I've been wondering about what the confirmed superstar species of the zoo/aquarium world are. By this I mean species that zoos know they can build campaigns around to build new exhibits or add to their collections to drive visitor interest and attendance.
I use "superstar species" in the same context that movie studios know they can build movies around certain stars and have the movies likely not bomb at the box office. I know that there is massive market research done on what movie and television stars are "bankable"; does similar research exist in the zoo world?
For the most part the species are obvious, because they are the species that we see new exhibits built for most often, with "lesser" species included as co-exhibit mates. I remember reading an article on Minnesota Zoo's new grizzly exhibit saying that they decided that they needed bears as the superstars for the exhibit because sea otters weren't enough. I was somewhat surprised by that, but that is why I'm throwing this question out there in the hopes that some zoo professionals out there can tell us their perspective on what the reigning superstar species of the zoo world are.
What I am especially interested in learning about is how one goes about finding new superstar species, or if this is possible. It seems like it is. Meerkats seemed to become a ubiquitous superstar species after "Lion King" came out. I'm wondering if new zoo superstar species emerge only in response to popular cultural phenomena like movies, or if zoos and aquariums can create superstars themselves. I remember that for one of the later phases of their African Forest complex the San Diego Zoo tried to turn the great blue turaco into a media star for their zoo at least, prominently featuring it in advertising and media hype for the new exhibit.
Who are the potential superstar species that may be appearing at our local zoos in the upcoming years? Giant otters and Komodo dragons seem to be popping up in zoos all over the world.
Another aspect of zoo stardom that is interesting is when zoos focus on a specific ecosystem to star as the exhibit focus rather than particular species. Examples that come to mind are the Dallas African ecosystems complex with the monorail that does not contain any of the classic African superstar species, the Monterey Aquarium's kelp forest, and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum's "Life on the rocks" and grasslands exhibits.
Here is the list of species that I am guessing are the classic superstars (i.e., species that zoos know they can reliably build new exhibit campaigns around and increase attendance). I'm including aquarium species too.
Giraffes
African and Asian elephants
Hippos
Polar bears
Brown bears
Giant pandas
Lions, Tigers, Jaguars, Cheetahs
Koalas
Kangaroos
Gorillas
Orangutans
Chimps, Bonobos
Monkeys
Penguins
Dolphins
Sharks
Jellies
Crocodilians
Komodo dragons
Venomous snakes
Large constrictors (anacondas, pythons, boas)
Meerkats
Sea lions, seals
Manatees
Otters (giant, river, sea, etc.)
Mixed African savanna (rhinos, antelope, zebras) [do any of these have star quality on their own?]
I use "superstar species" in the same context that movie studios know they can build movies around certain stars and have the movies likely not bomb at the box office. I know that there is massive market research done on what movie and television stars are "bankable"; does similar research exist in the zoo world?
For the most part the species are obvious, because they are the species that we see new exhibits built for most often, with "lesser" species included as co-exhibit mates. I remember reading an article on Minnesota Zoo's new grizzly exhibit saying that they decided that they needed bears as the superstars for the exhibit because sea otters weren't enough. I was somewhat surprised by that, but that is why I'm throwing this question out there in the hopes that some zoo professionals out there can tell us their perspective on what the reigning superstar species of the zoo world are.
What I am especially interested in learning about is how one goes about finding new superstar species, or if this is possible. It seems like it is. Meerkats seemed to become a ubiquitous superstar species after "Lion King" came out. I'm wondering if new zoo superstar species emerge only in response to popular cultural phenomena like movies, or if zoos and aquariums can create superstars themselves. I remember that for one of the later phases of their African Forest complex the San Diego Zoo tried to turn the great blue turaco into a media star for their zoo at least, prominently featuring it in advertising and media hype for the new exhibit.
Who are the potential superstar species that may be appearing at our local zoos in the upcoming years? Giant otters and Komodo dragons seem to be popping up in zoos all over the world.
Another aspect of zoo stardom that is interesting is when zoos focus on a specific ecosystem to star as the exhibit focus rather than particular species. Examples that come to mind are the Dallas African ecosystems complex with the monorail that does not contain any of the classic African superstar species, the Monterey Aquarium's kelp forest, and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum's "Life on the rocks" and grasslands exhibits.
Here is the list of species that I am guessing are the classic superstars (i.e., species that zoos know they can reliably build new exhibit campaigns around and increase attendance). I'm including aquarium species too.
Giraffes
African and Asian elephants
Hippos
Polar bears
Brown bears
Giant pandas
Lions, Tigers, Jaguars, Cheetahs
Koalas
Kangaroos
Gorillas
Orangutans
Chimps, Bonobos
Monkeys
Penguins
Dolphins
Sharks
Jellies
Crocodilians
Komodo dragons
Venomous snakes
Large constrictors (anacondas, pythons, boas)
Meerkats
Sea lions, seals
Manatees
Otters (giant, river, sea, etc.)
Mixed African savanna (rhinos, antelope, zebras) [do any of these have star quality on their own?]
