Zoochat Challenge North America 2023

Oh nice, thanks! Kimberley Rock was the one I was leaning towards the most, but a few of those small Australian species apparently look quite similar.

Interesting on the Sudan Plated; this one was mixed with Spider Tortoises and had two distinct yellow lines on its back, so I thought it was a Malagasy girdled lizard of some kind. Looking at it again now it does have sizable plate scales and a large head though. I'll note it as B. major for now, but will also upload a photo to the gallery :)

Of note, I also saw a couple of the wild Flat-tailed House Geckos that live in the enclosures; not technically captive, but they *are* a lizard :p no luck on seeing one of the Green Anoles, though.
I visited today, and the plated lizards have swapped since my last visit — the B. major is now in the outdoor exhibit with the radiated tortoises, while the G. flavigularis is now in the inside exhibit with the spider tortoises.

Just needed to get out of the house today, so I went for a drive and popped into a couple of smaller collections. Unfortunately, the island anole display at the California Science Center is no more — replaced by a display on different Uroplatus species.

Bolsa Chica Conservancy (Huntington Beach, CA) -- 29 August 2023:
123. Common side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana)

California Science Center (Los Angeles, CA) -- 29 August 2023:
124. Desert spiny lizard (Sceloporus magister)
Thanks to @Coelacanth18 for the update that the Kimberly rock monitors are now on display!

San Diego Zoo (San Diego, CA) — 05 September 2023:
125. Kimberly rock monitor (Varanus glauerti)
 
I visited today, and the plated lizards have swapped since my last visit — the B. major is now in the outdoor exhibit with the radiated tortoises, while the G. flavigularis is now in the inside exhibit with the spider tortoises.


Thanks to @Coelacanth18 for the update that the Kimberly rock monitors are now on display!

San Diego Zoo (San Diego, CA) — 05 September 2023:
125. Kimberly rock monitor (Varanus glauerti)
I jumped the gun and posted my update before I finished my visit :P Much to my surprise, there are two additional new lizard species on display in the tanks under the elephant pathway in Elephant Odyssey!

San Diego Zoo (San Diego, CA) — 05 September 2023:
126. Bromeliad alligator lizard (Abronia taeniata)
127. Martin Del Campo’s arboreal alligator lizard (Abronia martindelcampoi)
 
I jumped the gun and posted my update before I finished my visit :p Much to my surprise, there are two additional new lizard species on display in the tanks under the elephant pathway in Elephant Odyssey!

San Diego Zoo (San Diego, CA) — 05 September 2023:
126. Bromeliad alligator lizard (Abronia taeniata)
127. Martin Del Campo’s arboreal alligator lizard (Abronia martindelcampoi)

Oh that's right... I saw three unsigned lizards :p do you happen to know which one is which? I only saw alligator lizards in one tank, on the far right.

full

The mystery lizard
 
Oh that's right... I saw three unsigned lizards :p do you happen to know which one is which? I only saw alligator lizards in one tank, on the far right.

full

The mystery lizard
That is the one I was told was the A. martindelcampoi. There’s slightly more banded ones in the neighboring tank that are light-morph A. taeniata according to the herp staff.
 
Last edited:
Some updates for me:

- First, I should have started my San Diego lizards at 23 instead of 22.
- Second, thanks to identifications from @Kudu21 I can add two additional species to my list:

37. Yarrow's Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus jarrovii) - seen at Los Angeles Zoo in July
38. Martin del Campo's Alligator Lizard (Abronia martindelcampoi) - seen at San Diego Zoo

- Third, a few additions from a visit yesterday:

California Science Center (Los Angeles) / Sept 9

39. Cuban Green Anole (Anolis porcatus)
40. Mossy Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus sikorae)
41. Henkel's Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus henkeli)
 
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium (August 15, 2023)
42. Frilled lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii)
43. Collared treerunner (Plica plica)
44. Philippine tree skink (Lamprolepis smaragdina)
45. Armadillo girdled lizard (Ouroborus cataphractus)
46. Tropical girdled lizard (Cordylus tropidosternum)
47. Rock monitor (Varanus albigularis)
48. Veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus)
49. Plumed basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons)
Blank Park Zoo (September 23, 2023)
50. Pilbara rock monitor (Varanus pilbarensis)
 
Not sure if it’s too late to join but here is my list for primates so far this year! Hoping to either visit the Duke Lemur Center or Saint Louis later this year so that would add hopefully some more species to my list.

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (To Many Visits to List)
1. Pygmy Slow Loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus)
2. Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)
3. Coquerel's Sifaka (Propithecus coquereli)
4. Aye-Aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)
5. West African Potto (Perodicticus potto)
6. Thick-Tailed Greater Galago (Otolemur crassicaudatus)
7. White-Faced Saki (Pithecia pithecia)
8. Black Howler Monkey (Alouatta nigerrima)
9. Crowned Monkey (Cercopithecus pogonias)
10. Guereza (Colobus guereza)
11. Angolan Colobus (Colobus angolensis)
12. Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus)
13. Lar Gibbon (Hylobates lar)
14. Northern White-Cheeked Gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys)
15. Red-Cheeked Gibbon (Nomascus gabriellae)
16. Bornean Gibbon (Hylobates muelleri)
17. Western Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)
18. Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii)
19. Bonobo (Pan paniscus)

Indianapolis Zoo (04/13/23)
20. Long-Tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
21. Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)

Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo (07/26/23)
22. Red Ruffed Lemur (Varecia rubra)
23. Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata)
24. Brown Lemur (Eulemur fulvus)
25. Columbian White-Throated Capuchin (Cebus capucinus)
26. Tufted Capuchin (Cebus apella)
27. Cotton-Headed Tamarin (Saguinus oedipus)
28. Coppery Titi Monkey (Callicebus cupreus)
29. Bolivian Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri boliviensis)
30. Guianan Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri sciureus)
31. Geoffroy’s Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)
32. Hamadryas Baboon(Papio hamadryas)

Birmingham Zoo (07/29/23)
33. Crowned Lemur (Eulemur coronatus)
34. De Brazza’s Monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus)

San Diego Zoo (08/06/23)
35. François’s Langur (Trachypithecus francoisi)
36. Wolf’s Monkey (Cercopithecus wolfi)
37. Spot-Nosed Monkey (Cercopithecus petaurista)
38. Allen’s Swamp Monkey (Allenopithecus nigroviridis)
39. Red-Tailed Monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius)
40. Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx)
41. Black Mangabey (Lophocebus aterrimus)
42. Silvery Lutung (Trachypithecus cristatus)
43. Gelada (Theropithecus gelada)
44. Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)
45. Collared Brown Lemur (Eulemur collaris)
46. Blue-Eyed Black Lemur (Eulemur flavifrons)

Total: 46 Species as of 9/26/2023
 
Not sure if it’s too late to join but here is my list for primates so far this year!

Hey Jonathan, welcome to the game :) you are more than welcome to join, but due to a deadline rule I have for late joins (explained in the opening post of this thread) I can only count your two most recent zoo visits and then all later visits going forward. So your starting list will be whatever primates you saw at San Diego Zoo, and then either Birmingham or your most recent Cincinnati visit (whichever was more recent).

I'll let you rewrite your list accordingly, as I'm guessing a few of the primates you listed from earlier zoos you also saw on your two most recent visits (ex. San Diego) and can therefore still count.

Let me know if any of that doesn't make sense and I'll try my best to clarify!
 
Hey Jonathan, welcome to the game :) you are more than welcome to join, but due to a deadline rule I have for late joins (explained in the opening post of this thread) I can only count your two most recent zoo visits and then all later visits going forward. So your starting list will be whatever primates you saw at San Diego Zoo, and then either Birmingham or your most recent Cincinnati visit (whichever was more recent).

I'll let you rewrite your list accordingly, as I'm guessing a few of the primates you listed from earlier zoos you also saw on your two most recent visits (ex. San Diego) and can therefore still count.

Let me know if any of that doesn't make sense and I'll try my best to clarify!
That makes perfect sense thank you! My two most recent visits would be San Diego Zoo and Cincinnati so I will be counting those two!
 
I forgot to update this thread yesterday. An eventful trip has come to a close. Nine visits to eight zoos over six days. Queens Zoo did not have any primates, unfortunately, however Staten Island Zoo did yield me one new species.

Staten Island Zoo:
33. Bearded Emperor Tamarin
Toronto Zoo:
34. Sumatran Orangutan
35. White-Handed Gibbon
36. Olive Baboon
 
I was going to wait to join because I wanted to do primates, but unfortunately (Due to a 7+ hour layover) I was unable to visit the SF zoo, which would've given me a nice start. I'll do lizards for now, until I visit two places with primates, then I'll probably switch over.

California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, 2/4/2023
1. Turquoise dwarf gecko (Lygodactylus williamsi)
2. Allison’s anole (Anolis allisoni)
3. Southeastern girdled lizard (Zonosaurus maximus)
4. Common flat-tail gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus)
5. Madagascar day gecko (Phelsuma grandis)
6. Mexican beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum)​
Apologies, I've not been good about updating this...
Aikman Wildlife Adventure, Jun 4, 2023
7. Rhinoceros Iguana (Cyclura cornuta)
8. Red-eyed Crocodile Skink (Tribolonotus gracilis)
9. Central Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)
10. Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)

Miller Park Zoo, July 18, 2023

11. Mossy Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus sikorae)
12. Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)
13. Crested Gecko (Correlophus ciliatus)
14. New Caledonia Giant Gecko (Rhacodactylus leachianus)

Shedd Aquarium, July 29, 2023
15. Spiny headed tree lizard (Plica plica)
16. Ambon sailfin dragon (Hydrosaurus amboinensis)
17. Chinese Crocodile Lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus)

Henry Vilas Zoo, Aug 11, 2023
18. Henkel’s leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus henkeli)

Pretty small number but it was too late to switch over to primates :oops:
 
1/3/23
Jax Zoo
1. Bonobo (Pan paniscus)
2. W. Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)
3. E. Colobus (Colobus guereza)
4. Coquerals Sifaka (Propithecus coquereli)
5. Ringtail Lemur (Lemur catta)
6. Mongoose Lemur (Eulemur mongoz)
7. Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus)
8. Black Howler (Alouatta caraya)
9. Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri sciureus)

1/4/23
Busch Gardens
10. Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
11. Red Ruffed Lemur (Varecia rubra)
12. Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
13. N. White Cheek Gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys)

FL International Teaching Zoo
14. Cotton Top Tamarin (Saguinus oedipus)
15. Patas Monkey (Erythrocebus patas)

1/5/23
Lowry Park Zoo of Tampa (whatever it's called now a days)
16. Hamadryas Baboon (Papio hamadryas)
17. Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx)
18. Angolan Colobus (Colobus angolensis)
19. Collard Lemur (Eulemur collaris)
20. Schmidts Guenon (Cercopithecus ascanius)
21. Golden Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia)
22. Bolivian Titi (Plecturocebus donacophilus)

1/8/23
Suncoast Primate Sanctuary
23. Olive Baboon (Papio anubis)
24. White Face Capuchin (Cebus capucinus)
25. Tufted Capuchin (Sapajus apella)
26. Black Handed Spider Monkey ((Ateles geoffroyi)
27. Common Brown Lemur (Eulemur fulvus)
28. Tonkean Macaque (Macaca tonkeana)
29. Assam Macaque (Macaca assamensis)
30. Javan (Crab eater) Macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
31. Pig Tail Macaque (Macaca nemestrina)
32. Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta)
33. Japanese Macaque (Macaca fuscata)

3/5/23
Zoo Atlanta
34. Drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus)
35. Crowned Lemur (Eulemur coronatus)

7/14/23
Beardsley Zoo
36. Callimico (Callimico goeldii)

Bronx Zoo
37. Gelada (Theropithecus gelada)
38. Silver Leaf Monkey (Trachypithecus cristatus)
39. Javan Languar (Trachypithecus auratus)
40. Grey Mouse Lemur (Microcebus murinus)
41. Moholi Galago (Galago Moholi)
42. Pygmy Marmoset (Callithrix pygmaea)

7/15/23
Metro Richmond Zoo
43. Black Crested Managbey (Lophocebus aterrimus)
44. Colombian Black Spider Monkey (Ateles fusciceps robustus)
45. Coppery Titi Monkey (Plecturocebus cupreus)
46. Owl Monkey (Aotus trivirgatus)
47. Allen's Swamp Monkey (Allenopithecus nigroviridis)
48. Sulawesi Crested Macaque (Macaca nigra)
49. Debrazza Monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus)
50. Diana Monkey (Cercopithecus diana)
51. Lesser Spot Nosed Monkey (Cercopithecus petaurista)

8/20/23
Southwicks Zoo
52. White Handed Gibbon (Hylobates lar)
53. BW Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata)
54. Common Marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)
55. Wolf's Guenon (Cercopithecus wolfi)
56. Grivet Monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops)

10/3/23
Audubon Zoo
57. Nancy Ma Owl Monkey (Aotus nancymaae)

Alexandria Zoo
58. Weids Marmoset (Callithrix kuhlii)

10/5/23
El Paso Zoo
59. Geofferys Marmset (Callithrix geoffroyi)
60. Lion Tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus)

10/7/23
San Diego Zoo
61. Blue eyed Back Lemur (Eulemur flavifrons)
62. Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)
63. Francois Languar (Trachypithecus francoisi)

10/8/23 aka Gibbon Day (lol)
Gibbon Conservation Center
64. E. Hoolock (Hoolock leuconedys)
65. Pileated (Hylobates pileatus)
66. Javan (Hylobates moloch)

San Diego WAP
67. Buff Cheeked (Nomascus gabriellae)

10/9/23
Wildlife World Zoo
68. Red Handed Tamarin (Saguinus midas)
69. Golden Headed Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas)
70. Geofferys Tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi
71. Thick Tailed Galago (Otolemur crassicaudatus)

10/10/23
Denver Zoo
72. White headed Lemur (Eulemur albifrons)
73. Red Capped Managbey (Cercocebus torquatus)

10/12/23
KC Zoo
74. Mona Monkey (Cercopithecus mona)
75. Stuhlmans Blue Monkey (Cercopithecus mitis)
76. Guinea Baboon (Papio papio)
 
Dang, I wish I saw that post. That was the only reason I visited SDZ. Thanks!
 
I jumped the gun and posted my update before I finished my visit :p Much to my surprise, there are two additional new lizard species on display in the tanks under the elephant pathway in Elephant Odyssey!

San Diego Zoo (San Diego, CA) — 05 September 2023:
126. Bromeliad alligator lizard (Abronia taeniata)
127. Martin Del Campo’s arboreal alligator lizard (Abronia martindelcampoi)
Due to the uncertainty as to whether or not the spiny lizards in the Arroyo Lagarto exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo were wild or actually a part of the collection, I have gone ahead and removed them from my count. The following update reflects this:

The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens (Palm Desert, CA) -- 22 October 2023:
127. Black-and-white tegu (Salvator merianae)
128. Coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum)
129. Great Basin collared lizard (Crotaphytus bicintores)
130. Long-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia wislizenii)
 
Probably my last additions of the year, unless I do a return visit to somewhere nearby and they happen to have something new. Like Kudu I will be removing the Yarrow's Spiny Lizard I counted from Los Angeles Zoo, putting me at 40.

Fresno Chaffee Zoo / Nov 3

41. Biak Tree Monitor (Varanus kordensis)
42. Chinese Crocodile Lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus)
43. Baja Blue Rock Lizard (Petrosaurus thalassinus)

Unfortunately they don't have Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizards on display in the Reptile House anymore, which was the one I wanted to see. They will be on display in the new Conservation Center once it opens, which should be soon (in the next couple months if it's still on schedule).
 
Trevor Zoo 9.3
40) Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata)
Smithsonian’s National Zoo 10.22
41) Emperor Tamarin (Saguinus imperator)

Disney’s Animal Kingdom 11.9
42) Collared Brown Lemur (Eulemur collaris)
43) Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus)
 
I know I'm a super late entrant, and I know there were rules laid out about only counting my two most recent visits, so I don't particularly care about being included in the rankings - don't even feel compelled to tally me up. I'm just curious about how well I actually would've done if I'd been tracking these all along. I put it off thinking I wouldn't have very impressive numbers compared to most, but now I think I might have surprised myself. As for primates vs. lizards, there was never any doubt which I'd have opted for. That said, if you do feel inclined to include my list for completeness's sake or whatever, Knoxville and Greenville would be my two most recent visits.

Riverbanks Zoo, many visits
1. Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)
2. Hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas)
3. Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus)
4. Golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia)
5. White-faced saki (Pithecia pithecia)
6. Common squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus)
7. Bolivian gray titi (Plecturocebus donacophilus)
8. Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta)
9. Red ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra)

Greenville Zoo, many visits
10. Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
11. Schmidt's guenon (Cercopithecus ascanius)
12. Black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata)
13. Angola colobus (Colobus angolensis)
14. Geoffroy's spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)

Brights Zoo, 5/27/23
15. Lar gibbon (Hylobates lar)
16. De Brazza's monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus)
17. Golden-headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas)
18. Golden-handed tamarin (Saguinus midas)
19. Cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus)
20. Tufted capuchin (Sapajus apella)
21. Red-faced spider monkey (Ateles paniscus)
22. White-fronted capuchin (Cebus albifrons)
23. Azara's night monkey (Aotus azarae)

Jacksonville Zoo, 9/16/23
25. Bonobo (Pan paniscus)
26. Mantled guereza (Colobus guereza)

Brevard Zoo, 9/18/23
26. Colombian white-faced capuchin (Cebus capucinus)

Zoo Tampa, 9/21/23
27. Patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas)
28. Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx)

Disney's Animal Kingdom, 9/22/23
29. Lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus)

Zoo Atlanta, 10/1/23
30. Drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus)
31. Wolf's guenon (Cercopithecus wolfi)
32. Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii)

Zoo Knoxville, 11/25/23
33. Silvery lutung (Trachypithecus cristatus)
34. Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)

Brights in particular was a bit of a mess. They have colobuses, which USDA (not the most reliable narrator, I'm aware) lists as Angolan but for some reason I left the facility quite certain they were mantled guereza. Thankfully I saw both species elsewhere, so that's ultimately a non-issue. The zoo's signage also didn't indicate a common name species for its white-fronted capuchin and "owl monkey", but it did list the two scientific names I've indicated, which are corroborated (to whatever extent it counts, I realize they likely all just chained off of each other) by USDA and the Gibbons, Geladas, and Guenons Galore thread so I'm comfortable enough including them.

Additionally, if I actually had been listing these as I went along, there's a good chance I could've included the fairly rare Diana monkey that Riverbanks kept prior to their last one's death in March-ish. I just can't find proof I actually visited the zoo in January or February of this year. Whoops! I probably also would've put additional effort into catching Disney's white-cheeked gibbons and collared brown lemurs. So it goes.

So all in all, 34 unique species, which is all but guaranteed to be my final count. Far from a game winning amount (which, again, I didn't even start logging in time to properly participate so lol), but still much higher than I would've expected.
 
Back
Top