Jealous face being pulled at that one! Typhlonectes natans and T. compressicauda comprise my entire caecilian life list. While we're on amphibians, I'm very much liking the Anderson's Salamanders in the aquarium at Chester now (Ambystoma andersoni).
Escape from the ABCs
- Thread starter Maguari
- Start date
Jealous face being pulled at that one! Typhlonectes natans and T. compressicauda comprise my entire caecilian life list. While we're on amphibians, I'm very much liking the Anderson's Salamanders in the aquarium at Chester now (Ambystoma andersoni).
Odd, isn't it? As you say, potoroos are pretty common in the UK now. It's also odd because you used to see bettongs quite a bit, then they seemed to disappear pretty quickly and were replaced by the potoroos, which seem to be doing much better.
Ring-tailed Cacomistle at Arnhem - Just the name alonebut they are very funny animals when they are active, and look nice as well.
Montezuma Oropendola's at Walsrode - They make the most incredible sound i've ever heared any species make, it makes walking in Walsrode something very special.
All your list are good picks - but these two in particular were favourites of mine. Mighty tricky to get a photo of the Montezumas in that big aviary though!
I saw London's Panays a couple of times while they were on show, and was also lucky enough to be allowed to see the off-show Northern Luzon Cloud Rats at Wroclaw last year. Very special animals.
This is mostly to get involved in the thread, but some of my favourite "unorthodox" animals that i've seen are:
- Striated Caracaras (beautiful birds)
- Tuatara
- Crocodile Monitor
- Caiman Lizard (fascinating species)
- Aye-Aye
- Addax
- Gila Monster
- hammerkop
- Dhole
- Anoa
- Visayan Warty Pig
- American Bison
- Himalayan Crocodile Newt
I've got a liking for these for a number of reasons such as unique appearance or rareity in the zoos i've been to.
- Striated Caracaras (beautiful birds)
- Tuatara
- Crocodile Monitor
- Caiman Lizard (fascinating species)
- Aye-Aye
- Addax
- Gila Monster
- hammerkop
- Dhole
- Anoa
- Visayan Warty Pig
- American Bison
- Himalayan Crocodile Newt
I've got a liking for these for a number of reasons such as unique appearance or rareity in the zoos i've been to.
Have you been to Krefeld? Another place we hit on our recent trip and the only place in Western Europe to see Mountain Anoa - which, rather unexcitingly, look basically identical to their Lowland cousins. Rare thing to see, though.
Bearded saki and uakari are interesting...
Never seen any gliding mammal flying, neither in zoo nor the wild. Saw european flying squirrel and sugar gliders, but none had room to glide.
Sifakas seemed absolutely cute until I saw them in real life. Something weird with its Roman nose, not cute at all.
There are many weird animals not in zoos. Flying lizard (Draco sp.), mountain devil lizard (Moloch horridus), the Olm...
Never seen any gliding mammal flying, neither in zoo nor the wild. Saw european flying squirrel and sugar gliders, but none had room to glide.
Sifakas seemed absolutely cute until I saw them in real life. Something weird with its Roman nose, not cute at all.
There are many weird animals not in zoos. Flying lizard (Draco sp.), mountain devil lizard (Moloch horridus), the Olm...
I've been lucky enough to see a few thorny devils in the wild, in fact they aren't that hard to find. Really cute animals, probably my favourite reptile. I suppose their diet makes them difficult to keep but a couple of Australian places have them.
Olm: if you visit the caves of Postojna in Slovenia they keep a few of these in a shallow pool.
I didn't know that - one more reason to go to the open day. Are there many thorny devils in private hands?
I like weird species and I must speak up for my namesakes: I had a short 1:1 session with Burford's male broad-nosed gentle lemur through the wire on Monday. Cuddly and bug-eyed, with rather silly ear tufts and big teeth and jaws to make mincemeat of the toughest bamboo - what could be weirder? What I hadn't seen clearly before were his chest glands - like a linebacker's shoulder pads that have slipped, and the big flat pads on the ends of his fingers and toes - amazing.
I'd also add a word about their African open-billed storks. I have seen them in the wild, but I hadn't expected the colours visible on their glossy feathers when viewed close up. I hope they do very well with them.
Alan
I'd also add a word about their African open-billed storks. I have seen them in the wild, but I hadn't expected the colours visible on their glossy feathers when viewed close up. I hope they do very well with them.
Alan
Extremely rare outside Australia or probably more accurately described as non-existing outside Australia but perhaps some private reptile keeper has one somewhere. You sometimes see adds for people selling thorny devils but you can be sure they just mistaked that and the more commonly kept horned lizards. If there are any outside Australia they are so rare that they never would enter the open market. Especially as it almost certainly would not have left Australia legally. I do not think any zoo outside Australia has it and google search for Heythrop zoo and thorny devil give nothing. I would be interested if someone can confirm if this zoo or any other zoo outside Australia really has thorny devil.
If they are Thorney Devils, I'd be very interested to know exactly what they are feeding them, as the only zoos/fauna parks in Australia that have them are in the Alice Springs area hwere they have a ready supply of the ants they eat (apparently there are only 3 or 4 species they will eat and the devils' distribution is restricted to the distribution of the ants).
Taronga Zoo attempted to keep them many years ago and only just managed to keep them alive - they refused virtually all food.
Hix
Taronga Zoo attempted to keep them many years ago and only just managed to keep them alive - they refused virtually all food.
Hix
Horned lizards have become more commonly available in the pet trade in recent times, and these do resemble thorny devils very closely. Almost impossible for a collection in the UK to have thorny devils because of the diet restriction, nevermind customs. I have only seen them at Alice Springs (as has been already mentioned) where they routinely take each individual out to a local ant colony and let them eat naturally. I believe that some smaller collections in Australia have also kept them, even outside normal range, but they are very difficult/fragile beasts.
Sydney Wildlife World has them on their website:
SWW - Reptiles Habitat - Inhabitants
ISIS currently lists 1.1 at Melbourne Museum as well as 1.2 at Alice Springs
SWW - Reptiles Habitat - Inhabitants
ISIS currently lists 1.1 at Melbourne Museum as well as 1.2 at Alice Springs
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
Thats because the website is out of date!
I haven't seen them at Sydney Wildlife World, I'll have to visit again soon and check.
I had heard Melboure Museum had a pair but didn't know they still had them.
And Alice Springs has actually bred them in the past.
Hix
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
No they haven`t got Thorny Devils but they did have a Desert Horned Lizard at the time of the last open day,not sure if its still alive.So, are you confirming that they have got thorny devils then?