"Biology unit 2: Launching!"
The mobile base launch away from the mothership, the massive interstellar carrier ship. The base, which is a space ship by it's own right, speeds towards the planet. Thanks to the tech wizards back at home, this ride is very smooth. Athmospheric entry goes entirely unnoticed and heavy deceleration barely registers in your mind.
As the surface and predetermined landing spot approaches everyone groups around the displays. Various cameras and sensors activates on the hull and starts recording and feeding data to computers. Dedicated software analyses feeds, combines them and builds precise 3D model of the ground and everything on it, increasing precision as ship approaches the surface. It doesn't take long before it identifies living creatures and starts grouping them by proximity and physiological similarities, helpfully suggesting which creatures might belong to same species.
The landing area is in a smooth grassland consisting of seemingly plant type lifeform, height ranging from 15 cm to 30 cm. 500 meters on south there's a lake with mixed shoreline. Kilometer worth of sandy looking beachline, turning more rocky near river in east. In north there's more grassland and a forest begins around distance of 1 km.
In overall your surroundings looks very much like Earth. Even the animals displayed on the screens look very familiar to the security guys, but biologists immediately spot differences. Evolution of multicellular life seems to prefer same major design principles when given similar conditions. On the one hand this is disappointing, but on the other one it's very exciting. This is, after all, the very first time mankind has found multicellular life outside of Earth. Even the stone face Dylan Flores (renown xenobiologist responsible of all Biology units on the planet) is probably grinning from ear to ear.
Now, what do you want to do?
Nearest group of larger creatures is herd of apparently herbivorous animals two hundred meters to north west. They are sturdy ox like animals with stubby short legs and very hairy tail. They are showing mild interest towards your ship.According to sensors there's numerous small creatures around the ship/mobile base. Some appear to be very much like insects, ranging from thumbnail sized to palm sized.On south east on the rocks is a flock of large flying animals.Sensors coudn't get information of possible life forms in the lake during landing, but now it has some records of aquatic life being hunted by birds.You can request data from other units. Geology and Meteorology units don't have sensors for specially detecting life forms, but will have less detailed visual data available, should you get bored with your local wildlife.As for equipment, you have almost everything can think of. The mobile base is pretty big, containing small personal flyers, bigger flyers for transporting people and other for transporting large containers in case you want to move larger animals around. Ground vehicles, semi autonomous flying and diving drones, fully insulated detachable container rooms for your
prey samples...
All biologists are trained to use personal flyers, they are simple enough to use with smart computer assistant. Security personel is trained to handle all vehicles.