Are there people on Zoochat primarily into Herps???

JerseyLotte

JerseyLotte

Well-Known Member
Just curious, I'm finding this entire website thoroughly intriguing and the fact it's a collection of such rarities as "zoo enthusiasts"!?! :D

I'd like to make two general observations on what I've seen and read so far;
Firstly, in the gallery section, it would seem that enclosure pictures are of far greater interest than species portraits.
Secondly, it would seem the vast majority of zoochatters are mammal orientated, with birds in the middle and seemingly very little interest in Herps?

Are Herps an afterthought? Or is it simply that the kinds of people who are primarily interested in Herps are a) hiding in the woodwork or b) coincidentally just not inclined to use a site like this much.

:D musings after a long day
Lotte***
 
Whilst my favourite animals include such ZooChat 'favourites' like elephants, gorillas and clouded leopards, I certainly still have a fond spot for herps, my favourites probably being chameleons and rare crocodilian species' like Morelets and Phillipine. I keep a (albeit rather grumpy!) leopard gecko called Jammy Dodger, and have plans to keep Hermann's Tortoise and Yemen Chameleon in the not too distant future.
 
JerseyLotte said:
Just curious, I'm finding this entire website thoroughly intriguing and the fact it's a collection of such rarities as "zoo enthusiasts"!?! :D
Click to expand...

Welcome! :)

JerseyLotte said:
I'd like to make two general observations on what I've seen and read so far;
Firstly, in the gallery section, it would seem that enclosure pictures are of far greater interest than species portraits.
Click to expand...

I think there are two factors here - firstly, one Ring-tailed Lemur or Rhino Iguana looks much like another, so people don't post a picture for each and every zoo. Whereas the enclosures are different everywhere!

Secondly, I've noticed before that exhibit shots tend to get more views than animal portraits - I suspect this partly because it's easier to see the animal protraits in the 'thumbnail' view on the gallery page than the exhibits! It's also because there can be more to discuss on an exhibit shot.


JerseyLotte said:
Secondly, it would seem the vast majority of zoochatters are mammal orientated, with birds in the middle and seemingly very little interest in Herps?

Are Herps an afterthought? Or is it simply that the kinds of people who are primarily interested in Herps are a) hiding in the woodwork or b) coincidentally just not inclined to use a site like this much.
Click to expand...

I think it's fair to say many people on here (and, if we're being honest, most larger zoos) are fairly mammal-orientated. But that's not to say there aren't those of us with a wider interest! Bear in mind though that it's much easier to find out from zoos what is happening with mammals than herps. Chester Zoo receives a new giraffe or orang and it goes on the website - Chester Zoo receives a new Crocodile Monitor and it'll be much harder to find out about it.

I did once make a thread to promote discussion of the non-megafauna species: http://www.zoochat.com/2/escape-abcs-94004/
 
While I'm primarily interested in mammals, and then birds, I'm also very interested in Herps (well, Reptiles - amphibs do little to excite me) and keep a few native snake and lizard species.

I prefer photos of animals but will take pics of a good or bad exhibit. Something I always try and do is include the animal in the photo (or a member of the public) to give some scale to the enclosure. Judging by many of the photos uploaded here, the world appears to be full of empty exhibits.

:p

Hix
 
I am :D
I want to work with them, and I also have 2 leos and a beardie :)
 
Thank you all for your responses :D
I did a kind of straw poll of my immediate Herpetologist colleagues to examine their interests;

One of them it seems loves random things of any description, ask him about any group of animals and he'll come up with the one that as wacky facial appendages or bizarre habits! A purple pointy nosed burrowing frog or strange marsupial is what floats his boat, birds of paradise, he loves them all.

One of them is more amphibian orientated than general Herps, shes worked as a mammal keeper in a couple of Australasian zoos, she is a Lemur fanatic but is otherwise non fussed over mammals and no birds either.

One of them said he'd take mammals over stressy birds any day and that no birds are of any real interest to him (although he has cultivated a friendship with a robin that hangs out near our bins, figure that out!).

One of them has worked in many European institutions over the years as many different kinds of keeper, he's got a secret passion for Fennec Foxes and Vietnamese pot bellied pigs!!!

We all fantisise about working with small to medium sized cat species and birds of prey in another life. We all have an equally strong distaste for Chimps...

Nothing stranger than peoples tastes!

Maguari said:
Welcome! :)

I think there are two factors here - firstly, one Ring-tailed Lemur or Rhino Iguana looks much like another, so people don't post a picture for each and every zoo. Whereas the enclosures are different everywhere!

Secondly, I've noticed before that exhibit shots tend to get more views than animal portraits - I suspect this partly because it's easier to see the animal protraits in the 'thumbnail' view on the gallery page than the exhibits! It's also because there can be more to discuss on an exhibit shot.

I think it's fair to say many people on here (and, if we're being honest, most larger zoos) are fairly mammal-orientated. But that's not to say there aren't those of us with a wider interest! Bear in mind though that it's much easier to find out from zoos what is happening with mammals than herps. Chester Zoo receives a new giraffe or orang and it goes on the website - Chester Zoo receives a new Crocodile Monitor and it'll be much harder to find out about it.

I did once make a thread to promote discussion of the non-megafauna species: http://www.zoochat.com/2/escape-abcs-94004/
Click to expand...


Thanks for the welcome :)

Ah ah ah! While I'd say every ringtail lemur looks like every other, a Rhino Iguana is a distinctive beastie! I'd say most amphibians look the same within their species. Iguanas, Chelonians, Snakes, for me are all very individual :D

I guess finding out about herps and the general focus depends upon the institution.
 
JerseyLotte said:
One of them said he'd take mammals over stressy birds any day and that no birds are of any real interest to him (although he has cultivated a friendship with a robin that hangs out near our bins, figure that out!).
...We all have an equally strong distaste for Chimps...
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That sounds like me lol. I must visit Jersey, looks great :D
 
I like herps. One thing which always frustrates me is that many UK zoos have such intersting species in their collection, but all most of them show are common boa, anaconda, green iguana, bearded dragon etc.

I like the collections at London and Cotswold. I did like Jersey but since I've only been once, in 1989, I have no idea what it's like now.
 
The collections that simply contain endless rescue animals like anacondas, boa constrictors, green iguanas, bearded dragons!!!!! are a poor show indeed. These places are letting down an entire taxon of animals as a cinderella sister, a mere afterthought in the planning :(

On public display here at Durrell we currently have;
Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman - Paleosuchus palpebrosus,

Hispanolian Slider - Trachemys decorata,
Radiated Tortoise - Astrochelys radiata,
Maginated Tortoise - Testudo marginata,
Asian Flowerback Box Turtle - Cuora galbinifrons,
Asian Spiny Hill Turtle - Heosemys spinosa,

Utila Island Iguana - Ctenoaura bakeri,
Lesser Antillean Iguana - Iguana delicatissima,
West Indian Rock Iguana - Cyclura c. cornuta,
Rio Fuerte Beaded Lizard - Heloderma horridum exasperatum,
Blue Spiny/Fence Lizard - Sceloporus cyanogenys,
European Green Lizard - Lacerta bilineata,

Golden Eyelash Viper - Bothreichis schlegelii,
Jamaican Boa - Epicrates subflavus,
Burmese Python - Python molurus bivittatus,

Mallorcan Midwife Toad - Alytes muletensis,
Rio Cauca Caecilian - Typhlonectes natans,
Montserrat Mountain Chicken - Leptodactylus fallax,
Johnstone's Whistling Frog - Eleutherodactylus johnstonei,
Amazonian Milk Frog - Trachycephalus resinifictrix,
Blue Poison Dart Frog - Dendrobates azureus,
Golfodulcean Dart Frog - Phyllobates vittatus,
Strawberry Poison Dart Frog - Oophaga pumilio,
Golden Poison Dart Frog - Phyllobates terribilis,
Asian Tree Toad - Pedostibes hosii,
Vietnamese Bony Headed Toad - Ingerophrynus galeatus,
Cane Toad - Bufo marinus.

These are of course, only the species on display ;)
 
In that case, I'll do Marwell's herps! :D Marwell is really a cat/ungulate specialist, and yes, a lot of the herps are RSPCA refugees. But I think it's fair for a zoo that only really kick started herp keeping in the 90's, and they're going into rarer territory with the opening of the Amphibian Ark this year. :) Again, these are the ones on public display, and there's plenty more off-show.

Marwell's Reptiles and Amphibians:

West African Dwarf Crocodile

Leopard Tortoise
Egyptian Tortoise
Malayan Box Turtle

Common Boa
Carpet Python
Royal Python
Green Tree Python
Central American Tree Boa
Royal Python
Western Hognose Snake
Rainbow Boa
Corn Snake

Nile Monitor
Meller's Chameleon
Panther Chameleon
Yemen Chameleon
Flap-Neck Chameleon
Frilled Lizard
Beaded Lizard
Spiny-Tailed Lizard
Cunningham's Skink
Oriental Water Dragon
Tokay Gecko
Leopard Gecko

Argentinian Horned Frog
Poison Arrow Frog
White's Tree Frog
Puerto Rican Crested Toad
Amazon Milk Frog
Dyeing Poison Dart Frog
Blue-Thiged Dart Frog
Golden Mantella
Danube Crested Newt
Himalayan Crocodile Newt
African Clawed Toad
 
I'm really curious as why people have a 'distaste for chimps'. I am up for anything really so long as its somehting unsusual, unique or somehting I've not seen before. bearing that in mind i find some species always off interest despite being in plenty of zoos, such as black macaques and geoffroy's marmosets.

My favourite group of animals would be viveridae (linsangs, civets and genets)
 
foz said:
I'm really curious as why people have a 'distaste for chimps'.
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If you've ever worked with them you'd know why! They're like naughty kids except they're 20 stone of pure muscle lol.
 
Despite of my user name any one that knows me on here will tell you that I`m most definately into my Herps first and foremost,especial if its a large Croc,Venomous snake or large Constrictor.
 
foz said:
I'm really curious as why people have a 'distaste for chimps'. I am up for anything really so long as its somehting unsusual, unique or somehting I've not seen before. bearing that in mind i find some species always off interest despite being in plenty of zoos, such as black macaques and geoffroy's marmosets.

My favourite group of animals would be viveridae (linsangs, civets and genets)
Click to expand...


Really bizarrely actually, on the "Last Chance to See" programme earlier the naturalist presented expressed exactly my feelings "They're too like us" etc etc

For me it's that they are like humans with no boundaries or morals but stronger and more dangerous. Unfortunately they epitomise some of the basest human behaviours.

That said, in this programme when they introduced the two orphans they had rehabilitated for a year, to the adult group. That two of the adults maternally scooped up the babies and held them then played with them, almost made me watery eyed, very touching behaviour and I felt I have been perhaps very cynical about them.
 
ashley-h said:
If you've ever worked with them you'd know why! They're like naughty kids except they're 20 stone of pure muscle lol.
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And have no inhibitions about throwing something at you they've just removed from their bum!

:p

Hix
 
Haha I never actually got time to experience that, fortunately. However I did notice that they're fine when by themselves, it's when they're showing off as a group is when they're evil.
 
I'm quite keen on herps, the college I studied at had quite a range of species. I myself have Spotted Salamanders, Leopard Geckos, Giant African Land Snails and a Praying Mantis... as well as fish and a dog. I also work in a fish and herp pet shop.

And MD, where are Leopard Geckos on show at Marwell? Have I missed them tucked away somewhere?
 
Me. :D

Allthough, when people ask these days I am completely impartial ... as to species, genus, order, class, fylum ... I think in the Web of Life that is all irrelevant. Species, whether plant or animal, show no preferences ... it is natural selection, evolution, survival and evolutionary fitness (please leave out the man-made impacts, I am talking natural here). :eek:
 
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