SealPup
Well-Known Member
Ve
Verreauxs eagle eats hyraxes but is surely displayed fine in Europe?
How do you think extinct animals would have done in zoos?
- Thread starter TheMightyOrca
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...as well as other species and carrion if necessary. The species is kept in less than a dozen institutions in Europe.
SealPup
Well-Known Member
Right but it's considered one of the specialists and it is kept fine. So Haast's eagle should be fine.
I think the idea Haast's was a specialist is confusion between ecological specialisation and unusual feeding adaptations which are why it was not recognised as a species of Aquila. And was at one point considered an obligate carrion feeder by analogy to OW vultures and giant petrels.
I think the idea Haast's was a specialist is confusion between ecological specialisation and unusual feeding adaptations which are why it was not recognised as a species of Aquila. And was at one point considered an obligate carrion feeder by analogy to OW vultures and giant petrels.
Personally I'd want a microraptor. I'd teach it to sit on my shoulder and ride in my purse!
Talking about the Haast's eagle a bit more... If they were kept in captivity, do you think they could be used in falconry shows? Cause that would be totally sweet.
Trying to think of some aquatic species... Do you think dunkleosteus could be kept? If so, I bet they'd be popular. If the great auk was still around, I'm sure there would be a zoo population, perhaps mostly showing up in Atlantic-themed aquarium areas.
Side note, I really love having this conversation with you guys. Every time I attempt to discuss "what if extinct species were still around" everyone just says "they'd kill us all, lol". I knew you guys would incite some actual discussion, ha ha.
I reckon that great auks, Caribbean monk seals and Steller's sea cow would have done quite well in captivity but quite probably have to be rescue or rehab animals. I'm not sure the baiji would have done well but it's a shame that it could have actually have been part of an ex-situ breeding programme whilst the others went extinct before conservation became a priority.
I maintain that Caribbean monk seals and great auks would have self-sustaining zoo populations, with rescue animals thrown in, but yeah, any Steller's sea cows would be rescues. Baiji may have had a chance if the captivity/breeding program was started earlier. Qiqi survived 22 years in captivity. If they were able to capture enough specimens and breed them, there would probably be a number of them in Chinese facilities.
Yi qi would be a very interesting dinosaur to exhibit if it were alive today.
Kawekaweau
Well-Known Member
I highly doubt Dunkleosteus would survive in captivity. They'd be much like great white sharks, pretty much impossible to keep alive. Great auks would be like penguins for the Northern Hemisphere.
Cynognathus and smaller gorgonopsids may be domesticable like Russian foxes.
A pet Velociraptor or Acheroraptor would be cool xD
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If small, non-avian dinos like were still around, people would totally be keeping them as pets. Maybe people would even selectively breed for different colors and patterns.
I bet small pterosaurs could also be kept. And you could set up big structures in your home for them to climb and perch on. Too bad we don't know of any really tiny marine reptiles, those would make for some cool home aquarium pets. Closest would be Cartorhynchus, though at 1.5 feet it would still require a pretty large tank to really thrive. I would have to settle for petting them at an aquarium touch tank, ha ha.
I have to weigh in on this.
One: the only thing known for sure about Harpagornis diets is that they did feed on moa (from moa bone evidence). This is not the same as having "a very specialised diet of Moa". In all likelihood they would have been the same as the other giant forest eagles which have a primary diet (say, monkeys or sloths or colugos) but also take any other large-bodied vertebrates.
Two: I'd like to see your source for "scientists have found remains of people in Haast's Eagle nests." They potentially did kill humans - given that humans are well within the size-range of their usual prey, and there are Maori legends which have been attached to Harpagornis attacks - but there is no actual evidence for this and there are no Harpagornis nests. Eagle nests do not last hundreds of years.
Three: the above brings us right round to the glaring inconsistency in your post. You can't say that Harpagornis couldn't be kept in captivity because they specialised in moa, and then turn around and say they also ate humans. That makes them a generalised predator on large vertebrates.
Caring for a Gomphotherium would be cool
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Nikola Chavkosk
Well-Known Member
The giant sloth would have been a very interesting zoo animal, and probably not so easy to care for (browser, frugivore, or a grass-eating?, and due to its size like an elephant and plus a climber - what enclosure will hold such an animal 
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I think quagga would be exhibited in Savannah exhibits with zebra and other antelopes
The giant sloth would have been a very interesting zoo animal, and probably not so easy to care for (browser, frugivore, or a grass-eating?, and due to its size like an elephant and plus a climber - what enclosure will hold such an animal
Not sure if the giant sloths were much for climbing. But whatever the case, yeah, their size would limit keeping them. They might be reserved for large zoos or possibly even just safari parks.
Kawekaweau
Well-Known Member
I could imagine New Zealand entirely banning the importation and possession (including zoos) of small predatory theropods such as dromaeosaurs, troodonts, noasaurids and small tyrannosauroids as they could present a significant threat to native birdlife. Probably there would even be a minimum size for theropods allowed in, rather than maximum.
Now that you mention it, I bet other places (Hawaii, maybe?) would have similar policies.
Great thread!!!!
I'd love to see Mammoths and Woolly Rhinos in zoos! They would work well in the cold Northern Hemisphere zoos. I presume a lot of breeding would take place through artificial insemination with the megafauna due to space restrictions in many zoos (like with the Asian elephants in Australia).
Curious question regarding evolution though: what would be the ethics of keeping early hominoids in zoos? When did our ancestors become too human to keep in zoos?
I'd love to see Mammoths and Woolly Rhinos in zoos! They would work well in the cold Northern Hemisphere zoos. I presume a lot of breeding would take place through artificial insemination with the megafauna due to space restrictions in many zoos (like with the Asian elephants in Australia).
Curious question regarding evolution though: what would be the ethics of keeping early hominoids in zoos? When did our ancestors become too human to keep in zoos?
Actually wasn't there some ancient type of pygmy hippo from Cyprus or Malta or one of the islands in the Med? They might be nice in zoos.