Zoochat Challenge North America 2023

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.

I don't mind throwing you in with those two included - that way you can have technically participated at least! With every new annual challenge I tag the participants from the previous year to see if they're interested in joining again, so this way you'll be included in that :)

Btw if you saw any primates you listed for other zoos at Knoxville (gorilla, Hamadryas baboon, lar gibbon - they also have Geoffroy's Marmoset I believe?) or Greenville (Siamang) I can add those to your two-zoo total also.

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.

Assuming Brights still has the same animals as in 2020, they would definitely be mantled guereza and not Angolan. Fortunately the two species are pretty easy to distinguish by their heads, with Angolan having long and wild head hair while Mantled looks more neat and groomed:

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Mantled (C. guereza) (pc @Rhino0118)

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Angolan (C. angolensis) (pc @Brayden Delashmutt)

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.

Owl Monkeys are a bit of a black box here all around. Had I thought about it I probably would have just had everyone combine them into one species like for the Chlorocebus monkeys, but AFAIK nobody has tried to count multiple owl monkeys yet.

21. Red-faced spider monkey (Ateles paniscus)

You wouldn't happen to have a picture of this one, would you? I just ask out of curiosity; I've seen one or two zoos label their spider monkeys as paniscus when the animals themselves don't match that visually.

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.

And just a reminder to you that I need a revised list before I can count yours, although I plan to once I have it :) I just need to know what all primates you saw at SDZ and during that previous Cincy trip (and any subsequent zoo visits, since that conversation we had was two months ago now). @biggest_dreamer Even though you said Greenville was many visits, I assume you saw all the primates there on your most recent visit - given how small the zoo is and the fact that 4 of the 6 are together in a row :p
 
Btw if you saw any primates you listed for other zoos at Knoxville (gorilla, Hamadryas baboon, lar gibbon - they also have Geoffroy's Marmoset I believe?) or Greenville (Siamang) I can add those to your two-zoo total also.
Oh, I didn't even think about that, good call. Correct on all counts, except for the marmoset - its area was completely blocked off by Christmas displays as far as I could tell. And yes, all 6 of Greenville's were observed during my last visit.

You wouldn't happen to have a picture of this one, would you? I just ask out of curiosity; I've seen one or two zoos label their spider monkeys as paniscus when the animals themselves don't match that visually.

I didn't take one myself, but I found a video that features them:
(starts at 18:30 if that timestamp doesn't work). They looked correct enough that I didn't question it, but I'd love to hear your thoughts.
 
I was able to sneak in one last visit to Riverbanks, which surprised me with their newly-added Geoffroy's marmosets (making up for not seeing them at Knoxville, funnily enough). That puts my final eligible list at 18:

Greenville Zoo, 11/24/23
1. Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
2. Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus)
3. Schmidt's guenon (Cercopithecus ascanius)
4. Black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata)
5. Angola colobus (Colobus angolensis)
6. Geoffroy's spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)

Zoo Knoxville, 11/25/23
7. Lar gibbon (Hylobates lar)
8. Silvery lutung (Trachypithecus cristatus)
9. Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)
10. Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
11. Hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas)

Riverbanks Zoo, 12/16/23
12. Golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia)
13. White-faced saki (Pithecia pithecia)
14. Common squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus)
15. Bolivian gray titi (Plecturocebus donacophilus)
16. Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta)
17. Red ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra)
18. Geoffroy's marmoset (Callithrix geoffroyi)

And my unofficial year-end total at 35.
 
Last reminder to everybody: if you haven't updated your score please do so ASAP. Also, anybody who sees eligible species between now and New Year's Eve: remember to include those updates ASAP after your visit. Scores will be tabulated and winners announced on New Year's Day.

The 2024 challenge will be posted on New Year's Eve, so a day before the 2023 challenge closes.
 
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:
I think I would've had a similar total if I went with primates. Here is my update for the last day of the year:

St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis MO, Dec 31
19. Jamaican Iguana (Cyclura collei)
20. Green tree monitor (Varanus prasinus)
21. Utila Island Iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri)
22. Gray’s Monitor (Varanus olivaceus)
23. Western Bearded Anole (Anolis barbatus)
24. Spiny-tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura hemilopha conspicuosa)
25. Banded Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum cinctum)
26. Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris)
27. Mexican Alligator Lizard (Abronia graminea)

Thanks for the fun challenge @Coelacanth18!
 
And 2023 has come to an end! Congratulations to our winners: @PSO for primates (final score of 75 species) and @Kudu21 for lizards (final score of 126 species).

This year we had 28 participants, a new record (beating last year by 1). 16 competitors for the primate competition saw a combined 91 species, with the winner seeing 82% of these (but somehow not White-faced Saki?). Meanwhile, 12 competitors for the lizard competition saw a combined 186 species, with the winner seeing roughly 2/3 of these. The most commonly seen lizard was Gila Monster, with 11 of 12 lizard competitors reporting it; the most commonly seen primates were Ring-tailed Lemur and Lowland Gorilla, with 13 of 16 competitors seeing each.

Here are the final tallies:

PRIMATES
PSO: 75
@ZooElephantsMan: 59
@SusScrofa: 54
@Leaf Productions: 49
@KiwiBirb: 43
@Neil chace: 41
@Corangurilla and Jonathan Petersson: 31 (@Jonathan Petersson your total might be higher; I meant to remind you that any primates you saw at San Diego that you counted from other zoos could still count towards your total - I'm guessing a small handful - but I accidentally quoted my own post instead of yours; sorry!)
@ifesbob: 29
@CleZooMan: 27
@TheGerenuk: 19
@biggest_dreamer: 18
@NSU42: 10
@Dhole dude: 8
@Dyl0526: 6
@pichu: 3

LIZARDS

And that's a wrap! Thank you all for participating in Zoochat Challenge North America 2023. For anyone who enjoyed the game and wants to play another round, the 2024 challenge is now up and running: Zoochat Challenge North America 2024
 
And 2023 has come to an end! Congratulations to our winners: @PSO for primates (final score of 75 species) and @Kudu21 for lizards (final score of 126 species).

This year we had 28 participants, a new record (beating last year by 1). 16 competitors for the primate competition saw a combined 91 species, with the winner seeing 82% of these (but somehow not White-faced Saki?). Meanwhile, 12 competitors for the lizard competition saw a combined 186 species, with the winner seeing roughly 2/3 of these. The most commonly seen lizard was Gila Monster, with 11 of 12 lizard competitors reporting it; the most commonly seen primates were Ring-tailed Lemur and Lowland Gorilla, with 13 of 16 competitors seeing each.

Here are the final tallies:

PRIMATES
PSO: 75
@ZooElephantsMan: 59
@SusScrofa: 54
@Leaf Productions: 49
@KiwiBirb: 43
@Neil chace: 41
@Corangurilla and Jonathan Petersson: 31 (@Jonathan Petersson your total might be higher; I meant to remind you that any primates you saw at San Diego that you counted from other zoos could still count towards your total - I'm guessing a small handful - but I accidentally quoted my own post instead of yours; sorry!)
@ifesbob: 29
@CleZooMan: 27
@TheGerenuk: 19
@biggest_dreamer: 18
@NSU42: 10
@Dhole dude: 8
@Dyl0526: 6
@pichu: 3

LIZARDS

And that's a wrap! Thank you all for participating in Zoochat Challenge North America 2023. For anyone who enjoyed the game and wants to play another round, the 2024 challenge is now up and running: Zoochat Challenge North America 2024
Thanks for the great challenge! While I chose primates since it's the group I am more interested in, out of curiosity I counted up the number of lizards seen and I would've ended up with sixty in that challenge! Either way, the two challenge format was really unique, and I'm excited to play again this year.
 
And 2023 has come to an end! Congratulations to our winners: @PSO for primates (final score of 75 species) and @Kudu21 for lizards (final score of 126 species).

This year we had 28 participants, a new record (beating last year by 1). 16 competitors for the primate competition saw a combined 91 species, with the winner seeing 82% of these (but somehow not White-faced Saki?). Meanwhile, 12 competitors for the lizard competition saw a combined 186 species, with the winner seeing roughly 2/3 of these. The most commonly seen lizard was Gila Monster, with 11 of 12 lizard competitors reporting it; the most commonly seen primates were Ring-tailed Lemur and Lowland Gorilla, with 13 of 16 competitors seeing each.

Here are the final tallies:

PRIMATES
PSO: 75
@ZooElephantsMan: 59
@SusScrofa: 54
@Leaf Productions: 49
@KiwiBirb: 43
@Neil chace: 41
@Corangurilla and Jonathan Petersson: 31 (@Jonathan Petersson your total might be higher; I meant to remind you that any primates you saw at San Diego that you counted from other zoos could still count towards your total - I'm guessing a small handful - but I accidentally quoted my own post instead of yours; sorry!)
@ifesbob: 29
@CleZooMan: 27
@TheGerenuk: 19
@biggest_dreamer: 18
@NSU42: 10
@Dhole dude: 8
@Dyl0526: 6
@pichu: 3

LIZARDS

And that's a wrap! Thank you all for participating in Zoochat Challenge North America 2023. For anyone who enjoyed the game and wants to play another round, the 2024 challenge is now up and running: Zoochat Challenge North America 2024

Not that it really matters, but you seem to have missed my update from The Living Desert, which had me finishing with an even 130 species :p

That said, thank you again, @Coelacanth18, for another fun and engaging challenge! This challenge really encouraged me to spend more time appreciating two animal groups that I previously did not pay very much attention to. For fun, I also kept track of primates, for which I finished with 58 species. Here's to 2023, and I am very much looking forward to participating in the new challenge in the new year!
 
And 2023 has come to an end! Congratulations to our winners: @PSO for primates (final score of 75 species) and @Kudu21 for lizards (final score of 126 species).

This year we had 28 participants, a new record (beating last year by 1). 16 competitors for the primate competition saw a combined 91 species, with the winner seeing 82% of these (but somehow not White-faced Saki?). Meanwhile, 12 competitors for the lizard competition saw a combined 186 species, with the winner seeing roughly 2/3 of these. The most commonly seen lizard was Gila Monster, with 11 of 12 lizard competitors reporting it; the most commonly seen primates were Ring-tailed Lemur and Lowland Gorilla, with 13 of 16 competitors seeing each.

Here are the final tallies:

PRIMATES
PSO: 75
@ZooElephantsMan: 59
@SusScrofa: 54
@Leaf Productions: 49
@KiwiBirb: 43
@Neil chace: 41
@Corangurilla and Jonathan Petersson: 31 (@Jonathan Petersson your total might be higher; I meant to remind you that any primates you saw at San Diego that you counted from other zoos could still count towards your total - I'm guessing a small handful - but I accidentally quoted my own post instead of yours; sorry!)
@ifesbob: 29
@CleZooMan: 27
@TheGerenuk: 19
@biggest_dreamer: 18
@NSU42: 10
@Dhole dude: 8
@Dyl0526: 6
@pichu: 3

LIZARDS

And that's a wrap! Thank you all for participating in Zoochat Challenge North America 2023. For anyone who enjoyed the game and wants to play another round, the 2024 challenge is now up and running: Zoochat Challenge North America 2024

Thank you @Coelacanth18 for hosting the challenge! This was my first time participating, and I enjoyed the focus on primates which are some of my favorite animals. As a beginner, I didn’t expect to be too competitive, but I ended up finishing in second place which was a great joy.

With better luck I could’ve neared 70 sightings, although I don’t think I could’ve surpassed @PSO's total of 75 without greatly changing my travel plans. There were also two species I saw that didn't count because I saw them outside North America: the Red Howler Monkey and the Weeper Capuchin both seen this Saturday at Philip’s Animal Garden in Aruba. Despite not adding to my total, they were notable rarities.

I had a great time competing this year, and I am very much looking forward to participating in 2024!
 
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Not that it really matters, but you seem to have missed my update from The Living Desert, which had me finishing with an even 130 species :p

Oops, yeah I did miss that... and right above one of my own updates no less :confused:

Fortunately it didn't change the outcome :p
 
Thank you @Coelacanth18 for an excellent challenge. It helped mold which places I wanted to visit this year. Was hoping to surpass 80 but two facilities I wanted to visit (Cleveland and DWA) were just not feasible. Made me wonder if 100 was possible.

Also shout out to all the Lizard challengers. That takes dedication and I basically gave up on my personal list around 80. Kudos to @Kudu21

On to this year's challenge.....
 
Thank you @Coelacanth18 for an excellent challenge. It helped mold which places I wanted to visit this year. Was hoping to surpass 80 but two facilities I wanted to visit (Cleveland and DWA) were just not feasible. Made me wonder if 100 was possible.

Also shout out to all the Lizard challengers. That takes dedication and I basically gave up on my personal list around 80. Kudos to @Kudu21

On to this year's challenge.....
Unless there are primates out there I'm not aware of, I suspect the max possible is one short of 100, after looking across this thread, species lists for zoos known for large primate collections, and the primates in North America thread, unless I missed something then 99 is the max number I can figure out how to see. That's omitting fat-tailed dwarf lemurs at Duke, however, as that facility isn't eligible for this thread, so it'd certainly be possible to see 100 primates in a year, albeit very unlikely. In order to see 99 primates, the shortest path I found (I wouldn't be surprised if someone could find an easier way) would be to visit 28 distinct zoos:
  • Since it is known for a large primate collection, San Diego Zoo seemed like a logical starting point, bringing us up to a start at 26 species.
  • Being home to the only red howlers in the country, Dallas World Aquarium would be a must stop, netting another four species to 30 total.
  • Heading over to Zoo Atlanta, in order to see drills, another four species are added (total: 34)
  • Heading to Cleveland in order to see golden-bellied mangabeys and knock off some other rarities, thirteen more species are added to a total of 47.
  • Being one of the few holders of black-capped squirrel monkeys, heading to Buffalo Zoo knocks off that species plus the Japanese macaque to a total of 49.
  • The Gibbon Conservation Center is a logical specialist collection to hit, with four gibbon species bringing the total to 53.
  • Guinea baboons, mona monkeys, red-capped mangabeys, and blue monkeys are all rarities to be found at Kansas City Zoo, along with the chimpanzee makes five new additions and a total of 58.
  • Javan langurs, pygmy marmosets, and gray mouse lemurs makes a Bronx Zoo visit worth our while for a total of 61.
  • With Sulawesi macaques and a number of nocturnal primates (including the only slender lorises), five new species are added at Memphis Zoo, to a total of 66.
  • Crested capuchins and buff-cheeked gibbons make a visit to Los Angeles Zoo valuable, also adding the Geoffroy's spider monkey to a total of 69.
  • Spectacled langurs would be the only addition at Saint Louis Zoo (total: 70)
  • Nancy Ma's night monkey and golden-headed lion tamarin can be added at Buttonwood Park Zoo (total: 72)
  • As you visited this year, Suncoast Primate Sanctuary has a number of rare macaques, adding an additional seven species (total: 79)
  • Following what PSO saw this year, visits to Metro Richmond, Alexandria, Wildlife World, and Denver net another eight species to a total of 87.
  • The last facility I could figure out to net multiple species is adding the common marmoset and white-throated capuchin at Southwick's Zoo (total: 89)
  • Seven zoos can each net a species they are one of, if not the only, holder of: The Wild Animal Park (bearded saki), Jenkinson's Aquarium (brown-mantled tamarin), Tanganyika (red-faced spider monkey), San Fransisco Zoo (red-bellied lemur), Naples Zoo (red-fronted lemur), Catoctin (booted macaque), and Gladys Porter (black spider monkey). (total: 96)
  • At this point, leaving the US is essential. Canada has black lemurs at Killman Zoo and agile gibbons at Safari Niagara (total: 98)
  • Heading to Mexico, the native mantled howler can be found at Chapultapec Zoo. (total: 99)

I'd be curious if anyone can find something I missed to make an easy 100, or a possible way to hit 99 in less than 28 facilities! I was doing this rather quickly, so it wouldn't surprise me if I missed a primate or overlooked an easier route.
 
Duke, however, as that facility isn't eligible for this thread,

Hmm... I'm actually not sure whether I would have allowed Duke to count or not, which in retrospect was a bit of an oversight. It sort of straddles the line between "regularly scheduled public tours" (which is fine) and "limited opening" (which is not).

As a point of comparison, the Gibbon Conservation Center (which you took to be eligible) does one prebooked tour a day on Saturdays and Sundays year-round. Duke usually offers one prebooked tour a day Fri-Sun during the 5 warmer months, and then during the other months they offer a variable number of very last minute prebooked tours on Saturdays and Sundays.

As for your "28 zoo list", looks interesting. One important thing to note, though, is that Black Lemur and Agile Gibbon are still present in the US - the former is at Henson Robinson Zoo in Illinois, and the latter is at Omaha.
 
As a point of comparison, the Gibbon Conservation Center (which you took to be eligible) does one prebooked tour a day on Saturdays and Sundays year-round. Duke usually offers one prebooked tour a day Fri-Sun during the 5 warmer months, and then during the other months they offer a variable number of very last minute prebooked tours on Saturdays and Sundays.
I counted Gibbon Conservation Center since @PSO visited this year and counted it towards his total. Since it was never challenged, I took it to be an eligible facility. I want to say there was a past challenge where Duke was used as an example of an ineligible facility, but I could be misremembering and/or the rules have changed.
As for your "28 zoo list", looks interesting. One important thing to note, though, is that Black Lemur and Agile Gibbon are still present in the US - the former is at Henson Robinson Zoo in Illinois, and the latter is at Omaha.
I thought I read somewhere that Omaha's agile gibbons weren't displayed any more, and I did not know about the black lemur. So looks like Canada wouldn't be a necessary stop to reach 99, lol.

With agile gibbons moved to Omaha, the list can actually be reduced to 27 zoos, as then all three Bronx species would be duplicates: Javan langurs at Tanganyika, pygmy marmosets at Buttonwood Park, and the gray mouse lemurs at Omaha.
 
I counted Gibbon Conservation Center since @PSO visited this year and counted it towards his total. Since it was never challenged, I took it to be an eligible facility.

Yes, and to be clear I did consider the Gibbon Center to be eligible - I think I phrased it oddly because I thought you were using some kind of logic about tour availability to say Duke was ineligible but the GCC was, and I was comparing the two using what I thought your logic was.

I want to say there was a past challenge where Duke was used as an example of an ineligible facility, but I could be misremembering and/or the rules have changed.

Ah, I see. I think I found what you are referring to, and if so then you misremembered - @jayjds2 used it as an example in the rules for 2019 and 2020 as a tour-only facility that would count:

5. Any severely limited opening or private collections don't count for this challenge. While some may disagree with this rule, it disadvantages others who are unable to arrange visits to such collections during those times. Facilities that may only be visited by tours are acceptable as long as the tours are offered during a large portion of the year. An example of this is Duke Lemur Center.

Duke's website implies that general tours during the off-season is a newer development, so I'm not sure those would have been taken into account back then.
 
Yes, and to be clear I did consider the Gibbon Center to be eligible - I think I phrased it oddly because I thought you were using some kind of logic about tour availability to say Duke was ineligible but the GCC was, and I was comparing the two using what I thought your logic was.



Ah, I see. I think I found what you are referring to, and if so then you misremembered - @jayjds2 used it as an example in the rules for 2019 and 2020 as a tour-only facility that would count:



Duke's website implies that general tours during the off-season is a newer development, so I'm not sure those would have been taken into account back then.
In that case, with Duke counting and adding the fat-tailed dwarf lemur, 100 species could possibly be the maximum number possible! 27 would be the minimum zoo visits needed, since DLC should still have a red-fronted brown lemur (eliminating the need to go to Naples).
 
In that case, with Duke counting and adding the fat-tailed dwarf lemur, 100 species could possibly be the maximum number possible! 27 would be the minimum zoo visits needed, since DLC should still have a red-fronted brown lemur (eliminating the need to go to Naples).
I think 100 could be reached from your original selection because Gladys Porter is also the only US holder of Guatemalan howler monkey, but you only have them listed as gaining one species with the black spider monkey. Earlier in the year, you also could have done it in 27 zoos with DWA, as they still had red-backed bearded sakis (negating The Wild Animal Park) in the upper level of the former jaguar exhibit, but those appear to be gone now.
 
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I think 100 could be reached from your original selection because Gladys Porter is also the only US holder of Guatemalan howler monkey, but you only have them listed as gaining one species with the black spider monkey.

Is the howler still alive? I thought that individual died c.2019?

~Thylo
 
I think 100 could be reached from your original selection because Gladys Porter is also the only US holder of Guatemalan howler monkey, but you only have them listed as gaining one species with the black spider monkey.
Interesting, did not know that. I also just saw a species list for Chapultapec Zoo from last year including both weeper capuchins and white-lipped tamarins (when I only counted them for Mexican howlers), so long story short is a suppose there are multiple ways to reach 100 primates seen, and it'd require visiting somewhere between 25-28 zoos.
 
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