A Guide to the Rarities of Europe
- Thread starter amur leopard
- Start date
zootierliste dont list invertebrate, so maybe there are bryozoan in Plzen.
Belgium
Zoo Antwerpen
One of Belgium's big three zoos, Antwerp has stayed as one of Europe's oldest and finest for its long history. A lengthy list of rarities, though perhaps not as impressive of that of Pairi Daiza. It also holds one of the most remarkable rarities in Europe - possibly the most important animal in Europe after Baby's passing - Amahoro.
Mammals: Eastern common chimpanzee, Grauer's gorilla, Hamlyn's monkey
Birds: Arabian chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, Barred buttonquail, Chestnut and black weaver, Chestnut-eared aracari, Congo peafowl, Crested oropendola, Eastern grey-winged trumpeter, Egyptian plover, Green woodhoopoe, Jungle bush quail, Macaroni penguin, Red-billed curassow, Red-browed firetail, Red-flanked lorikeet (NS), Ring-necked dove, Sudan golden sparrow, Swallow tanager.
Reptiles: African keeled mud turtle, Baja rosy boa, Black-lined plated lizard, Branderhorst's snapping turtle, Central African giant mud turtle, Dull day gecko, Leptien's spiny-tailed gecko, Major skink, Banded gecko, Robert Merten's day gecko, Seychelles giant day gecko, Smith's green eyed gecko, Zoutpansberg girdled lizard
Amphibians: Fleischmann's glass frog
Fish: Apollo sharkminnow, Bengal sergeant, Deckert's tilapia, Deep water frog, Fuzzy filefish, Giant goby, Livingstone's mbuna, Malabar baril, Mamfe tilapia, Olive barb, Onespot squeaker, Top minnow.
In summary, 46 rarities, of which 11 are unique in Europe and a further 6 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Sea Life Blankenberge
A fairly small collection in the seaside town of Blankenberge which is also home to a serpentarium. Only a single rarity - Lori's anthias.
Blankenberge Serpentarium
Again, small collection in the same place. Rather barren terrariums on the whole, but still a nice place with a few interesting species.
Reptiles: Big-headed turtle, Atlantic Central American milksnake, Eastern garden lizard, Guatemalan spiny-tailed iguana, Mexican moccasin, Moluccan giant gecko.
Pairi Daiza
Not even going to bother introducing this collection.
Mammals: Sulawesi bear cuscus, Francois' leaf monkey, Grey-bellied squirrel, Javan leopard, Missouri cougar, Pacific walrus, Steller's sea lion, Tasmanian devil.
Birds: African harrier hawk, African pygmy falcon, Amazilia hummingbird, Andean cock-of-the-rock, Black-naped oriole, Brown-hooded kingfisher, Curl-crested aracari, Florida sandhill crane, Golden-winged Magnificent bird of paradise, Grey-backed thrush, Humboldt's aracari, Lear's macaw, Lesser bird of paradise, Lesser yellow-headed vulture, Long-crested eagle, Pesquet's parrot, Shoebill, Solomon hornbill, Spix's macaw, St Lucia amazon, St Vincent amazon, Vermiculated fish owl, Wattled pheasant.
Reptiles: Amazon puffing snake, Ploughshare tortoise, Desert kingsnake, Gharial, Karsten's girdled lizard.
Amphibians: Alpine crested newt. Lake Urmia newt, Riobamba marsupial frog.
Fish: Brown-marbled grouper, Clown wrasse, Cortez angelfish, Giant trevally, Indian vagabond butterflyfish, Network wobbegong, Northern wobbegong, Peppered butterflyfish, Sixbarred angelfish, Slippery dick, Tawny nurse shark, Titan triggerfish, White damsel.
In summary, 51 species, of which 7 are unique in Europe and a further 7 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Monde Sauvage - White-tailed jay
Liege - Midland painted turtle
Planckandael
The third of Belgium's Big three and a large, impressive collection. It has a few unique species, notably the only Slender-horned gazelle in Europe.
Mammals: Black-rumped agouti, Elbe European beaver, Rocky Mountain wapiti, Slender-horned gazelle, South-East Australian short-beaked echidna, Tasmanian devil.
Birds: Collared kingfisher, Crestless curassow, Eastern grey-winged trumpeter, Emin's turaco, Green woodhoopoe, Purple heron, Purple heron, Salvadori's pheasant.
In summary, 14 rarities, of which 2 are unique in Europe and 1 more is only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Pakawi Park
A place I was surprised had so many rarities, as I had heard it mentioned here and there but never as a referenced as a quality zoo across the forum. A few rarities, including several unique species and subspecies.
Mammals: Central African leopard
Birds: Australian sarus crane, Black-throated laughingthrush (NSS), Brown-hooded kingfisher, Goliath heron, Jones' silver pheasant, Northern crested caracara, Pin-tailed whydah, Red-billed starling, Sahel paradise whydah, White-fronted bee-eater.
Reptiles: Central American cribo, Eastern Montpellier snake, Indigo snake
In summary, 14 rarities, of which 2 are unique in Europe and a further 2 only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Musee D'Histoire Naturelle de Tournai - Guatemalan spiny-tailed iguana.
Dierenpark de Zonnegloed - Blue-winged parrot.
Czechia next, and I'm not looking forward to it. I have a feeling Haus des Meeres won't last long at the top of the list of collections with most rarities.
Zoo Antwerpen
One of Belgium's big three zoos, Antwerp has stayed as one of Europe's oldest and finest for its long history. A lengthy list of rarities, though perhaps not as impressive of that of Pairi Daiza. It also holds one of the most remarkable rarities in Europe - possibly the most important animal in Europe after Baby's passing - Amahoro.
Mammals: Eastern common chimpanzee, Grauer's gorilla, Hamlyn's monkey
Birds: Arabian chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, Barred buttonquail, Chestnut and black weaver, Chestnut-eared aracari, Congo peafowl, Crested oropendola, Eastern grey-winged trumpeter, Egyptian plover, Green woodhoopoe, Jungle bush quail, Macaroni penguin, Red-billed curassow, Red-browed firetail, Red-flanked lorikeet (NS), Ring-necked dove, Sudan golden sparrow, Swallow tanager.
Reptiles: African keeled mud turtle, Baja rosy boa, Black-lined plated lizard, Branderhorst's snapping turtle, Central African giant mud turtle, Dull day gecko, Leptien's spiny-tailed gecko, Major skink, Banded gecko, Robert Merten's day gecko, Seychelles giant day gecko, Smith's green eyed gecko, Zoutpansberg girdled lizard
Amphibians: Fleischmann's glass frog
Fish: Apollo sharkminnow, Bengal sergeant, Deckert's tilapia, Deep water frog, Fuzzy filefish, Giant goby, Livingstone's mbuna, Malabar baril, Mamfe tilapia, Olive barb, Onespot squeaker, Top minnow.
In summary, 46 rarities, of which 11 are unique in Europe and a further 6 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Sea Life Blankenberge
A fairly small collection in the seaside town of Blankenberge which is also home to a serpentarium. Only a single rarity - Lori's anthias.
Blankenberge Serpentarium
Again, small collection in the same place. Rather barren terrariums on the whole, but still a nice place with a few interesting species.
Reptiles: Big-headed turtle, Atlantic Central American milksnake, Eastern garden lizard, Guatemalan spiny-tailed iguana, Mexican moccasin, Moluccan giant gecko.
Pairi Daiza
Not even going to bother introducing this collection.
Mammals: Sulawesi bear cuscus, Francois' leaf monkey, Grey-bellied squirrel, Javan leopard, Missouri cougar, Pacific walrus, Steller's sea lion, Tasmanian devil.
Birds: African harrier hawk, African pygmy falcon, Amazilia hummingbird, Andean cock-of-the-rock, Black-naped oriole, Brown-hooded kingfisher, Curl-crested aracari, Florida sandhill crane, Golden-winged Magnificent bird of paradise, Grey-backed thrush, Humboldt's aracari, Lear's macaw, Lesser bird of paradise, Lesser yellow-headed vulture, Long-crested eagle, Pesquet's parrot, Shoebill, Solomon hornbill, Spix's macaw, St Lucia amazon, St Vincent amazon, Vermiculated fish owl, Wattled pheasant.
Reptiles: Amazon puffing snake, Ploughshare tortoise, Desert kingsnake, Gharial, Karsten's girdled lizard.
Amphibians: Alpine crested newt. Lake Urmia newt, Riobamba marsupial frog.
Fish: Brown-marbled grouper, Clown wrasse, Cortez angelfish, Giant trevally, Indian vagabond butterflyfish, Network wobbegong, Northern wobbegong, Peppered butterflyfish, Sixbarred angelfish, Slippery dick, Tawny nurse shark, Titan triggerfish, White damsel.
In summary, 51 species, of which 7 are unique in Europe and a further 7 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Monde Sauvage - White-tailed jay
Liege - Midland painted turtle
Planckandael
The third of Belgium's Big three and a large, impressive collection. It has a few unique species, notably the only Slender-horned gazelle in Europe.
Mammals: Black-rumped agouti, Elbe European beaver, Rocky Mountain wapiti, Slender-horned gazelle, South-East Australian short-beaked echidna, Tasmanian devil.
Birds: Collared kingfisher, Crestless curassow, Eastern grey-winged trumpeter, Emin's turaco, Green woodhoopoe, Purple heron, Purple heron, Salvadori's pheasant.
In summary, 14 rarities, of which 2 are unique in Europe and 1 more is only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Pakawi Park
A place I was surprised had so many rarities, as I had heard it mentioned here and there but never as a referenced as a quality zoo across the forum. A few rarities, including several unique species and subspecies.
Mammals: Central African leopard
Birds: Australian sarus crane, Black-throated laughingthrush (NSS), Brown-hooded kingfisher, Goliath heron, Jones' silver pheasant, Northern crested caracara, Pin-tailed whydah, Red-billed starling, Sahel paradise whydah, White-fronted bee-eater.
Reptiles: Central American cribo, Eastern Montpellier snake, Indigo snake
In summary, 14 rarities, of which 2 are unique in Europe and a further 2 only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Musee D'Histoire Naturelle de Tournai - Guatemalan spiny-tailed iguana.
Dierenpark de Zonnegloed - Blue-winged parrot.
Czechia next, and I'm not looking forward to it. I have a feeling Haus des Meeres won't last long at the top of the list of collections with most rarities.
Have fun trying not to confuse the 66 rodents in Plzen and the 10+ ring-necked pheasants subspecies.
This is an awful lot of work if you do this manually, check your PM @amur leopard if you want to spare yourself a lot of work. Coding helps a lot 
Bryozoans are not that difficult to see in the wild, to be honest. Saw them multiple times on a 3-day field trip to the French coast a few years back. The species was Electra pilosa.
Well I've never been to the Ocean before.
But I have seen Freshwater Bryozoans once in PN.
But I have seen Freshwater Bryozoans once in PN.
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Here is the Belgium map:
Not as exciting as the Austrian map, as there are only 4 large collections and the rest are in single digits, although it is interesting that Pakawi Park has an equal number of rarities to Planckandael.
I have completed virtually all of Czechia except Plzen, Prague and Zlin, so I will post that in due course, with Plzen to follow with its own post and then Prague and Zlin. To give an idea of the scale of Plzen however:
So far, the collection with the greatest number of rarities is Haus des Meeres in Vienna with 92 species including fish, followed by Reptilienzoo Nockalm with 75, Turtle Island with 70, and then a fair few of the big names (Pairi Daiza, Antwerp, Vienna) at around 50. I had hardly started Plzen's birds having completed the mammals and the list overtook that of Turtle Island and Nockalm, and halfway through the birds the list was longer than all four of Pairi Daiza, Innsbruck, Antwerp and Vienna combined. Prague is on a similar scale, though not quite as impressive.
Not as exciting as the Austrian map, as there are only 4 large collections and the rest are in single digits, although it is interesting that Pakawi Park has an equal number of rarities to Planckandael.
I have completed virtually all of Czechia except Plzen, Prague and Zlin, so I will post that in due course, with Plzen to follow with its own post and then Prague and Zlin. To give an idea of the scale of Plzen however:
So far, the collection with the greatest number of rarities is Haus des Meeres in Vienna with 92 species including fish, followed by Reptilienzoo Nockalm with 75, Turtle Island with 70, and then a fair few of the big names (Pairi Daiza, Antwerp, Vienna) at around 50. I had hardly started Plzen's birds having completed the mammals and the list overtook that of Turtle Island and Nockalm, and halfway through the birds the list was longer than all four of Pairi Daiza, Innsbruck, Antwerp and Vienna combined. Prague is on a similar scale, though not quite as impressive.
Attachments
Czechia
The country that I can pretty safely say will be second largest in terms of rarities behind Germany, and holds incredible variety and numbers of zoos despite its size and population. Czechia has two massive collections in the respect in question - Plzen and Prague, the former having by far the largest collection of rarities on the continent and quite possibly on Earth. Despite the dominance of these two zoos, Czechia harbours an array of smaller zoos, notably Brno, Chomutov, Dvur Kralove, Jihlava, Ostrava and Zlin but also more specialist collections such as Protovin or Bosovice, as highlighted in the rest of the post. This will be the post concerning all Czech collections alphabetically before Plzen, which will have its own post, and then a last post with Prague and the likes of Zlin.
Papouščí zoo (Bošovice)
Actually a very interesting collection, with a few unique species, particularly parrotlet species, a group in which the zoo seems to hold a particular interest. The collection holds almost unique parrot species, as can be inferred by the name. If you are interested in parrotlets, this is the place to go.
Birds: Austral parakeet, Bronze-winged parrot, Common blue-winged parrotlet, Curacao brown-throated parakeet, Golden-capped parakeet, Guyana green-rumped parrotlet, Lichtenstein's noble macaw, Orange-fronted parakeet, Red-spectacled amazon, Southern blue-crowned parakeet, Southern mitred parakeet, Spectacled parrotlet, Tucuman amazon, Turquoise-rumped parrotlet, Yellow-faced parrotlet.
In summary, 15 rarities, of which 2 are unique in Europe and a further 4 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Zoo Brno
Fortunately one of the easier ones to spell
but also an excellent institution, with one notable rarity (Javan ferret badger) but so much more along with it. A very impressive fish collection along with a solid mammal and bird collection makes this place very much worth visiting if you get the chance, though it cannot be placed on the same level as Prague or Plzen.
Mammals: Javan ferret badger, Kowari, Northern white-breasted hedgehog, Pontianak Prevost's squirrel.
Birds: Common redstart, Red-breasted lory, Western plantain eater.
Reptiles: Eastern bearded dragon, Elliptical eye skink, Emerald skink, Great Basin gopher snake, Haitian giant galliwasp, Hosmer's skink, Northern spider tortoise.
Fish: Bleher's rainbowfish, Brown giant knifefish, Chequered rainbowfish, Desert goby, Eastern rainbowfish, Flowery flounder, Lake Furnusu rainbowfish, Little corydoras, Mayland's mbuna, Mega clown pleco, Orinoco cichlid, Pacific blue-eye, Red-striped rainbowfish, Regan's pike cichlid, Rosy loach, Sorong rainbowfish, Sparkle rainbowfish, Spotfin goby, Spotted blue-eye, Sudan squeaker, Wahrindi, Wapoya rainbowfish.
In summary, 36 species, of which 12 are unique in Europe and a further 3 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Zooparc Zájezd (Buštěhrad)
This is, in my opinion, the most interesting collection in Czechia. At first glance, it appears to be your bog standard reptile-focused place, with a respectably large collection and a few nice rarities. However, turns out this place is obsessed with chameleons, and when they can't get their hands on more chameleons, they get species with chameleon in their name! Seriously, this place 15 chameleon rarities, plus a further two rarities with chameleon in their names, along with a respectable mammal and bird collection. These numbers make it Europe's best chameleon collection despite Vienna's recent influx due to a border confiscation.
Mammals: Gordon's wildcat.
Birds: African hawk-eagle, Blue-faced dacnis, Blue-breasted kingfisher, Silver-beaked tanager, Yellow-crowned gonolek.
Reptiles: Bauer's chameleon gecko, Canopy chameleon, Chameleon forest dragon, Domergue's leaf chameleon, Flapneck chameleon, Oustalet's chameleon, Jackson's chameleon (NS), Jewelled chameleon, Meller's chameleon, Montane side-striped chameleon, Mount Kenya three-horned chameleon, Parson's chameleon, Plated leaf chameleon, Ring-headed dwarf snake, Short-horned chameleon, Spiny chameleon, Three-eyed lizard, Wavy chameleon, West Usambara blade-horned chameleon, Yellow-throated day gecko.
In summary, 26 rarities, of which 7 are unique in Europe and a further 3 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Zoo Chleby
For about a year, this was the only collection in Europe or North America with Red-shanked douc langurs. This small zoo, located in a town of only 360 people, would hardly seem like the first location one would check for a douc, but has had fair success with the species. Other than the doucs, Chleby has some 'interesting' theming, consisting of often gruesome or explicit figurines of various people, extinct animals and skeletons. The zoo also has a questionable taste in exhibit theming, with a particular highlight being a 6-metre tall face in the gibbon exhibit and a sculpture of a quagga randomly placed in the cheetah exhibit. Other than the strange decor and doucs, Chleby is a pretty run-down place, with exhibits ranging from awful to average. However, it does definitely have a few nice rarities, although if your objective is doucs, perhaps visiting Beauval would be more worthwhile, though perhaps less exciting/spooky.
Mammals: Kellen's African dormouse, Neumann's grass rat, Palestine spiny mouse, Red-shanked douc langur, Tristram's jird, Typical striped grass mouse.
Reptiles: Gran Canaria skink (NSS).
Zoopark Chomutov
Another nice collection, though not too many rarities and no unique species.
Mammals: Lesser Egyptian jerboa, Transcapian urial
Birds: Senegal laughing dove, Slaty-headed parakeet
Reptiles: Eastern Montpellier snake, Horseshoe whip snake, Kazakhstan steppe tortoise, Ravergier's racer, Ring-headed dwarf snake, Southern Amur ratsnake.
Zoo Děčín
Another mid-sized zoo with a couple of nice rarities, particularly in the way of birds of paradise, in which it appears to have a special interest and is probably the best collection in the country for them.
Mammals: Mexican spider monkey
Birds: Golden-winged Magnificent bird-of-paradise, Grey-backed thrush, King bird-of-paradise.
Zoo Dvorec
Easily one of the best cobra collections in Europe, along with a few other rarities along the way.
Mammals: Hausa genet, Philippine palm civet, Red-mantled saddle-backed tamarin, Rusty-spotted genet, Yellow baboon.
Birds: Chestnut sparrow
Reptiles: Anchieta cobra, Black-necked spitting cobra, Central Asian cobra, Chinese cobra, Indonesian cobra, Mozambique spitting cobra, Moroccan cobra, Nubian spitting cobra, Peters's cobra, Philippine cobra, South African Nile crocodile, Sumatran spitting cobra, Western barred spitting cobra.
In summary, 19 rarities, of which 1 is unique and 4 are only found in a couple of European collections.
Dvůr Králové
One of the more famous Czech collections, well known for housing several Northern white rhinos in an attempt to increase their numbers which eventually failed. However, this should not define their collection, as it is a superb assembly of hundreds of species almost uniquely (only a few species buck this trend) from Africa. It holds an impressive 65 rarities, more than Pairi Daiza, Antwerp or Vienna.
Mammals: Arabian striped hyena, Black-backed jackal, Central African ratel, Eastern putty-nosed monkey, Eastern white-bearded wildebeest, Ganzhorn's mouse lemur, Lowe's monkey, Nubian red-necked gazelle, Smith's bush squirrel, South African ratel, Southern Mountain reedbuck, Southern springhare, Thick-tailed greater galago, Thomson's gazelle.
Birds: African pied hornbill (NSS), African white-backed duck, Black-faced go-away bird, Black-headed weaver, Cape shoveler, Cape sparrow, Chestnut sparrow, Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, Golden-backed weaver, Goliath heron, Hartlaub's duck, Hildebrandt's francolin, Kuhl's brown-necked parrot, Layard black-headed weaver, Maccoa duck, Purple heron, Orange-cheeked waxbill, Red-bellied parrot, Red-collared widowbird, Rufous-tailed weaver, Senegal laughing dove, Sudan golden sparrow, Upper Guinea bulbul, Vitelline masked weaver, Western piping hornbill, Western plantain eater, Western reef egret, White-rumped seedeater, Zanzibar bishop.
Reptiles: Barbour's map turtle, Blue-throated agama, Boomslang, Flathead leaf-toed gecko, Great Lakes bush viper, Koch's day gecko, Leafnose snake, Senegal flap-shelled turtle, Sochurek's saw-scaled viper, Striped house snake, Twig snake, Two coloured skink, Western bush viper, White-lipped mud turtle, Yellow-throated plated lizard.
Amphibians: Delicate spiny reed frog, Marbled Madagascan rainfrog, Madagascar rain frog, Painted frog, White-spotted tree frog.
Fish: Caerulean damsel.
In summary, 65 rarities, of which 3 are unique in Europe and a further 16 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Svet pod hladinou (Frymburk) - Sargassum triggerfish
Zoo Ohrada
A few nice rarities, although no unique species. Himalayan brown bears probably one of the highlights here.
Mammals: Himalayan brown bear, South Brazilian coati.
Birds: Brambling, Brown-headed parrot, Fieldfare, Long-tailed rosefinch, Mew gull, Northern bullfinch, Ruddy turtle dove.
Reptiles: Common wondergecko, Cyclades viper, Eastern Montpellier snake, Eastern bearded dragon, Marie Galante anole, Steppe agama, Turkestan rock agama.
Fish: Little corydoras.
In summary, 16 species, of which 1 is found in only a couple of European zoos.
Zoo Hodonín
Another similarly sized collection, with a particularly impressive laughingthrush collection and a single unique species of the latter.
Mammals: Red-mantled saddle-backed tamarin
Birds: Chestnut-eared aracari, Chinese spotted dove, Crimson-rumped toucanet, Eastern moustached laughingthrush, Northern bullfinch, Red-winged laughingthrush, Streaked laughingthrush.
Fish: Cortez angelfish, Long-finned goby, Lubbock's wrasse, Red-striped rainbowfish.
In summary, 12 rarities, of which 1 is unique in Europe.
Zoopark Na Hrádečku
One of the ones I didn't know about before doing this, this collection was somewhat of a revelation, with a large herp collection along with a few nice mammal rarities. Well worth visiting in my opinion if you are in the area. It holds a special interest in the constrictors, particularly boas - it is the best collection for sand boas on the continent and definitely in the running for the best for the Boidae.
Mammals: Bonnet macaque, Common slender mongoose.
Reptiles: Angolan python, Baja rosy boa, Baracoa anole, Bismarck ringed python, Central Stimson's python, Children's python, Coastal rosy boa, Cuban giant dusky dwarf boa, Desert rosy boa, East African sand boa, Eastern sand boa, Grenada tree boa, Haitian boa (NS), Hart's glass lizard, Inland carpet python, Javelin sand boa, Long-tailed boa, Mexican rosy boa, Mueller's sand boa, New Guinea ground boa, New Guinea carpet python, Paraguayan rainbow boa, Paulson's Pacific boa, Puerto Rican boa, Rough-scaled sand boa, Spotted python, Tanimbar blue-tongued skink, Tartar sand boa, Wiegmann's agama.
Amphibians: Blessed poison frog
In summary, 32 rarities, of which 5 are unique in Europe and a further 4 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Prirodovedne centrum (Hradec Kralove) - Gunther's flat-tail gecko
Zoo Jihlava
Definitely one of the larger zoos in the country after Plzen and Prague, and it has a multitude of rarities, though comparatively few unique species. Many of its rarities are shared by Plzen and Prague, so often it has species that can be seen in three of four collections on the continent but only two that are found in two and no unique. It nevertheless has a very impressive array of mammal rarities in particular.
Mammals: Arabian striped hyena, Black-tailed garden dormouse, Chacoan peccary, Coruro, Egypt hedgehog, Ganzhorn's mouse lemur, Garnett's greater galago, Goodman's mouse lemur, Gordon's wildcat, Graell's tamarin, Kowari, Long-eared hedgehog, Lowe's monkey, Northern bamboo lemur, Palawan leopard cat, Palestine spiny mouse, Persian jird, Philippine palm civet, Philippine porcupine, Rufous rat kangaroo, Seurat's spiny mouse, Siberian flying squirrel, Southern Luzon giant cloud rat, Spinifex hopping mouse, Spix's moustached tamarin, Thick-tailed greater galago, Wagner's gerbil, West African tree hyrax, White-tailed antsangy.
Birds: Double-banded finch (NS), Green rosella.
Reptiles: Atlantic Central American milksnake, Chinese cave gecko, Cope's false chameleon, Cunningham's skink, Eastern Madagascar tree boa, Gray-banded kingsnake, Haitian giant galliwasp, Huachuca mountain kingsnake, Tanimbar blue-tongued skink, Western Madagascar tree boa.
In summary, 41 rarities, with only 2 found only in a couple of European collections.
Motly dum Diana (Karlovy Vary) - Masked finch
Zoodomek Karlstejn - African grass rat, Black-tailed thallomys.
Svět divočiny v Lednice
Actually a decently-sized collection, and one often glossed over. It in fact holds a fair few rarities, though no unique species.
Reptiles: Cyclades viper, Cane-brake rattlesnake, Cascabel rattlesnake, Chaco lancehead, Kurdistani rock viper, Rough-scaled death adder, Russian blunt-nosed viper, Sahara rock viper, Sochurek's saw-scaled viper, Crossed pitviper, Wagner's viper, Western coral snake.
In summary, 12 rarities.
Zoo Liberec
Another fairly large zoo, with some nice rarities and a couple of species that one would only expect to see at the big name collections.
Mammals: Black and rufous sengi, Gray-short-tailed opossum, Philippine porcupine, Tajik urial.
Birds: Chinese spotted dove, Grey-headed dove, King bird-of-paradise, Korean ring-necked pheasant, Spot-billed pelican, Wahlberg's eagle.
Reptiles: Crowned river turtle, Koch's day gecko, Merauke blue-tongued skink, Sri Lankan water monitor.
Fish: Arabian carpetshark.
In summary, 15 rarities, of which 1 is unique in Europe and a further 1 is only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Modrá Terárium - Blessed poison frog, Mexican moccasin.
Zoo Olomouc
Another medium-sized collection with a fair few rarities, namely a couple of unique ratel subspecies and a further few unique fish species.
Mammals: Bezoar ibex, Gray short-tailed opossum, Pale spear-nosed bat, Persian ratel, South African ratel, Spix's moustached tamarin.
Birds: Golden-backed weaver, Sao Tome barn owl.
Reptiles: Blue-throated agama, Cope's false chameleon, East African egg eating snake, Tunisian spur-thighed tortoise, West African rainbow lizard, Yellow-throated plated lizard.
Amphibians: Marbled newt
Fish: Bennett's sharpnose puffer, Blue-barred parrotfish, Peppermint bass, Twostripe goby, Yellowstripe threadfin bream.
In summary, 20 rarities, of which 6 are unique in Europe and a further 1 is only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Zoopark Olovnice - Rusty-spotted genet
Zoo Ostrava
One of the larger collections in the country once you disregard two at the top, Ostrava has a fantastic collection - perhaps not as crammed with rarities as perhaps Jihlava is, but still very impressive. Three tree hyrax taxa, Tarai sacred langurs and a multitude of further fish species, giving it a great depth and balance between the classes.
Mammals: Eastern wallaroo, Garnett's greater galago, Tarai grey langur, Southern Luzon giant cloud rat, Southern tree hyrax, West African tree hyrax, Western tree hyrax, White collared brown lemur.
Birds: Black-headed sibia, Chinese red-whiskered bulbul, Green-thighed parrot, Hartlaub's duck, Mombasa speckled mousebird, Red-breasted lory.
Reptiles: East African fringe-tailed forest lizard, Striped velvet gecko, West African rainbow lizard, Yellow-headed temple turtle.
Amphibians: Hairy frog.
Fish: Amiet's lyretail, Canara pearlspot, Domino tetra, Gabun hemichromis, Emerald green lampeye, Highland swordtail, Golden dwarf barb, Magdalena river stingray, Marbled swordtail, Monterrey platfish, Northern platyfish, Sucker head, Tiger leporinus.
In summary, that is 32 rarities, of which 9 are unique in Europe and a further 6 found in only a couple of the continent's institutions.
So, that's that. Next up is Plzen in its own post, and then Prague with the likes of Zlin and Protivin. This really did take a while to compile and type up, as it is quite a dense and long post. However, I hope it is useful, since these are zoos which are typically perceived as generic Czech zoos but which all have such different specialties and interests.
The country that I can pretty safely say will be second largest in terms of rarities behind Germany, and holds incredible variety and numbers of zoos despite its size and population. Czechia has two massive collections in the respect in question - Plzen and Prague, the former having by far the largest collection of rarities on the continent and quite possibly on Earth. Despite the dominance of these two zoos, Czechia harbours an array of smaller zoos, notably Brno, Chomutov, Dvur Kralove, Jihlava, Ostrava and Zlin but also more specialist collections such as Protovin or Bosovice, as highlighted in the rest of the post. This will be the post concerning all Czech collections alphabetically before Plzen, which will have its own post, and then a last post with Prague and the likes of Zlin.
Papouščí zoo (Bošovice)
Actually a very interesting collection, with a few unique species, particularly parrotlet species, a group in which the zoo seems to hold a particular interest. The collection holds almost unique parrot species, as can be inferred by the name. If you are interested in parrotlets, this is the place to go.
Birds: Austral parakeet, Bronze-winged parrot, Common blue-winged parrotlet, Curacao brown-throated parakeet, Golden-capped parakeet, Guyana green-rumped parrotlet, Lichtenstein's noble macaw, Orange-fronted parakeet, Red-spectacled amazon, Southern blue-crowned parakeet, Southern mitred parakeet, Spectacled parrotlet, Tucuman amazon, Turquoise-rumped parrotlet, Yellow-faced parrotlet.
In summary, 15 rarities, of which 2 are unique in Europe and a further 4 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Zoo Brno
Fortunately one of the easier ones to spell
Mammals: Javan ferret badger, Kowari, Northern white-breasted hedgehog, Pontianak Prevost's squirrel.
Birds: Common redstart, Red-breasted lory, Western plantain eater.
Reptiles: Eastern bearded dragon, Elliptical eye skink, Emerald skink, Great Basin gopher snake, Haitian giant galliwasp, Hosmer's skink, Northern spider tortoise.
Fish: Bleher's rainbowfish, Brown giant knifefish, Chequered rainbowfish, Desert goby, Eastern rainbowfish, Flowery flounder, Lake Furnusu rainbowfish, Little corydoras, Mayland's mbuna, Mega clown pleco, Orinoco cichlid, Pacific blue-eye, Red-striped rainbowfish, Regan's pike cichlid, Rosy loach, Sorong rainbowfish, Sparkle rainbowfish, Spotfin goby, Spotted blue-eye, Sudan squeaker, Wahrindi, Wapoya rainbowfish.
In summary, 36 species, of which 12 are unique in Europe and a further 3 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Zooparc Zájezd (Buštěhrad)
This is, in my opinion, the most interesting collection in Czechia. At first glance, it appears to be your bog standard reptile-focused place, with a respectably large collection and a few nice rarities. However, turns out this place is obsessed with chameleons, and when they can't get their hands on more chameleons, they get species with chameleon in their name! Seriously, this place 15 chameleon rarities, plus a further two rarities with chameleon in their names, along with a respectable mammal and bird collection. These numbers make it Europe's best chameleon collection despite Vienna's recent influx due to a border confiscation.
Mammals: Gordon's wildcat.
Birds: African hawk-eagle, Blue-faced dacnis, Blue-breasted kingfisher, Silver-beaked tanager, Yellow-crowned gonolek.
Reptiles: Bauer's chameleon gecko, Canopy chameleon, Chameleon forest dragon, Domergue's leaf chameleon, Flapneck chameleon, Oustalet's chameleon, Jackson's chameleon (NS), Jewelled chameleon, Meller's chameleon, Montane side-striped chameleon, Mount Kenya three-horned chameleon, Parson's chameleon, Plated leaf chameleon, Ring-headed dwarf snake, Short-horned chameleon, Spiny chameleon, Three-eyed lizard, Wavy chameleon, West Usambara blade-horned chameleon, Yellow-throated day gecko.
In summary, 26 rarities, of which 7 are unique in Europe and a further 3 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Zoo Chleby
For about a year, this was the only collection in Europe or North America with Red-shanked douc langurs. This small zoo, located in a town of only 360 people, would hardly seem like the first location one would check for a douc, but has had fair success with the species. Other than the doucs, Chleby has some 'interesting' theming, consisting of often gruesome or explicit figurines of various people, extinct animals and skeletons. The zoo also has a questionable taste in exhibit theming, with a particular highlight being a 6-metre tall face in the gibbon exhibit and a sculpture of a quagga randomly placed in the cheetah exhibit. Other than the strange decor and doucs, Chleby is a pretty run-down place, with exhibits ranging from awful to average. However, it does definitely have a few nice rarities, although if your objective is doucs, perhaps visiting Beauval would be more worthwhile, though perhaps less exciting/spooky.
Mammals: Kellen's African dormouse, Neumann's grass rat, Palestine spiny mouse, Red-shanked douc langur, Tristram's jird, Typical striped grass mouse.
Reptiles: Gran Canaria skink (NSS).
Zoopark Chomutov
Another nice collection, though not too many rarities and no unique species.
Mammals: Lesser Egyptian jerboa, Transcapian urial
Birds: Senegal laughing dove, Slaty-headed parakeet
Reptiles: Eastern Montpellier snake, Horseshoe whip snake, Kazakhstan steppe tortoise, Ravergier's racer, Ring-headed dwarf snake, Southern Amur ratsnake.
Zoo Děčín
Another mid-sized zoo with a couple of nice rarities, particularly in the way of birds of paradise, in which it appears to have a special interest and is probably the best collection in the country for them.
Mammals: Mexican spider monkey
Birds: Golden-winged Magnificent bird-of-paradise, Grey-backed thrush, King bird-of-paradise.
Zoo Dvorec
Easily one of the best cobra collections in Europe, along with a few other rarities along the way.
Mammals: Hausa genet, Philippine palm civet, Red-mantled saddle-backed tamarin, Rusty-spotted genet, Yellow baboon.
Birds: Chestnut sparrow
Reptiles: Anchieta cobra, Black-necked spitting cobra, Central Asian cobra, Chinese cobra, Indonesian cobra, Mozambique spitting cobra, Moroccan cobra, Nubian spitting cobra, Peters's cobra, Philippine cobra, South African Nile crocodile, Sumatran spitting cobra, Western barred spitting cobra.
In summary, 19 rarities, of which 1 is unique and 4 are only found in a couple of European collections.
Dvůr Králové
One of the more famous Czech collections, well known for housing several Northern white rhinos in an attempt to increase their numbers which eventually failed. However, this should not define their collection, as it is a superb assembly of hundreds of species almost uniquely (only a few species buck this trend) from Africa. It holds an impressive 65 rarities, more than Pairi Daiza, Antwerp or Vienna.
Mammals: Arabian striped hyena, Black-backed jackal, Central African ratel, Eastern putty-nosed monkey, Eastern white-bearded wildebeest, Ganzhorn's mouse lemur, Lowe's monkey, Nubian red-necked gazelle, Smith's bush squirrel, South African ratel, Southern Mountain reedbuck, Southern springhare, Thick-tailed greater galago, Thomson's gazelle.
Birds: African pied hornbill (NSS), African white-backed duck, Black-faced go-away bird, Black-headed weaver, Cape shoveler, Cape sparrow, Chestnut sparrow, Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, Golden-backed weaver, Goliath heron, Hartlaub's duck, Hildebrandt's francolin, Kuhl's brown-necked parrot, Layard black-headed weaver, Maccoa duck, Purple heron, Orange-cheeked waxbill, Red-bellied parrot, Red-collared widowbird, Rufous-tailed weaver, Senegal laughing dove, Sudan golden sparrow, Upper Guinea bulbul, Vitelline masked weaver, Western piping hornbill, Western plantain eater, Western reef egret, White-rumped seedeater, Zanzibar bishop.
Reptiles: Barbour's map turtle, Blue-throated agama, Boomslang, Flathead leaf-toed gecko, Great Lakes bush viper, Koch's day gecko, Leafnose snake, Senegal flap-shelled turtle, Sochurek's saw-scaled viper, Striped house snake, Twig snake, Two coloured skink, Western bush viper, White-lipped mud turtle, Yellow-throated plated lizard.
Amphibians: Delicate spiny reed frog, Marbled Madagascan rainfrog, Madagascar rain frog, Painted frog, White-spotted tree frog.
Fish: Caerulean damsel.
In summary, 65 rarities, of which 3 are unique in Europe and a further 16 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Svet pod hladinou (Frymburk) - Sargassum triggerfish
Zoo Ohrada
A few nice rarities, although no unique species. Himalayan brown bears probably one of the highlights here.
Mammals: Himalayan brown bear, South Brazilian coati.
Birds: Brambling, Brown-headed parrot, Fieldfare, Long-tailed rosefinch, Mew gull, Northern bullfinch, Ruddy turtle dove.
Reptiles: Common wondergecko, Cyclades viper, Eastern Montpellier snake, Eastern bearded dragon, Marie Galante anole, Steppe agama, Turkestan rock agama.
Fish: Little corydoras.
In summary, 16 species, of which 1 is found in only a couple of European zoos.
Zoo Hodonín
Another similarly sized collection, with a particularly impressive laughingthrush collection and a single unique species of the latter.
Mammals: Red-mantled saddle-backed tamarin
Birds: Chestnut-eared aracari, Chinese spotted dove, Crimson-rumped toucanet, Eastern moustached laughingthrush, Northern bullfinch, Red-winged laughingthrush, Streaked laughingthrush.
Fish: Cortez angelfish, Long-finned goby, Lubbock's wrasse, Red-striped rainbowfish.
In summary, 12 rarities, of which 1 is unique in Europe.
Zoopark Na Hrádečku
One of the ones I didn't know about before doing this, this collection was somewhat of a revelation, with a large herp collection along with a few nice mammal rarities. Well worth visiting in my opinion if you are in the area. It holds a special interest in the constrictors, particularly boas - it is the best collection for sand boas on the continent and definitely in the running for the best for the Boidae.
Mammals: Bonnet macaque, Common slender mongoose.
Reptiles: Angolan python, Baja rosy boa, Baracoa anole, Bismarck ringed python, Central Stimson's python, Children's python, Coastal rosy boa, Cuban giant dusky dwarf boa, Desert rosy boa, East African sand boa, Eastern sand boa, Grenada tree boa, Haitian boa (NS), Hart's glass lizard, Inland carpet python, Javelin sand boa, Long-tailed boa, Mexican rosy boa, Mueller's sand boa, New Guinea ground boa, New Guinea carpet python, Paraguayan rainbow boa, Paulson's Pacific boa, Puerto Rican boa, Rough-scaled sand boa, Spotted python, Tanimbar blue-tongued skink, Tartar sand boa, Wiegmann's agama.
Amphibians: Blessed poison frog
In summary, 32 rarities, of which 5 are unique in Europe and a further 4 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Prirodovedne centrum (Hradec Kralove) - Gunther's flat-tail gecko
Zoo Jihlava
Definitely one of the larger zoos in the country after Plzen and Prague, and it has a multitude of rarities, though comparatively few unique species. Many of its rarities are shared by Plzen and Prague, so often it has species that can be seen in three of four collections on the continent but only two that are found in two and no unique. It nevertheless has a very impressive array of mammal rarities in particular.
Mammals: Arabian striped hyena, Black-tailed garden dormouse, Chacoan peccary, Coruro, Egypt hedgehog, Ganzhorn's mouse lemur, Garnett's greater galago, Goodman's mouse lemur, Gordon's wildcat, Graell's tamarin, Kowari, Long-eared hedgehog, Lowe's monkey, Northern bamboo lemur, Palawan leopard cat, Palestine spiny mouse, Persian jird, Philippine palm civet, Philippine porcupine, Rufous rat kangaroo, Seurat's spiny mouse, Siberian flying squirrel, Southern Luzon giant cloud rat, Spinifex hopping mouse, Spix's moustached tamarin, Thick-tailed greater galago, Wagner's gerbil, West African tree hyrax, White-tailed antsangy.
Birds: Double-banded finch (NS), Green rosella.
Reptiles: Atlantic Central American milksnake, Chinese cave gecko, Cope's false chameleon, Cunningham's skink, Eastern Madagascar tree boa, Gray-banded kingsnake, Haitian giant galliwasp, Huachuca mountain kingsnake, Tanimbar blue-tongued skink, Western Madagascar tree boa.
In summary, 41 rarities, with only 2 found only in a couple of European collections.
Motly dum Diana (Karlovy Vary) - Masked finch
Zoodomek Karlstejn - African grass rat, Black-tailed thallomys.
Svět divočiny v Lednice
Actually a decently-sized collection, and one often glossed over. It in fact holds a fair few rarities, though no unique species.
Reptiles: Cyclades viper, Cane-brake rattlesnake, Cascabel rattlesnake, Chaco lancehead, Kurdistani rock viper, Rough-scaled death adder, Russian blunt-nosed viper, Sahara rock viper, Sochurek's saw-scaled viper, Crossed pitviper, Wagner's viper, Western coral snake.
In summary, 12 rarities.
Zoo Liberec
Another fairly large zoo, with some nice rarities and a couple of species that one would only expect to see at the big name collections.
Mammals: Black and rufous sengi, Gray-short-tailed opossum, Philippine porcupine, Tajik urial.
Birds: Chinese spotted dove, Grey-headed dove, King bird-of-paradise, Korean ring-necked pheasant, Spot-billed pelican, Wahlberg's eagle.
Reptiles: Crowned river turtle, Koch's day gecko, Merauke blue-tongued skink, Sri Lankan water monitor.
Fish: Arabian carpetshark.
In summary, 15 rarities, of which 1 is unique in Europe and a further 1 is only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Modrá Terárium - Blessed poison frog, Mexican moccasin.
Zoo Olomouc
Another medium-sized collection with a fair few rarities, namely a couple of unique ratel subspecies and a further few unique fish species.
Mammals: Bezoar ibex, Gray short-tailed opossum, Pale spear-nosed bat, Persian ratel, South African ratel, Spix's moustached tamarin.
Birds: Golden-backed weaver, Sao Tome barn owl.
Reptiles: Blue-throated agama, Cope's false chameleon, East African egg eating snake, Tunisian spur-thighed tortoise, West African rainbow lizard, Yellow-throated plated lizard.
Amphibians: Marbled newt
Fish: Bennett's sharpnose puffer, Blue-barred parrotfish, Peppermint bass, Twostripe goby, Yellowstripe threadfin bream.
In summary, 20 rarities, of which 6 are unique in Europe and a further 1 is only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Zoopark Olovnice - Rusty-spotted genet
Zoo Ostrava
One of the larger collections in the country once you disregard two at the top, Ostrava has a fantastic collection - perhaps not as crammed with rarities as perhaps Jihlava is, but still very impressive. Three tree hyrax taxa, Tarai sacred langurs and a multitude of further fish species, giving it a great depth and balance between the classes.
Mammals: Eastern wallaroo, Garnett's greater galago, Tarai grey langur, Southern Luzon giant cloud rat, Southern tree hyrax, West African tree hyrax, Western tree hyrax, White collared brown lemur.
Birds: Black-headed sibia, Chinese red-whiskered bulbul, Green-thighed parrot, Hartlaub's duck, Mombasa speckled mousebird, Red-breasted lory.
Reptiles: East African fringe-tailed forest lizard, Striped velvet gecko, West African rainbow lizard, Yellow-headed temple turtle.
Amphibians: Hairy frog.
Fish: Amiet's lyretail, Canara pearlspot, Domino tetra, Gabun hemichromis, Emerald green lampeye, Highland swordtail, Golden dwarf barb, Magdalena river stingray, Marbled swordtail, Monterrey platfish, Northern platyfish, Sucker head, Tiger leporinus.
In summary, that is 32 rarities, of which 9 are unique in Europe and a further 6 found in only a couple of the continent's institutions.
So, that's that. Next up is Plzen in its own post, and then Prague with the likes of Zlin and Protivin. This really did take a while to compile and type up, as it is quite a dense and long post. However, I hope it is useful, since these are zoos which are typically perceived as generic Czech zoos but which all have such different specialties and interests.
Great Work @amur leopard i hope you do remind the Chinese pangolin of Leipzig Zoo, Linnaeus Mouse Opossum of Frankfurt Zoo, kaka Parrot of Wilhelma, Marco Polo sheep and harpy eagle of Tierpark Berlin and mediteranean chamois of munich Hellabrunn Zoo.
Czechia
The country that I can pretty safely say will be second largest in terms of rarities behind Germany, and holds incredible variety and numbers of zoos despite its size and population. Czechia has two massive collections in the respect in question - Plzen and Prague, the former having by far the largest collection of rarities on the continent and quite possibly on Earth. Despite the dominance of these two zoos, Czechia harbours an array of smaller zoos, notably Brno, Chomutov, Dvur Kralove, Jihlava, Ostrava and Zlin but also more specialist collections such as Protovin or Bosovice, as highlighted in the rest of the post. This will be the post concerning all Czech collections alphabetically before Plzen, which will have its own post, and then a last post with Prague and the likes of Zlin.
Papouščí zoo (Bošovice)
Actually a very interesting collection, with a few unique species, particularly parrotlet species, a group in which the zoo seems to hold a particular interest. The collection holds almost unique parrot species, as can be inferred by the name. If you are interested in parrotlets, this is the place to go.
Birds: Austral parakeet, Bronze-winged parrot, Common blue-winged parrotlet, Curacao brown-throated parakeet, Golden-capped parakeet, Guyana green-rumped parrotlet, Lichtenstein's noble macaw, Orange-fronted parakeet, Red-spectacled amazon, Southern blue-crowned parakeet, Southern mitred parakeet, Spectacled parrotlet, Tucuman amazon, Turquoise-rumped parrotlet, Yellow-faced parrotlet.
In summary, 15 rarities, of which 2 are unique in Europe and a further 4 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Zoo Brno
Fortunately one of the easier ones to spellbut also an excellent institution, with one notable rarity (Javan ferret badger) but so much more along with it. A very impressive fish collection along with a solid mammal and bird collection makes this place very much worth visiting if you get the chance, though it cannot be placed on the same level as Prague or Plzen.
Mammals: Javan ferret badger, Kowari, Northern white-breasted hedgehog, Pontianak Prevost's squirrel.
Birds: Common redstart, Red-breasted lory, Western plantain eater.
Reptiles: Eastern bearded dragon, Elliptical eye skink, Emerald skink, Great Basin gopher snake, Haitian giant galliwasp, Hosmer's skink, Northern spider tortoise.
Fish: Bleher's rainbowfish, Brown giant knifefish, Chequered rainbowfish, Desert goby, Eastern rainbowfish, Flowery flounder, Lake Furnusu rainbowfish, Little corydoras, Mayland's mbuna, Mega clown pleco, Orinoco cichlid, Pacific blue-eye, Red-striped rainbowfish, Regan's pike cichlid, Rosy loach, Sorong rainbowfish, Sparkle rainbowfish, Spotfin goby, Spotted blue-eye, Sudan squeaker, Wahrindi, Wapoya rainbowfish.
In summary, 36 species, of which 12 are unique in Europe and a further 3 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Zooparc Zájezd (Buštěhrad)
This is, in my opinion, the most interesting collection in Czechia. At first glance, it appears to be your bog standard reptile-focused place, with a respectably large collection and a few nice rarities. However, turns out this place is obsessed with chameleons, and when they can't get their hands on more chameleons, they get species with chameleon in their name! Seriously, this place 15 chameleon rarities, plus a further two rarities with chameleon in their names, along with a respectable mammal and bird collection. These numbers make it Europe's best chameleon collection despite Vienna's recent influx due to a border confiscation.
Mammals: Gordon's wildcat.
Birds: African hawk-eagle, Blue-faced dacnis, Blue-breasted kingfisher, Silver-beaked tanager, Yellow-crowned gonolek.
Reptiles: Bauer's chameleon gecko, Canopy chameleon, Chameleon forest dragon, Domergue's leaf chameleon, Flapneck chameleon, Oustalet's chameleon, Jackson's chameleon (NS), Jewelled chameleon, Meller's chameleon, Montane side-striped chameleon, Mount Kenya three-horned chameleon, Parson's chameleon, Plated leaf chameleon, Ring-headed dwarf snake, Short-horned chameleon, Spiny chameleon, Three-eyed lizard, Wavy chameleon, West Usambara blade-horned chameleon, Yellow-throated day gecko.
In summary, 26 rarities, of which 7 are unique in Europe and a further 3 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Zoo Chleby
For about a year, this was the only collection in Europe or North America with Red-shanked douc langurs. This small zoo, located in a town of only 360 people, would hardly seem like the first location one would check for a douc, but has had fair success with the species. Other than the doucs, Chleby has some 'interesting' theming, consisting of often gruesome or explicit figurines of various people, extinct animals and skeletons. The zoo also has a questionable taste in exhibit theming, with a particular highlight being a 6-metre tall face in the gibbon exhibit and a sculpture of a quagga randomly placed in the cheetah exhibit. Other than the strange decor and doucs, Chleby is a pretty run-down place, with exhibits ranging from awful to average. However, it does definitely have a few nice rarities, although if your objective is doucs, perhaps visiting Beauval would be more worthwhile, though perhaps less exciting/spooky.
Mammals: Kellen's African dormouse, Neumann's grass rat, Palestine spiny mouse, Red-shanked douc langur, Tristram's jird, Typical striped grass mouse.
Reptiles: Gran Canaria skink (NSS).
Zoopark Chomutov
Another nice collection, though not too many rarities and no unique species.
Mammals: Lesser Egyptian jerboa, Transcapian urial
Birds: Senegal laughing dove, Slaty-headed parakeet
Reptiles: Eastern Montpellier snake, Horseshoe whip snake, Kazakhstan steppe tortoise, Ravergier's racer, Ring-headed dwarf snake, Southern Amur ratsnake.
Zoo Děčín
Another mid-sized zoo with a couple of nice rarities, particularly in the way of birds of paradise, in which it appears to have a special interest and is probably the best collection in the country for them.
Mammals: Mexican spider monkey
Birds: Golden-winged Magnificent bird-of-paradise, Grey-backed thrush, King bird-of-paradise.
Zoo Dvorec
Easily one of the best cobra collections in Europe, along with a few other rarities along the way.
Mammals: Hausa genet, Philippine palm civet, Red-mantled saddle-backed tamarin, Rusty-spotted genet, Yellow baboon.
Birds: Chestnut sparrow
Reptiles: Anchieta cobra, Black-necked spitting cobra, Central Asian cobra, Chinese cobra, Indonesian cobra, Mozambique spitting cobra, Moroccan cobra, Nubian spitting cobra, Peters's cobra, Philippine cobra, South African Nile crocodile, Sumatran spitting cobra, Western barred spitting cobra.
In summary, 19 rarities, of which 1 is unique and 4 are only found in a couple of European collections.
Dvůr Králové
One of the more famous Czech collections, well known for housing several Northern white rhinos in an attempt to increase their numbers which eventually failed. However, this should not define their collection, as it is a superb assembly of hundreds of species almost uniquely (only a few species buck this trend) from Africa. It holds an impressive 65 rarities, more than Pairi Daiza, Antwerp or Vienna.
Mammals: Arabian striped hyena, Black-backed jackal, Central African ratel, Eastern putty-nosed monkey, Eastern white-bearded wildebeest, Ganzhorn's mouse lemur, Lowe's monkey, Nubian red-necked gazelle, Smith's bush squirrel, South African ratel, Southern Mountain reedbuck, Southern springhare, Thick-tailed greater galago, Thomson's gazelle.
Birds: African pied hornbill (NSS), African white-backed duck, Black-faced go-away bird, Black-headed weaver, Cape shoveler, Cape sparrow, Chestnut sparrow, Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, Golden-backed weaver, Goliath heron, Hartlaub's duck, Hildebrandt's francolin, Kuhl's brown-necked parrot, Layard black-headed weaver, Maccoa duck, Purple heron, Orange-cheeked waxbill, Red-bellied parrot, Red-collared widowbird, Rufous-tailed weaver, Senegal laughing dove, Sudan golden sparrow, Upper Guinea bulbul, Vitelline masked weaver, Western piping hornbill, Western plantain eater, Western reef egret, White-rumped seedeater, Zanzibar bishop.
Reptiles: Barbour's map turtle, Blue-throated agama, Boomslang, Flathead leaf-toed gecko, Great Lakes bush viper, Koch's day gecko, Leafnose snake, Senegal flap-shelled turtle, Sochurek's saw-scaled viper, Striped house snake, Twig snake, Two coloured skink, Western bush viper, White-lipped mud turtle, Yellow-throated plated lizard.
Amphibians: Delicate spiny reed frog, Marbled Madagascan rainfrog, Madagascar rain frog, Painted frog, White-spotted tree frog.
Fish: Caerulean damsel.
In summary, 65 rarities, of which 3 are unique in Europe and a further 16 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Svet pod hladinou (Frymburk) - Sargassum triggerfish
Zoo Ohrada
A few nice rarities, although no unique species. Himalayan brown bears probably one of the highlights here.
Mammals: Himalayan brown bear, South Brazilian coati.
Birds: Brambling, Brown-headed parrot, Fieldfare, Long-tailed rosefinch, Mew gull, Northern bullfinch, Ruddy turtle dove.
Reptiles: Common wondergecko, Cyclades viper, Eastern Montpellier snake, Eastern bearded dragon, Marie Galante anole, Steppe agama, Turkestan rock agama.
Fish: Little corydoras.
In summary, 16 species, of which 1 is found in only a couple of European zoos.
Zoo Hodonín
Another similarly sized collection, with a particularly impressive laughingthrush collection and a single unique species of the latter.
Mammals: Red-mantled saddle-backed tamarin
Birds: Chestnut-eared aracari, Chinese spotted dove, Crimson-rumped toucanet, Eastern moustached laughingthrush, Northern bullfinch, Red-winged laughingthrush, Streaked laughingthrush.
Fish: Cortez angelfish, Long-finned goby, Lubbock's wrasse, Red-striped rainbowfish.
In summary, 12 rarities, of which 1 is unique in Europe.
Zoopark Na Hrádečku
One of the ones I didn't know about before doing this, this collection was somewhat of a revelation, with a large herp collection along with a few nice mammal rarities. Well worth visiting in my opinion if you are in the area. It holds a special interest in the constrictors, particularly boas - it is the best collection for sand boas on the continent and definitely in the running for the best for the Boidae.
Mammals: Bonnet macaque, Common slender mongoose.
Reptiles: Angolan python, Baja rosy boa, Baracoa anole, Bismarck ringed python, Central Stimson's python, Children's python, Coastal rosy boa, Cuban giant dusky dwarf boa, Desert rosy boa, East African sand boa, Eastern sand boa, Grenada tree boa, Haitian boa (NS), Hart's glass lizard, Inland carpet python, Javelin sand boa, Long-tailed boa, Mexican rosy boa, Mueller's sand boa, New Guinea ground boa, New Guinea carpet python, Paraguayan rainbow boa, Paulson's Pacific boa, Puerto Rican boa, Rough-scaled sand boa, Spotted python, Tanimbar blue-tongued skink, Tartar sand boa, Wiegmann's agama.
Amphibians: Blessed poison frog
In summary, 32 rarities, of which 5 are unique in Europe and a further 4 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Prirodovedne centrum (Hradec Kralove) - Gunther's flat-tail gecko
Zoo Jihlava
Definitely one of the larger zoos in the country after Plzen and Prague, and it has a multitude of rarities, though comparatively few unique species. Many of its rarities are shared by Plzen and Prague, so often it has species that can be seen in three of four collections on the continent but only two that are found in two and no unique. It nevertheless has a very impressive array of mammal rarities in particular.
Mammals: Arabian striped hyena, Black-tailed garden dormouse, Chacoan peccary, Coruro, Egypt hedgehog, Ganzhorn's mouse lemur, Garnett's greater galago, Goodman's mouse lemur, Gordon's wildcat, Graell's tamarin, Kowari, Long-eared hedgehog, Lowe's monkey, Northern bamboo lemur, Palawan leopard cat, Palestine spiny mouse, Persian jird, Philippine palm civet, Philippine porcupine, Rufous rat kangaroo, Seurat's spiny mouse, Siberian flying squirrel, Southern Luzon giant cloud rat, Spinifex hopping mouse, Spix's moustached tamarin, Thick-tailed greater galago, Wagner's gerbil, West African tree hyrax, White-tailed antsangy.
Birds: Double-banded finch (NS), Green rosella.
Reptiles: Atlantic Central American milksnake, Chinese cave gecko, Cope's false chameleon, Cunningham's skink, Eastern Madagascar tree boa, Gray-banded kingsnake, Haitian giant galliwasp, Huachuca mountain kingsnake, Tanimbar blue-tongued skink, Western Madagascar tree boa.
In summary, 41 rarities, with only 2 found only in a couple of European collections.
Motly dum Diana (Karlovy Vary) - Masked finch
Zoodomek Karlstejn - African grass rat, Black-tailed thallomys.
Svět divočiny v Lednice
Actually a decently-sized collection, and one often glossed over. It in fact holds a fair few rarities, though no unique species.
Reptiles: Cyclades viper, Cane-brake rattlesnake, Cascabel rattlesnake, Chaco lancehead, Kurdistani rock viper, Rough-scaled death adder, Russian blunt-nosed viper, Sahara rock viper, Sochurek's saw-scaled viper, Crossed pitviper, Wagner's viper, Western coral snake.
In summary, 12 rarities.
Zoo Liberec
Another fairly large zoo, with some nice rarities and a couple of species that one would only expect to see at the big name collections.
Mammals: Black and rufous sengi, Gray-short-tailed opossum, Philippine porcupine, Tajik urial.
Birds: Chinese spotted dove, Grey-headed dove, King bird-of-paradise, Korean ring-necked pheasant, Spot-billed pelican, Wahlberg's eagle.
Reptiles: Crowned river turtle, Koch's day gecko, Merauke blue-tongued skink, Sri Lankan water monitor.
Fish: Arabian carpetshark.
In summary, 15 rarities, of which 1 is unique in Europe and a further 1 is only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Modrá Terárium - Blessed poison frog, Mexican moccasin.
Zoo Olomouc
Another medium-sized collection with a fair few rarities, namely a couple of unique ratel subspecies and a further few unique fish species.
Mammals: Bezoar ibex, Gray short-tailed opossum, Pale spear-nosed bat, Persian ratel, South African ratel, Spix's moustached tamarin.
Birds: Golden-backed weaver, Sao Tome barn owl.
Reptiles: Blue-throated agama, Cope's false chameleon, East African egg eating snake, Tunisian spur-thighed tortoise, West African rainbow lizard, Yellow-throated plated lizard.
Amphibians: Marbled newt
Fish: Bennett's sharpnose puffer, Blue-barred parrotfish, Peppermint bass, Twostripe goby, Yellowstripe threadfin bream.
In summary, 20 rarities, of which 6 are unique in Europe and a further 1 is only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Zoopark Olovnice - Rusty-spotted genet
Zoo Ostrava
One of the larger collections in the country once you disregard two at the top, Ostrava has a fantastic collection - perhaps not as crammed with rarities as perhaps Jihlava is, but still very impressive. Three tree hyrax taxa, Tarai sacred langurs and a multitude of further fish species, giving it a great depth and balance between the classes.
Mammals: Eastern wallaroo, Garnett's greater galago, Tarai grey langur, Southern Luzon giant cloud rat, Southern tree hyrax, West African tree hyrax, Western tree hyrax, White collared brown lemur.
Birds: Black-headed sibia, Chinese red-whiskered bulbul, Green-thighed parrot, Hartlaub's duck, Mombasa speckled mousebird, Red-breasted lory.
Reptiles: East African fringe-tailed forest lizard, Striped velvet gecko, West African rainbow lizard, Yellow-headed temple turtle.
Amphibians: Hairy frog.
Fish: Amiet's lyretail, Canara pearlspot, Domino tetra, Gabun hemichromis, Emerald green lampeye, Highland swordtail, Golden dwarf barb, Magdalena river stingray, Marbled swordtail, Monterrey platfish, Northern platyfish, Sucker head, Tiger leporinus.
In summary, that is 32 rarities, of which 9 are unique in Europe and a further 6 found in only a couple of the continent's institutions.
So, that's that. Next up is Plzen in its own post, and then Prague with the likes of Zlin and Protivin. This really did take a while to compile and type up, as it is quite a dense and long post. However, I hope it is useful, since these are zoos which are typically perceived as generic Czech zoos but which all have such different specialties and interests.
You know how much I value your work at the moment, good job!
Germany will only be more work because there are so many zoos there. If you don't count the fishes in (as I don't know of many aquariums in Czech Republic), I'm pretty sure Czech Republic wins when it comes to number of rarities overall, but it would be a real pain to check which one of the two country has the more rarities.
Out of interest, which is the other zoo with tarai grey langur? Zootierliste still has them under northern grey langur (Semnopithecus entellus)
Since the ESB population was created, the former Semnopithecus entellus species has been split it many different ones.
Ostrava had Semnopithecus hector that have been mixed with some individuals of the founder population, they now probably have both species and some hybrids.
This is probably not 100% accurate, maybe someone will know more details.
Translated from ZTL : "Temporarily listed as Semnopithecus hector, but regular exchange with the rest of the ESB population."
I believe Heidelberg has a single male from Ostrava.
Good to know, i Plan on visiting Heidelberg Zoo this year again.
Looking forward to seeing Prague, as I am planning on going there in the not-too-distant future, hopefully.
@CrashMegaraptor Zoo Praha is a very good Zoo, i have visited Praha Zoo in 2018. There are so many rare animals in this Zoo.
Zoo Plzeň
Quite simply the largest collection of rarities. I have devoted (almost) an entire post to it for this very reason. The collection holds a mind-blowing 364 rarities, almost 4 times the largest collection of rarities so far before it (Haus des Meeres at a now measly 92
), and filling up 2 and a half pages of a project book when no others had even gone beyond half of one.
It is almost impossible to give a summary or a couple of highlights because of the sheer number of the latter making it an infeasible task to designate just a few, so I guess here is the list. Quick disclaimer - I haven't removed off-show species for two reasons: 1. It would take too much time and frankly I have better things to do and 2. It is relatively easy to get permission to go behind the scenes and see many (not all) of the species listed below, and since the visible species are changing so often I can't get hold of an empirical list to go off of.
Mammals: Alpine field mouse, Black-tailed garden dormouse, Brown dorcopsis, Cactus deermouse, California bighorn sheep, Cape fox, Common slender mongoose, Common water-rat, Coruro, Crete spiny mouse, Dall's sheep, East African banded mongoose, East African bat-eared fox, East African springhare, Eastern ring-tailed vontsira, Eurasian field mouse, Forest giant pouched rat, Ganzhorn's mouse lemur, Garnett's greater galago, Goodman's mouse lemur, Gray-short-tailed opossum, Great Balkan brush-tailed mouse, Greater Egyptian jerboa, Greater hedgehog tenrec, Hausa genet, Herb field mouse, Hispid cotton rat, Indomalayan bamboo rat, Javan rusa, Kellen's African dormouse, Lesser Egyptian jerboa, Levant vole, Long-tailed field mouse, Matthey's mouse, Merriam's kangaroo rat, Neumann's grass rat, Palawan leopard cat, Pale spear-nosed bat, Palestine spiny mouse, Panay cloud runner, Percival's spiny mouse, Persian jird (ssp. rossicus), Philippine palm civet, Philippine porcupine, Red-mantled saddle-back tamarin, Reed vole, Rufous bettong, Senegal bushbaby (NS), Seurat's spiny mouse, Siberian flying squirrel, Southern African spiny mouse, Southern black-backed jackal, Southern long-nosed bat, Southern Luzon giant cloud rat, Southern tree hyrax, Syrian jird, Tule elk, Typical striped grass mouse, West African tree hyrax, Western fat-tailed dwarf lemur, White-bearded masked palm civet, White-tailed antsangy, Xeric four-striped grass rat, Yellow-necked field mouse.
Birds: African chaffinch, African grey-headed gull, African three-banded plover, Amazilia hummingbird, American black duck, Atlas horned lark, Australian black duck, Australian ibis, Azure tit (NSS), Bar-shouldered dove, Barn swallow, Barred buttonquail, Barred dove, Bianchi's pheasant, Black-collared starling, Black-faced munia, Black-headed sibia, Black-tailed gull, Black-throated laughingthrush (NS), Blue chaffinch, Blue-winged parrot, Brush bronzewing, Chestnut bulbul, Chestnut munia, Chinese red-whiskered bulbul, Chinese ring-necked pheasant, Chinese spot-billed duck, Chinese spotted dove, Coal tit (NS), Cochin-Chinese red junglefowl, Coleto, Collared kingfisher, Collared pratincole, Common linnet, Common sandpiper, Corncrake, Cypriot chukar partridge, Dammermann's moustached parakeet, Deplanche's lorikeet, Double-banded finch (NS), Dusky munia, Dusky turtle dove, Eared dove, Eastern brown pelican, Eastern grey-crowned goldfinch, Eastern Oriental turtle dove, Eastern purple heron, Eastern red-tailed hawk, Eastern rosella (NS) Eurasian golden plover, Faeroes eider, Fiji parrotfinch, Flying steamerduck, Freckled duck, Golden-shouldered parrot, Grand mannikin, Great kiskadee, Greater short-toed lark, Green imperial pigeon, Green rosella, Grey wagtail, Grey-headed social weaver (NS), Grey-backed thrush, Guldenstadt's redstart, Hawaiian duck, Hypocolius, Indian red avadavat, Indian scaly-breasted munia, Iris lorikeet, Japanese thrush, Jungle bush quail, Kagu, Khivan pheasant, Korean ring-necked pheasant, Lesser redpoll, Long-tailed rosefinch, Maccoa duck, Madagascar blue pigeon, Madagascar pond heron, Madagascar sacred ibis, Maghreb magpie, Malay spotted dove, Manchurian ring-necked pheasant, Masked finch, Mindanao lorikeet, Miombo blue-eared starling, Mistle thrush, Moussier's redstart, New Guinea blue-faced parrotfinch, Northern bullfinch, Northern green pheasant, Orange-flanked bush robin, Oriental greenfinch, Oriole babbler, Palawan hornbill, Pale-bellied myna, Peaceful dove, Persian pheasant, Philippine metallic pigeon, Philippine rufous night-heron, Pint-tailed sandgrouse (ssp. caudacutus), Pine grosbeak, Pink-headed imperial pigeon, Plum-headed finch, Rain quail, Red-backed shrike, Red-bellied fruit dove, Red-browed firetail, Red-headed bunting, Red-throated bee-eater, Red-vented bulbul, Red-winged laughingthrush, Redhead, Reed bunting, Ring-necked dove, Ruby-throated bulbul, Ruddy turtle dove, Rufous scrub robin, Rufous-cheeked laughingthrush, Scaly-breasted lorikeet, Senegal laughing dove, Siberian goldfinch, Siberian rubythroat, Siberian thrush, Sichuan pheasant, Silver-tipped imperial pigeon, Slender-billed gull, Slender-billed spotted nutcracker, Southern Sulawesi hornbill, Southern white-necked myna, Spot-billed pigeon, Spotless starling, Spotted imperial pigeon, Stella's lorikeet, Stephan's dove, Sudan golden sparrow, Sumatra treepie, Sunda teal, Taiwan ring-necked pheasant, Trumpeter finch, Upper Guinea bulbul, Vietnamese red junglefowl, Western black redstart, Western spotted dove, Western turkey vulture, Western water rail, White-eared brown dove, White-headed munia, White-spectacled bulbul, Wood lark, Yellow-billed pintail, Zarudny's pheasant, Zerafshan pheasant.
Reptiles: Andaman day gecko, Antongil velvet gecko, Anzamala Madagascar swift, Aruba Island rattlesnake, Astrolabe diving skink, Augrabies flat lizard, Bauer's chameleon gecko, Black Malagasy cat-eyed snake, Black-headed bushmaster, Black-striped skink, Blue-tailed day gecko, Burton's snake lizard, Chinese moccasin, Collared flat lizard, Common variable skink, Cyclades viper, East African black mud turtle, Eastern collared lizard, Elegant mabuya, Elliptical eye skink, Emerald skink, Ethiopian mountain adder, Eyespot gecko, Fitzinger's algyroides, Flathead leaf-toed gecko, Forsten's gecko, Four-lined girdled lizard, Gran Canaria giant lizard, Gran Canaria skink (NS), Grandider's Madagascar swift, Grandidier's velvet gecko, Grey toadhead gecko, Gray's monitor, Gray's leaf-toed gecko, Green girdled lizard, Haitian giant galliwasp, Henderson's anole, Hielscher's day gecko, Island day gecko, Javan filesnake, Jones' armadillo lizard, Karsten's girdled lizard, Keeled slug-eating snake, Koch's day gecko, La Digue day gecko, Lined day gecko (NSS), Lined flat-tail gecko, Long Island day gecko, Luzon mangrove snake, Madagascar bling burrowing snake, Madagascar clawless gecko, Madagascar day gecko (NS), Madagascar girdled lizard, Madagascar keeled cordylid, Madagascar velvet gecko, Malagasy blonde hognose snake, Malagasy cat-eyed snake (ssp. pastoriensis), Malagasy speckled hognose snake, Mexican giant musk turtle, Mexican mud turtle, Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko, Mojave rattlensake, Moroccan ocellated lizard, Mount Ibity Madagascar ground gecko, Mount Koghis gecko, Nosy Be ground gecko, Olafian day gecko, Oldham's leaf turtle, Oriental wolf snake, Ornak day gecko, Ornate girdled lizard, Palawan mangrove snake, Papua snake lizard, Parker's day gecko, Pasteur's day gecko, Peters' keeled cordylid, Philippine false gecko, Polillo false gecko, Puff-faced water snake, Reunion day gecko, Robert Mertens' day gecko, Robust forest gecko, Rough-scaled python, Saban anole, Sakishima grass lizard, Smooth helmeted iguana, Sonoran desert sidewinder, Souss Valley spur-thighed tortoise, South American bushmaster, Southeastern girdled lizard, Southern Tenerife lizard, Speckled cape tortoise, Speckled day gecko, Spotted Madagascar skink, Striped brook snake, Stripeless day gecko, Stumpf's Madagascar ground gecko, Sulawesi water skink, Tanimbar blue-tongued skink, Texas gopher tortoise, Three-eyed lizard, Three-lined girdled lizard, Turkestan rock agama, Two-striped Gran Canaria skink, Union Island clawed gecko, Vaillant's mabuya, Vieillard's chameleon gecko, West African rainbow lizard, Western banded gecko, Western dwarf gecko, Western Madagascar tree boa, Wide-tailed zonosaur, Yellow-bellied mud turtle, Yellow-throated day gecko, Yucatan tropical rattlesnake.
Amphibians: Agile frog, Betsileo Madagascar frog, Betsileo reed frog, Blue-legged mantella, Cuban small-eared toad, Cuban tree frog, Free Madagascar frog, Great Plains toad, Green toad, Lake Urmia newt, Marbled Madagascan rainfrog, North African fire salamander, Oviedo fire salamander, White-spotted reed frog.
Fish: Alborella, American flag fish, Azure dwarf cichlid, Blackbelly limia, Cape kurper, Celebes halfbeak, Dunsire's ray-finned fish, Goldblotch dwarf rasbora, Gournara, Marathon minnow, Pearl roach, Polka-dot splitfin, Puebla platyfish, Snakeskin gourami, Speckled damselfish, Spotted blue-eye, Tiburon Peninsula limia, Varatraza panchax.
364 rarities, of which 82 are unique in Europe and a further 75 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions. Simply stunning figures.
Plzen Akva Terra
A quality collection in its own right but unfortunately often overshadowed by Zoo Plzen, Akva Terra actually has some really nice species, often supplied by Plzen itself so a fair few similarities can be seen between Plzen's and Akva Terra's herp collections in particular.
Reptiles: Banded kukri snake, Biak tree monitor, Cope's false chameleon, Dumeril's Madagascar swift, Emerald skink, Forsten's tortoise, Gran Canaria skink (NS), Grandidier's Madagascar swift, Gray-banded kingsnake, Honduras rat snake, Indonesia forest dragon, Jamaican giant anole, Karsten's girdled lizard, Mangrove pitviper, Many-scaled gecko, Moluccan giant gecko, Moroccan ocellated lizard, Rustamow's fringe-eyed sand gecko, Smooth helmeted iguana, Sulawesi water skink, Turkestan rock agama, Western cliff anole, Yellow-spotted tropical night lizard.
Amphibians: Cuban tree frog, Merlin's clawed frog, Treasury Island tree frog, Tschudi's Caribbean toad, White-spotted reed frog.
Fish: Black splitfin, Blackbelly limia, Mountain swordtail, Norman's lampeye.
In summary, 33 rarities, of which 5 are unique in Europe and a further 9 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Next up will be the remaining Czech institutions - Prague, along with Usit, Teplice, Protivin, Zlin...
Quite simply the largest collection of rarities. I have devoted (almost) an entire post to it for this very reason. The collection holds a mind-blowing 364 rarities, almost 4 times the largest collection of rarities so far before it (Haus des Meeres at a now measly 92
), and filling up 2 and a half pages of a project book when no others had even gone beyond half of one.It is almost impossible to give a summary or a couple of highlights because of the sheer number of the latter making it an infeasible task to designate just a few, so I guess here is the list. Quick disclaimer - I haven't removed off-show species for two reasons: 1. It would take too much time and frankly I have better things to do and 2. It is relatively easy to get permission to go behind the scenes and see many (not all) of the species listed below, and since the visible species are changing so often I can't get hold of an empirical list to go off of.
Mammals: Alpine field mouse, Black-tailed garden dormouse, Brown dorcopsis, Cactus deermouse, California bighorn sheep, Cape fox, Common slender mongoose, Common water-rat, Coruro, Crete spiny mouse, Dall's sheep, East African banded mongoose, East African bat-eared fox, East African springhare, Eastern ring-tailed vontsira, Eurasian field mouse, Forest giant pouched rat, Ganzhorn's mouse lemur, Garnett's greater galago, Goodman's mouse lemur, Gray-short-tailed opossum, Great Balkan brush-tailed mouse, Greater Egyptian jerboa, Greater hedgehog tenrec, Hausa genet, Herb field mouse, Hispid cotton rat, Indomalayan bamboo rat, Javan rusa, Kellen's African dormouse, Lesser Egyptian jerboa, Levant vole, Long-tailed field mouse, Matthey's mouse, Merriam's kangaroo rat, Neumann's grass rat, Palawan leopard cat, Pale spear-nosed bat, Palestine spiny mouse, Panay cloud runner, Percival's spiny mouse, Persian jird (ssp. rossicus), Philippine palm civet, Philippine porcupine, Red-mantled saddle-back tamarin, Reed vole, Rufous bettong, Senegal bushbaby (NS), Seurat's spiny mouse, Siberian flying squirrel, Southern African spiny mouse, Southern black-backed jackal, Southern long-nosed bat, Southern Luzon giant cloud rat, Southern tree hyrax, Syrian jird, Tule elk, Typical striped grass mouse, West African tree hyrax, Western fat-tailed dwarf lemur, White-bearded masked palm civet, White-tailed antsangy, Xeric four-striped grass rat, Yellow-necked field mouse.
Birds: African chaffinch, African grey-headed gull, African three-banded plover, Amazilia hummingbird, American black duck, Atlas horned lark, Australian black duck, Australian ibis, Azure tit (NSS), Bar-shouldered dove, Barn swallow, Barred buttonquail, Barred dove, Bianchi's pheasant, Black-collared starling, Black-faced munia, Black-headed sibia, Black-tailed gull, Black-throated laughingthrush (NS), Blue chaffinch, Blue-winged parrot, Brush bronzewing, Chestnut bulbul, Chestnut munia, Chinese red-whiskered bulbul, Chinese ring-necked pheasant, Chinese spot-billed duck, Chinese spotted dove, Coal tit (NS), Cochin-Chinese red junglefowl, Coleto, Collared kingfisher, Collared pratincole, Common linnet, Common sandpiper, Corncrake, Cypriot chukar partridge, Dammermann's moustached parakeet, Deplanche's lorikeet, Double-banded finch (NS), Dusky munia, Dusky turtle dove, Eared dove, Eastern brown pelican, Eastern grey-crowned goldfinch, Eastern Oriental turtle dove, Eastern purple heron, Eastern red-tailed hawk, Eastern rosella (NS) Eurasian golden plover, Faeroes eider, Fiji parrotfinch, Flying steamerduck, Freckled duck, Golden-shouldered parrot, Grand mannikin, Great kiskadee, Greater short-toed lark, Green imperial pigeon, Green rosella, Grey wagtail, Grey-headed social weaver (NS), Grey-backed thrush, Guldenstadt's redstart, Hawaiian duck, Hypocolius, Indian red avadavat, Indian scaly-breasted munia, Iris lorikeet, Japanese thrush, Jungle bush quail, Kagu, Khivan pheasant, Korean ring-necked pheasant, Lesser redpoll, Long-tailed rosefinch, Maccoa duck, Madagascar blue pigeon, Madagascar pond heron, Madagascar sacred ibis, Maghreb magpie, Malay spotted dove, Manchurian ring-necked pheasant, Masked finch, Mindanao lorikeet, Miombo blue-eared starling, Mistle thrush, Moussier's redstart, New Guinea blue-faced parrotfinch, Northern bullfinch, Northern green pheasant, Orange-flanked bush robin, Oriental greenfinch, Oriole babbler, Palawan hornbill, Pale-bellied myna, Peaceful dove, Persian pheasant, Philippine metallic pigeon, Philippine rufous night-heron, Pint-tailed sandgrouse (ssp. caudacutus), Pine grosbeak, Pink-headed imperial pigeon, Plum-headed finch, Rain quail, Red-backed shrike, Red-bellied fruit dove, Red-browed firetail, Red-headed bunting, Red-throated bee-eater, Red-vented bulbul, Red-winged laughingthrush, Redhead, Reed bunting, Ring-necked dove, Ruby-throated bulbul, Ruddy turtle dove, Rufous scrub robin, Rufous-cheeked laughingthrush, Scaly-breasted lorikeet, Senegal laughing dove, Siberian goldfinch, Siberian rubythroat, Siberian thrush, Sichuan pheasant, Silver-tipped imperial pigeon, Slender-billed gull, Slender-billed spotted nutcracker, Southern Sulawesi hornbill, Southern white-necked myna, Spot-billed pigeon, Spotless starling, Spotted imperial pigeon, Stella's lorikeet, Stephan's dove, Sudan golden sparrow, Sumatra treepie, Sunda teal, Taiwan ring-necked pheasant, Trumpeter finch, Upper Guinea bulbul, Vietnamese red junglefowl, Western black redstart, Western spotted dove, Western turkey vulture, Western water rail, White-eared brown dove, White-headed munia, White-spectacled bulbul, Wood lark, Yellow-billed pintail, Zarudny's pheasant, Zerafshan pheasant.
Reptiles: Andaman day gecko, Antongil velvet gecko, Anzamala Madagascar swift, Aruba Island rattlesnake, Astrolabe diving skink, Augrabies flat lizard, Bauer's chameleon gecko, Black Malagasy cat-eyed snake, Black-headed bushmaster, Black-striped skink, Blue-tailed day gecko, Burton's snake lizard, Chinese moccasin, Collared flat lizard, Common variable skink, Cyclades viper, East African black mud turtle, Eastern collared lizard, Elegant mabuya, Elliptical eye skink, Emerald skink, Ethiopian mountain adder, Eyespot gecko, Fitzinger's algyroides, Flathead leaf-toed gecko, Forsten's gecko, Four-lined girdled lizard, Gran Canaria giant lizard, Gran Canaria skink (NS), Grandider's Madagascar swift, Grandidier's velvet gecko, Grey toadhead gecko, Gray's monitor, Gray's leaf-toed gecko, Green girdled lizard, Haitian giant galliwasp, Henderson's anole, Hielscher's day gecko, Island day gecko, Javan filesnake, Jones' armadillo lizard, Karsten's girdled lizard, Keeled slug-eating snake, Koch's day gecko, La Digue day gecko, Lined day gecko (NSS), Lined flat-tail gecko, Long Island day gecko, Luzon mangrove snake, Madagascar bling burrowing snake, Madagascar clawless gecko, Madagascar day gecko (NS), Madagascar girdled lizard, Madagascar keeled cordylid, Madagascar velvet gecko, Malagasy blonde hognose snake, Malagasy cat-eyed snake (ssp. pastoriensis), Malagasy speckled hognose snake, Mexican giant musk turtle, Mexican mud turtle, Mocquard's Madagascar ground gecko, Mojave rattlensake, Moroccan ocellated lizard, Mount Ibity Madagascar ground gecko, Mount Koghis gecko, Nosy Be ground gecko, Olafian day gecko, Oldham's leaf turtle, Oriental wolf snake, Ornak day gecko, Ornate girdled lizard, Palawan mangrove snake, Papua snake lizard, Parker's day gecko, Pasteur's day gecko, Peters' keeled cordylid, Philippine false gecko, Polillo false gecko, Puff-faced water snake, Reunion day gecko, Robert Mertens' day gecko, Robust forest gecko, Rough-scaled python, Saban anole, Sakishima grass lizard, Smooth helmeted iguana, Sonoran desert sidewinder, Souss Valley spur-thighed tortoise, South American bushmaster, Southeastern girdled lizard, Southern Tenerife lizard, Speckled cape tortoise, Speckled day gecko, Spotted Madagascar skink, Striped brook snake, Stripeless day gecko, Stumpf's Madagascar ground gecko, Sulawesi water skink, Tanimbar blue-tongued skink, Texas gopher tortoise, Three-eyed lizard, Three-lined girdled lizard, Turkestan rock agama, Two-striped Gran Canaria skink, Union Island clawed gecko, Vaillant's mabuya, Vieillard's chameleon gecko, West African rainbow lizard, Western banded gecko, Western dwarf gecko, Western Madagascar tree boa, Wide-tailed zonosaur, Yellow-bellied mud turtle, Yellow-throated day gecko, Yucatan tropical rattlesnake.
Amphibians: Agile frog, Betsileo Madagascar frog, Betsileo reed frog, Blue-legged mantella, Cuban small-eared toad, Cuban tree frog, Free Madagascar frog, Great Plains toad, Green toad, Lake Urmia newt, Marbled Madagascan rainfrog, North African fire salamander, Oviedo fire salamander, White-spotted reed frog.
Fish: Alborella, American flag fish, Azure dwarf cichlid, Blackbelly limia, Cape kurper, Celebes halfbeak, Dunsire's ray-finned fish, Goldblotch dwarf rasbora, Gournara, Marathon minnow, Pearl roach, Polka-dot splitfin, Puebla platyfish, Snakeskin gourami, Speckled damselfish, Spotted blue-eye, Tiburon Peninsula limia, Varatraza panchax.
364 rarities, of which 82 are unique in Europe and a further 75 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions. Simply stunning figures.
Plzen Akva Terra
A quality collection in its own right but unfortunately often overshadowed by Zoo Plzen, Akva Terra actually has some really nice species, often supplied by Plzen itself so a fair few similarities can be seen between Plzen's and Akva Terra's herp collections in particular.
Reptiles: Banded kukri snake, Biak tree monitor, Cope's false chameleon, Dumeril's Madagascar swift, Emerald skink, Forsten's tortoise, Gran Canaria skink (NS), Grandidier's Madagascar swift, Gray-banded kingsnake, Honduras rat snake, Indonesia forest dragon, Jamaican giant anole, Karsten's girdled lizard, Mangrove pitviper, Many-scaled gecko, Moluccan giant gecko, Moroccan ocellated lizard, Rustamow's fringe-eyed sand gecko, Smooth helmeted iguana, Sulawesi water skink, Turkestan rock agama, Western cliff anole, Yellow-spotted tropical night lizard.
Amphibians: Cuban tree frog, Merlin's clawed frog, Treasury Island tree frog, Tschudi's Caribbean toad, White-spotted reed frog.
Fish: Black splitfin, Blackbelly limia, Mountain swordtail, Norman's lampeye.
In summary, 33 rarities, of which 5 are unique in Europe and a further 9 are only found in a couple of the continent's institutions.
Next up will be the remaining Czech institutions - Prague, along with Usit, Teplice, Protivin, Zlin...
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I presume “bling” burrowing snake should be “blind” burrowing snake? Great job with this thread!
Thank you for mentioning WdG.
Given that Ebbs Raritätenzoo means "Ebbs' Zoo of Rarities", it's kinda funny how few actual zoological rarities they have these days...
#wiseguy
Given that Ebbs Raritätenzoo means "Ebbs' Zoo of Rarities", it's kinda funny how few actual zoological rarities they have these days...
So Zoochatters visiting Salzburg can smugly say to their fellow travellers: "Let's go to WdG - 'cause I got connections"
#wiseguy
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