I suspect the walruses would try to eat the penguins
Mixed species enclosures with marine mammals?
- Thread starter equidae
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I found this website that seems to disagree: Do Walruses Eat Penguins? What Is The Real Diet Of Walruses? – Ocean Action Hub - and I think it would make sense
Walruses don't eat penguins in the wild because they don't live in the same place.
In an enclosure, walruses would almost certainly eat the penguins.
I am well aware that walruses would never encounter penguins in their natural habitat but still believe that, if mixed in captivity, the walruses would eat the penguins.
Moreover emperor penguins are so rarely kept in zoological collections, if anywhere were to acquire the species, it is unlikely they would risk keeping them with potential predators.
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BlobfishBoy
Well-Known Member
Aquatica Orlando keeps its Commerson's dolphins with leopard sharks and other fish species (I don't believe a species list exists, especially since it's mainly a water park and not an aquarium).
Walruses will occasionally prey on smaller pinnipeds as well as seabirds, so I don’t doubt they would see penguins as prey.
Gully Shark, Leopard Shark, and Grey smooth hound.
cornu aspersum
Well-Known Member
Fota Wildlife Park mixes their grey and harbour seals with a white tailed sea eagle, with the eagle having access to both the seal enclosure and a separate aviary.
Panda_Fan
Well-Known Member
In your list it says that belga and walrus have been combined before, which is bit surprising. It doesn't say where and what happened to the mix, so if anyone knows something, I thank you in advance.
Very late response but one example I'm aware of was walrus Potap at the Yaroslavl Dolphinarium, who would occasionally have free access to the beluga whales and would actively interact with them. Other facilities like the defunct Saint Petersburg Dolphinarium and currently Delfiniya have structured interactions between the species but, as far as I'm aware, I don't believe there's any free and unrestricted access between training and performing. Moscow Zoo's new Pinnipeds habitat was designed to house walruses and belugas together, but they never received the belugas. Walruses have also been housed with supervised access to bottlenose dolphins fairly commonly
The Seas with Nemo & Friends combines dolphins with fish in their main tank. The set up was described in the thread Giant fish tanks of the world on here, but here is the relevant quotes:
CMTM
Well-Known Member
While smaller fishes occasionally did get through the divider, this was more of an exception to the rule and not intended as a feature of the exhibit.
Regardless, the dolphins left Epcot back in October and the park is ending their dolphin program.
What species of penguin were mixed in this combination?
Wanderer
Well-Known Member
Several species I think, not sure which ones exactly.
Local_Shark
Well-Known Member
The main example I can think of here is the Aquarium of the Pacific exhibiting southern sea otters with yellowtail amberjacks/kingfish. The yellowtail are now very large after basically growing up in the tank, and it's become something of a cool semi-pelagic exhibit thanks to the presence of their large school alongside the otters.
Randomname0183
Well-Known Member
I believe Duisburg kept their Orinocco dolphin with fish on occasion which he would occasionally eat as a form of enrichment, but there are probably a fair few zoochatters who can confirm this more reliably than me.
Currently, I think Seaworld Orlando keeps its two recent common dolphin rescues with bottlenose dolphins, I recall that there's an aquarium in Japan with a similar situation at the most in the last few years.
While it has been 20? years since their last individual's passing, I think Nuremberg kept a Sotalia dolphins with their bottleonses, and Acuario Rodadero in Colombia has a similar setup.
Currently, I think Seaworld Orlando keeps its two recent common dolphin rescues with bottlenose dolphins, I recall that there's an aquarium in Japan with a similar situation at the most in the last few years.
While it has been 20? years since their last individual's passing, I think Nuremberg kept a Sotalia dolphins with their bottleonses, and Acuario Rodadero in Colombia has a similar setup.
Local_Shark
Well-Known Member
You're correct, it's SW San Diego and the two new fellows are both Eastern Pacific long-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis bairdii) named Cardiff and Chance. They live in the main Dolphin Stadium tanks with bottlenose dolphins, short-finned pilot whales, and a bottlenose-common hybrid (Bullet, F).
Perhaps not the most shocking combination, but SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium keeps their Dugong Dugong dugon with Ocellated Eagle Rays Aetobatis narinari, Barramundi Lates calcarifer and a variety of north Australian reef fishes (including but not limited to Acanthochromis polyacanthus, Caesio cuning, Platax orbicularis, Lutjanus sebae, Plectorhinchus chaetodontides, Paracanthurus hepatus, Ebibulus insidiator, Microcanthus joyceae and Pomacanthus imperator)