2023 and me! Time to take a DNA test and see if you’re 100% ZooChat Challenge ready.
Welcome to the 2023 ZooChat Challenge: North America! We’re coming off a big year, with a beast of a 2022 challenge and a record-setting 27 participants. Thank you all for your efforts (especially with scorekeeping, I know that was a lot)… I hope we get that kind of participation in the future as well
For 2023 I wanted to turn down the dial and return us to a simpler format – but still with a little bit of secret sauce, to keep things interesting. We’ll be doing a dual challenge, where you’ll get to pick your poison (not literally, we’re done with frogs) between two different challenges. People in 2022 seemed to like not being stuck with a single challenge that wasn’t great for them, so I wanted to continue that for at least another year. Also, having dual challenges means that there will be *two* winners, giving everyone double the chance of clinching the title.
The challenges? You all get to pick between Lizards or Primates.
(I know a lot of people wanted a bird challenge, but with avian flu still closing down zoo exhibits left and right in multiple regions I decided it wasn’t a good time. If the virus situation improves by next winter, 2024 *will* be a bird-heavy challenge; you all have my word on that.)
There’s some benefits and drawbacks to each. Lizards are going to be a larger tally for many people, and signage will be key as many species look similar. However – and I apologize, but I’m going to do a slightly shameless plug here – in 2023 I will be doing a guide to reptiles and amphibians of American zoos, with the lizard portion scheduled for April and May. This will help people get a sense of what species are out there and what they look like. As for primates, there are fewer species to get but the tallying and identification will be easier; also, @IndianRhino's thread (Gibbons, Geladas, and Guenons Galore! -- Primates in North America) will tell everyone exactly where they can go for what species, an advantage that the lizard people will not have.
I’ve already anticipated the top question: can you switch challenges. And the answer is yes, you can. However, I don’t want people jumping back and forth between the two based on whichever seems better for them that month, so here’s the rules:
#1: You can only switch challenges once; after you switch, that’s what you’re doing the rest of the year.
#2: If you switch after the first four months (so after April 30), you can only start counting from your two most recent zoo visits.
Basically, what this means is this: if you switch in the first four months, you can count all the eligible species you’ve seen so far in the year for the new challenge. If you switch after April 30, you can only count the two most recent zoo visits you did prior to informing me you’re switching. I think this hits a good balance between letting people feel out an option early with no consequences, while preventing people from switching late in the game when nobody knows how much progress they might have quietly made doing the other one.
Oh also, I’m introducing a new deadline system. I’ve been meaning to for the past two years, but I sort of neglected it/didn’t have a plan that satisfied me. This is what I’ve settled on for this year:
There is no official deadline to join; however, anyone who joins the game after the first four months (January to April) can only start counting from their two most recent zoo visits.
So in other words, the same rule and date as for people who switch challenges.
Before we get to the OG rules, a quick shoutout to @Shorts for providing us the genesis and template of these games. Also, if you liked the 2022 game I encourage you to participate in @ThylacineAlive's Global Challenge in 2023, which is a similar format.
The Rules
1. You have to actually see the animal, even if just for a second.
2. Photographic proof is not required; your word is your bond.
3. All entries must be in a numbered list and include the following: the species you’re counting (including the Latin name – especially for lizards, I'm gonna push you all on this one), the day you saw it and the zoo you saw it at.
4. You have to see the animal via normal public access during normal public opening hours. Behind-the-scenes sneak-peeks, VIP tours, exclusive events or any other kind of limited access will not count for this challenge.
5. Any severely limited opening or private collections don't count for this challenge. Facilities that do regularly scheduled public tours are acceptable.
6. Only public zoological collections count. Animals seen at farms, exotic animal expos, or pet stores of any kind do not count.
7. Report your progress on this thread as you go along; do not leave all your updates until the last minute. If you leave several months’ worth of updates until the last day, I can’t guarantee I will count them.
8. The taxonomy source we will be using is IUCN. Our unit is species, not subspecies. Counts at the genus level will not be allowed unless I make an exception.
9. Wild animals do not count, all species must be seen in captivity in North America under the conditions listed above.
10. Known hybrid animals do not count.
11. Anyone caught violating the rules or participating in unsportsmanlike conduct may be subject to disqualification from this year’s competition and/or from future North America competitions.
12. The winners will be whoever sees the most lizard species and whoever sees the most primate species between January 1 and December 31, 2023.
So how about it – King Kong or Godzilla? The choice is yours.
Welcome to the 2023 ZooChat Challenge: North America! We’re coming off a big year, with a beast of a 2022 challenge and a record-setting 27 participants. Thank you all for your efforts (especially with scorekeeping, I know that was a lot)… I hope we get that kind of participation in the future as well
For 2023 I wanted to turn down the dial and return us to a simpler format – but still with a little bit of secret sauce, to keep things interesting. We’ll be doing a dual challenge, where you’ll get to pick your poison (not literally, we’re done with frogs) between two different challenges. People in 2022 seemed to like not being stuck with a single challenge that wasn’t great for them, so I wanted to continue that for at least another year. Also, having dual challenges means that there will be *two* winners, giving everyone double the chance of clinching the title.
The challenges? You all get to pick between Lizards or Primates.
(I know a lot of people wanted a bird challenge, but with avian flu still closing down zoo exhibits left and right in multiple regions I decided it wasn’t a good time. If the virus situation improves by next winter, 2024 *will* be a bird-heavy challenge; you all have my word on that.)
There’s some benefits and drawbacks to each. Lizards are going to be a larger tally for many people, and signage will be key as many species look similar. However – and I apologize, but I’m going to do a slightly shameless plug here – in 2023 I will be doing a guide to reptiles and amphibians of American zoos, with the lizard portion scheduled for April and May. This will help people get a sense of what species are out there and what they look like. As for primates, there are fewer species to get but the tallying and identification will be easier; also, @IndianRhino's thread (Gibbons, Geladas, and Guenons Galore! -- Primates in North America) will tell everyone exactly where they can go for what species, an advantage that the lizard people will not have.
I’ve already anticipated the top question: can you switch challenges. And the answer is yes, you can. However, I don’t want people jumping back and forth between the two based on whichever seems better for them that month, so here’s the rules:
#1: You can only switch challenges once; after you switch, that’s what you’re doing the rest of the year.
#2: If you switch after the first four months (so after April 30), you can only start counting from your two most recent zoo visits.
Basically, what this means is this: if you switch in the first four months, you can count all the eligible species you’ve seen so far in the year for the new challenge. If you switch after April 30, you can only count the two most recent zoo visits you did prior to informing me you’re switching. I think this hits a good balance between letting people feel out an option early with no consequences, while preventing people from switching late in the game when nobody knows how much progress they might have quietly made doing the other one.
Oh also, I’m introducing a new deadline system. I’ve been meaning to for the past two years, but I sort of neglected it/didn’t have a plan that satisfied me. This is what I’ve settled on for this year:
There is no official deadline to join; however, anyone who joins the game after the first four months (January to April) can only start counting from their two most recent zoo visits.
So in other words, the same rule and date as for people who switch challenges.
Before we get to the OG rules, a quick shoutout to @Shorts for providing us the genesis and template of these games. Also, if you liked the 2022 game I encourage you to participate in @ThylacineAlive's Global Challenge in 2023, which is a similar format.
The Rules
1. You have to actually see the animal, even if just for a second.
2. Photographic proof is not required; your word is your bond.
3. All entries must be in a numbered list and include the following: the species you’re counting (including the Latin name – especially for lizards, I'm gonna push you all on this one), the day you saw it and the zoo you saw it at.
4. You have to see the animal via normal public access during normal public opening hours. Behind-the-scenes sneak-peeks, VIP tours, exclusive events or any other kind of limited access will not count for this challenge.
5. Any severely limited opening or private collections don't count for this challenge. Facilities that do regularly scheduled public tours are acceptable.
6. Only public zoological collections count. Animals seen at farms, exotic animal expos, or pet stores of any kind do not count.
7. Report your progress on this thread as you go along; do not leave all your updates until the last minute. If you leave several months’ worth of updates until the last day, I can’t guarantee I will count them.
8. The taxonomy source we will be using is IUCN. Our unit is species, not subspecies. Counts at the genus level will not be allowed unless I make an exception.
9. Wild animals do not count, all species must be seen in captivity in North America under the conditions listed above.
10. Known hybrid animals do not count.
11. Anyone caught violating the rules or participating in unsportsmanlike conduct may be subject to disqualification from this year’s competition and/or from future North America competitions.
12. The winners will be whoever sees the most lizard species and whoever sees the most primate species between January 1 and December 31, 2023.
So how about it – King Kong or Godzilla? The choice is yours.
(It also excludes me by default - can't explain why without giving it away though!)
