Mammalian Carnivores of the Americas in North American Zoos

Van Beal

Well-Known Member
Long title, I know. But I’m curious about what kind of carnivore mammals from North, Central, and South America are held in North American zoos.
 
Long title, I know. But I’m curious about what kind of carnivore mammals from North, Central, and South America are held in North American zoos.
How are we defining North America, here? North of the canal? There are some species, such as margay and jaguarundi, that I've seen in Central American facilities. So, just the low-hanging fruit here, omitting some rarities, like Wildlife World's grison:

Jaguar
Puma
Ocelot
Bobcat
Canada Lynx

American Black Bear
Brown Bear
Polar Bear

White-Nosed Coati
Brown Coati
Raccoon
Kinkajou
Ringtail

Grey Wolf
Red Wolf
Coyote
Grey Fox
Island Fox
Red Fox
Swift Fox
Kit Fox
Arctic Fox
Maned Wolf
Bush Dog

North American River Otter
Sea Otter
Giant Otter
Wolverine
American Badger
American Marten
Black-Footed Ferret
Fisher
American Mink
Tayra

Gray Seal
Harbor Seal
Walrus
Northern Fur Seal
California Sea Lion
Steller's Sea Lion

Striped Skunk
Eastern Spotted Skunk
Western Spotted Skunk
 
How are we defining North America, here? North of the canal? There are some species, such as margay and jaguarundi, that I've seen in Central American facilities. So, just the low-hanging fruit here, omitting some rarities, like Wildlife World's grison:

Jaguar
Puma
Ocelot
Bobcat
Canada Lynx

American Black Bear
Brown Bear
Polar Bear

White-Nosed Coati
Brown Coati
Raccoon
Kinkajou
Ringtail

Grey Wolf
Red Wolf
Coyote
Grey Fox
Island Fox
Red Fox
Swift Fox
Kit Fox
Arctic Fox
Maned Wolf
Bush Dog

North American River Otter
Sea Otter
Giant Otter
Wolverine
American Badger
American Marten
Black-Footed Ferret
Fisher
American Mink
Tayra

Gray Seal
Harbor Seal
Walrus
Northern Fur Seal
California Sea Lion
Steller's Sea Lion

Striped Skunk
Eastern Spotted Skunk
Western Spotted Skunk
Andean Bear.
 
I think that rarities should not be excluded, but rather highlighted on who has them compared to more common creatures:
Pacific elephant seal (Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium)
Grison (Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium, and Safari Park)
 
I think that rarities should not be excluded, but rather highlighted on who has them compared to more common creatures:
Pacific elephant seal (Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium)
Grison (Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium, and Safari Park)
Does anyone else hold Grison?
 
I think that rarities should not be excluded, but rather highlighted on who has them compared to more common creatures:
Pacific elephant seal (Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium)
Grison (Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium, and Safari Park)
They weren't being excluded on principal, as much as a remark that there were going to be one or two that I forgot about or was unaware of. I didn't put long-tailed weasel on the list, for example, though I'm sure there's a few of those floating around in nature centers or rehab facilities somewhere. The list is not comprehensive
 
They weren't being excluded on principal, as much as a remark that there were going to be one or two that I forgot about or was unaware of. I didn't put long-tailed weasel on the list, for example, though I'm sure there's a few of those floating around in nature centers or rehab facilities somewhere. The list is not comprehensive
Ah, that makes sense :)
 
This list of carnivores in the USA, Canada and Mexico was compiled from zooinstitutes.com

Jaguar, Pampas cat, Ocelot, Margay, Canada lynx, Bobcat, Puma
Wolf, Coyote, Red wolf, Maned wolf, Arctic fox, Red fox, Kit fox, Swift fox, Grey fox, Island grey fox
American black bear, Brown bear, Polar bear
Northern fur seal, Guadalupe fur seal, California sea lion
Walrus
Grey seal, Harbour seal, Northern elephant seal, Hawaiian monk seal
Striped skunk
American marten, Fisher, Tayra, Long-tailed weasel, Black-footed ferret, North American river otter, Giant otter, Sea otter, Wolverine, American badger
Ring-tailed cacomistle, Central American cacomistle, North American raccoon, White-nosed coati, Brown-nosed coati, Kinkajou
 
This list of carnivores in the USA, Canada and Mexico was compiled from zooinstitutes.com

Jaguar, Pampas cat, Ocelot, Margay, Canada lynx, Bobcat, Puma
Wolf, Coyote, Red wolf, Maned wolf, Arctic fox, Red fox, Kit fox, Swift fox, Grey fox, Island grey fox
American black bear, Brown bear, Polar bear
Northern fur seal, Guadalupe fur seal, California sea lion
Walrus
Grey seal, Harbour seal, Northern elephant seal, Hawaiian monk seal
Striped skunk
American marten, Fisher, Tayra, Long-tailed weasel, Black-footed ferret, North American river otter, Giant otter, Sea otter, Wolverine, American badger
Ring-tailed cacomistle, Central American cacomistle, North American raccoon, White-nosed coati, Brown-nosed coati, Kinkajou
Andean Bear is missing from this list, too.
 
That list is only USA, Canada, and Mexico, but largely is a repeat of the previous list.

The invasive population of Andean bears* in Colorado was removed a few years ago ;)






*kidding, there was never an invasive Andean bear population in the USA, obviously.
You’re telling me there’s Giant Otters in Florida* and Maned Wolves in Texas? They’re on that list.

*Wouldn’t be surprised if there was an invasive population of Giant Otters in Florida, tbh.
 
Andean Bear is missing from this list, too.
The website includes photos of animals taken in zoos around the world. It doesn't include all the zoos or all the species I hold. I have looked through collections of slides taken by various photographers. There are some species that feature several times with some slides almost identical to others. Other species aren't represented at all. There are also species that are not easy to photograph for various reasons.
 
Rarities in the US.

Crabeater Raccoon

Wellington Conservation Center (FL)
Aggieland Safari (TX)

Margay
Center For Animal Research & Education (TX)

Long-tailed Weasel
Orange County Zoo (CA) - might be gone?

South American Sea Lion
Formerly at Sarasota Sea Lion Preserve (FL), but facility closed down. Not sure where he went.

It's possible a non-releasable Least Weasel, Ermine, Hooded Skunk, and Hog-nosed Skunk are present in at least one less-known sanctuary somewhere in the country, but no idea of any at the moment that have them.
 
Back
Top