears on their oblong shaped head. They typically measure 50cm to 62cm in height and 106cm to 134cm in length. Although similar in size, female capybaras tend to be heavier than males, with an average weight of 61kg for females and 50kg for males.
Fire Salamander
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.
European Fallow Deer
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.