The Las Vegas Zoo - A Speculative Zoo Project

Palmers chipmunk is an endemic in the Springs Mountain range outside of Vegas.
They would need a cooler environment than an outdoor exhibit.
Or you could used round tailed ground squirrels as they are very day active
Are they found in AZA captivity?
 
Palmers chipmunk is an endemic in the Springs Mountain range outside of Vegas.
They would need a cooler environment than an outdoor exhibit.
Or you could used round tailed ground squirrels as they are very day active
what exhibit should it be in?
 
Let’s continue with the Las Vegas Zone.

There is an enclosure between the Las Vegas Citylife Building and the City of Lights Building. It’s 6,000 sq. m large with 2.7 m tall fencing, and 0.6 m deep barriers underground. This enclosure is home to a pair of 1.1 Coyote (Canis latrans mearnsi). Then, you walk toward the Las Vegas Citylife Building which is sponsored by New York, New York. There are two smaller enclosures on the left and a smaller enclosure to the right of the entrance. The enclosure on the right is netted, 9 m long, 5.25 m wide, and 5.25 m high. The inhabitants of this enclosure are a pair of free-flight 1.1 Common Raven (Corvus corax sinuatus). This enclosure is not viewable at night. The enclosure on the left that is closer to the entrance is mesh-topped, 2.5 m long, 1.8 m wide, and 1.8 m high. It’s home to 0.1 Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana). The far-left enclosure is mesh-topped, 3 m long, 2.5 m wide, 2.5 m tall, and 30 cm deep underground barriers. This enclosure houses 1.0 Raccoon (Procyon lotor excelsus).

When you walk into the building, there are several terrariums, and also lots of signs that are about animals adapting to cities. There is a tiny cove to the right of you that you have to go through a little curtain to get in. It’s 7.5 m long, 4.5 m wide, and 4.5 m high. It has a colony of 7.13 Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus).

The next animals are in terrariums starting with the right of the bats to the right side of the room. The first of these terrariums is 120 cm long, 60 cm wide, and 75 cm high. The inhabitants of this enclosure are a mischief of 3.3 Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus). The next terrarium is 30 cm long, 30 cm wide, and 30 cm tall. It has a single 0.1 Western Black Widow (Latrodectus hesperus). After that, there is a terrarium that is 120 cm long, 60 cm wide, and 52.5 cm tall. It’s home to 1.0 Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer deserticola). The enclosure following the snake’s, is 30 cm long, 30 cm wide, and 22.5 cm tall. The inhabitant is 0.1 Stripe-Tailed Scorpion (Paravaejovis spinigerus). The final terrarium is 60 cm long, 30 cm side, and 37.5 cm tall. It has 0.1 Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis longipes). As you exit the building, there are 3 things you can do. You can go on the left side of the pathway to see the Aquatic Building, you can go straight down the path to the Australian Zone or you can stay on the right side of the pathway which has a little intersection which goes to the Land of the Pharaohs exhibit in Africa Zone.

Before you choose what pathway to go on, I added a new exhibit. It’s called the Locals and is sponsored by Station Casinos ( credit to @Daktark JG). It’s a building that is on the left side of the pathway after the flamingos but before the aquatic building.

There is a netted aviary to the left of the entrance that is 1.8 m long, 1.2 m wide, and 1.8 m high. It’s home to a breeding pair of 1.1 Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides). When you walk into the building, there are 6 enclosures varying from size. I will go left to right for the enclosures. The first enclosure is 90 cm long, 45 cm wide, and 52.5 cm tall. It houses 1.0 Desert Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus bicinctores). The next enclosure is 60 cm long, 30 cm wide, and 30 cm tall. It’s home to 0.1 Amargosa Toad (Anaxyrus nelsoni). After that, there is a 600 gallon tank home to 0.3 Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus henshawi) and 3.3 Mountain Whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni). The enclosure next to it is 90 cm long, 45 cm wide, and 37.5 cm tall. It’s home to a breeding pair of 1.1 Relict Leopard Frog (Lithobates onca). The enclosure after the frog’s is 90 cm long, 45 cm wide, and 45 cm tall. The inhabitant is 0.1 Ord’s Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ordii). The final terrarium is 120 cm long, 60 cm wide, 60 cm tall, and has 1.0 Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus).

Now let’s get back to your choices. You can go on the left side of the pathway to see the Aquatic Building, you can go straight down the path to the Australian Zone or you can stay on the right side of the pathway which has a little intersection which goes to the Land of the Pharaohs exhibit in Africa Zone. Where do you go?


Current Species Count
Mammal: 8
Bird: 9
Reptile: 4
Amphibian: 2
Fish: 3
Invertebrate: 5
Total: 31
I’m adding a new enclosure to the right of the Locals entrance. It’s 2.4 m long, 1.8 m wide, 1.2 m high, mesh-topped, with 30 cm deep underground barriers. It’s home to 3.3 Round-Tailed Ground Squirrel (Xerospermophilus tereticaudus).
Current Species Count
Mammal: 9
Bird: 10
Reptile: 4
Amphibian: 2
Fish: 3
Invertebrate: 5
Total: 33
 
Nile crocodile, Egyptian tortoise, slender horned gazelle, Egyptian vulture, sacred ibis
Egyptian goose
Maybe a flyway exhibit education how its a major spot for European birds migrating to Africa:
white stork ducks etc
 
Before I talk about the Land of the Pharaohs, I will explain the Horn of Africa which is the first exhibit on the African pathway. The first enclosure to your right is 15 m long, 12 m wide, and has 4 m tall barriers. The inhabitants are 1.1 Black-Necked Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis johnstoni), and Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus somalicus). The next enclosure is 61 m long, 45 m wide, and 2.4 m tall. It’s home to 1.1 Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, 1.3 Lesser Kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis imberbis), 1.4 Soemmerring's Gazelle (Nanger soemmerringii), and 1.4 Speke’s Gazelle (Gazella spekei). After that, there is a cave. There are terrariums incorporated on the rockwork of the walls and there is also at the end of the cave, a large viewing window. There is a terrarium on the left side of the wall. The one is 1.2 m long, 0.6 m wide, 0.6 m h, and is home to 1.0 Ethiopia Viper (Bitis parviocula). The large terrarium on the right side of the cave shows various tunnels with interconnected chambers (60 cm long, 45 cm side, and 30 cm high) and tunnels home to 2.1.27 Naked Mole Rat (Heterocephalus glaber). The large viewing window on the left side of the cave looks into a 21 m long, 15 m wide, and 6 m barrier which is also viewable outside of the cave past the exit. It’s home to 1.5 Hamadryas Baboon (Papio hamadryas). The baboons and the following enclosure are part of the transition zone between the Horn of Africa and the Land of the Pharaohs exhibits. Baboons were thought to be a symbol of the god Thoth, and were sometimes pets of royals. The other enclosure in the transition zone is 45 m long, 30 m wide, and 3.9 m high fencing. It’s home to a clan of 2.3 Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) which were sometimes represented as a form of the god Set. I will finish the land of the pharaohs exhibit later today.

Current Species Count
Mammal: 17
Bird: 11
Reptile: 5
Amphibian: 2
Fish: 3
Invertebrate: 5
Total: 43
 
Nile crocodile, Egyptian tortoise, slender horned gazelle, Egyptian vulture, sacred ibis
Egyptian goose
Maybe a flyway exhibit education how its a major spot for European birds migrating to Africa:
white stork ducks etc
Addax, scimitar oryx, or aoudad, unless you're planning a Sahara zone.
 
Speke's are notoriously hard to mix and I especially think so with a reasonably similar sized
Soemmerring's unless its a very large paddock (and even so). Methinks the lesser kudu would be Ok with either or but not both-with decent sized yard..
 
Before I talk about the Land of the Pharaohs, I will explain the Horn of Africa which is the first exhibit on the African pathway. The first enclosure to your right is 15 m long, 12 m wide, and has 4 m tall barriers. The inhabitants are 1.1 Black-Necked Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis johnstoni), and Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus somalicus). The next enclosure is 61 m long, 45 m wide, and 2.4 m tall. It’s home to 1.1 Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, 1.3 Lesser Kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis imberbis), 1.4 Soemmerring's Gazelle (Nanger soemmerringii), and 1.4 Speke’s Gazelle (Gazella spekei). After that, there is a cave. There are terrariums incorporated on the rockwork of the walls and there is also at the end of the cave, a large viewing window. There is a terrarium on the left side of the wall. The one is 1.2 m long, 0.6 m wide, 0.6 m h, and is home to 1.0 Ethiopia Viper (Bitis parviocula). The large terrarium on the right side of the cave shows various tunnels with interconnected chambers (60 cm long, 45 cm side, and 30 cm high) and tunnels home to 2.1.27 Naked Mole Rat (Heterocephalus glaber). The large viewing window on the left side of the cave looks into a 21 m long, 15 m wide, and 6 m barrier which is also viewable outside of the cave past the exit. It’s home to 1.5 Hamadryas Baboon (Papio hamadryas). The baboons and the following enclosure are part of the transition zone between the Horn of Africa and the Land of the Pharaohs exhibits. Baboons were thought to be a symbol of the god Thoth, and were sometimes pets of royals. The other enclosure in the transition zone is 45 m long, 30 m wide, and 3.9 m high fencing. It’s home to a clan of 2.3 Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) which were sometimes represented as a form of the god Set. I will finish the land of the pharaohs exhibit later today.

Current Species Count
Mammal: 17
Bird: 11
Reptile: 5
Amphibian: 2
Fish: 3
Invertebrate: 5
Total: 43
The lesser kudu, Speke’s gazelle, Abyssinian ground hornbill and Soemerring’s gazelle enclosure has been changed to 9000 sq. m. with only pinioned 1.1 Abyssinian Ground Hornbill and 1.3 Lesser Kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis imberbis)

Current Species Count
Mammal: 15
Bird: 11
Reptile: 5
Amphibian: 2
Fish: 3
Invertebrate: 5
Total: 41
 
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Now, you are in the Land of the Pharaohs area which has an entrance to the Las Vegas Zone. The Land of the Pharaohs is sponsored by Luxor, and consists of a pyramid building with adjacent exhibits. Before you walk in the pyramid, there is a narrower pathway leading to the entrance with exhibits on both sides. On the left side, there is an aviary, then 2 other enclosures. On the right side, there are 2 aviaries, then another enclosure. The aviary on the left side is mesh-topped, 740 sq. m. large with 4.5 m high fencing, and is home to 1.1 Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca), 4.4 Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita), and 4.4 Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus). These birds were found/are found in Egypt, and the Nile River Delta. Geese were associated with the earth god Geb, while ibis were associated with Thoth. At nighttime, this enclosure is covered with a tarplike thing. The next enclosure on the left side is mesh-topped, 420 sq. m. large, and 3.75 m fencing, with 1.0 Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus niloticus). Crocodiles were revered, feared and thought to be a symbol of the god Sobek. The final enclosure on the left side is 4 m long, and 2.5 m wide, with 2 m tall fencing, housing 1.0 Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus), a species commonly found in the Nile banks. At nighttime this enclosure is covered with a tarplike thing. On the right side of the path, the first enclosure is a netted aviary, and 120 sq. m large, with 5 m high fencing home to free-flight 1.1 Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) which was thought to be the symbol of the goddess Nekhbet. At nighttime, this enclosure is covered with a tarp-like thing. The next enclosure is 60 sq. m large with 3 m high fencing, and is home to 0.1 African Wildcat (Felis lybica lybica) as cats were sacred and the symbol of the goddess Bast. The final enclosure on the right is netted, and 24 sq. m large, with 4 m high fencing, home to 1.0 Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus). At nighttime, this aviary is covered with tarp-like thing.


As you walk into the pyramid, you first walk into an education centre with various information about the Ancient Egyptians, Egyptian Mythology, and the Nile River. Then at the end of the hallway, you can go either left if it’s daytime or right if it’s nighttime. If it’s a different time of day, a section is closed off. If you take a sharp left, there is a hallway with 4 terrariums which lead to an exit. The first terrarium is 60 cm long, 30 cm wide, 30 cm tall, and houses 0.0.3 Sacred Scarab (Scarabaeus sacer) which was a symbol of the god Khepri. The next terrarium is a large terrarium/aquarium that is 4.5 m long, 3 m wide, 1.4 m tall, and 950 gallons housing 1.0 Nile Softshell Turtle (Trionyx triunguis), a species commonly found in the Nile River. The third terrarium is 1 m long, 0.75 m wide, and 1 m tall housing 0.0.40 Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria), an animal found in myths as plagues. The final daytime terrarium is 1 m long, 0.5 m wide, and 0.4 m tall housing 0.1 Egyptian Tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni) which are a species commonly found in Egypt now. Then the exit leads to the next exhibits in the Africa sector but I will explain them later. If you took a sharp right in the education centre, you will be in the nighttime hallway with 4 terrariums, and one enclosure. The first terrarium is 2.5 m long, 1.2 m wide, and 1.2 m tall housing 1.0 Egyptian Cobra (Naja haje), which were often a symbol of the goddess Wadjet. The second terrarium is 90 cm long, 45 cm wide, and 45 cm tall. It’s home to 1.3 Cairo Spiny Mouse (Acomys cahirinus), a species found in Egypt’s deserts. The next terrarium is 30 cm long, 20 cm wide, and 20 cm tall. The inhabitant is 0.1 Deathstalker (Leiurus quinquestriatus) as scorpions were the symbol of the goddess Serket. The last terrarium is 40 cm long, 30 cm wide, 30 cm tall, and home to 0.0.1 Megarian Banded Centipede (Scolopendra cingulata) because centipedes were the symbol of Sepa, an afterlife deity. The final enclosure is a cove similar to the enclosure of Big Brown Bats in the Las Vegas Citylife exhibits. It’s 8 m long, 4 m wide, 3.5 m tall, and home to a colony of 3.12 Egyptian Fruit Bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) which are commonly found in Egypt at nighttime. Then there is the exit which like the daytime gallery, leads to the rest of the exhibits in the African Sector. Sometime later this week, I will post descriptions on the Inside Africa Building, Madagascar Spiny Forest, and the Kalahari-Namib Desert exhibits. Before I post them, feel free to suggest species, give feedback, identify any missing species or implausible species, etc.

Current Species Count
Mammal: 18
Bird: 16
Reptile: 10
Amphibian: 2
Fish: 3
Invertebrate: 9
Total: 58
 
why not have pairs of many of these critters instead of just a male or a female?
especially rares like the Egyptian tortoise and nile softshell
 
why not have pairs of many of these critters instead of just a male or a female?
especially rares like the Egyptian tortoise and nile softshell
Some of these animals are solitary/aggressive. I also had to take in mind space constraints (because they’re indoors).
 
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