No, they are still Grapsus grapsus. The species can be found outside of the Galapagos and therefore is not an endemic Galapagos species.
Houston Zoo Going to Houston Zoo's Galapagos Islands
- Thread starter TheImmigrant1
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No, they are still Grapsus grapsus. The species can be found outside of the Galapagos and therefore is not an endemic Galapagos species.
Both Grapsus grapsus and Percnon gibbesi are available in the trade and both are sold as "Sally Lightfoot Crabs" - but the most common one is Percnon gibbesi which is probably what @TinoPup would have come across when looking them up on the internet.
Apologies
Yes, this is what I was able to gather from my trying to learn. The additional info in here has been helpful!
Indeed. Both species are native to the Galapagos but also outside of the Galapagos on the coasts of the Americas. Grapsus is semi-terrestrial (this is the iconic Galapagos Sally Lightfoot Crab) while Percnon is primarily aquatic. The latter is common in the trade and has become invasive in several parts of the world.
There tends to be a lot of confusion in the aquarium hobby over the usage of "Sally Lightfoot Crab," as the flashy orange Grapsus seen in nature documentaries tends to be the initial thought, when in reality almost all crabs in the trade are in fact the much duller Percnon. Off the top of my head I don't think I've seen a legitimate Grapsus grapsus offered for sale, though I see Percnon regularly enough.
Interestingly the signage for the exhibit lists both, and both crabs photographed seem to indeed be a species of Grapsus.
If you can tell leopard subspecies apart more easily than different penguin species or different iguana genera, then that would only be due to personal experience level rather than actual similarity of the taxa.
The two leopards are fairly easy. Amur are very fluffy and plush, and tend to be lighter in color. African have much shorter hair and tend to be brighter/darker in color.
The iguanas have different morphology, head shapes, diets and completely different colouration. Not quite sure what your point is.
To be 100% honest this exhibit interests me most for the design aspects - the actual animal inhabitants....not so much as you noted most are stand in animals, some of which are not even great stand in (Blue Iguana) species. I personally would have rather seen this effort put into something like the Caribbean, where animals can be obtained and are just as fascinating.
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King of Komodo Dragons
Well-Known Member
The rock work and indoor portions look really good. The sea lion habitat is definitely the crown jewel though. I'm flying to the Galapagos next week and plan to visit the new exhibit as soon as I get back so I can do some comparisons between the real deal and Houston's version!
Angie Selestino
Member
Galapagos Sea Lions, Galapagos Penguins, and Marine Iguanas are they illegal to be put in those exhibits causing the Californian Sea Lions, Humboldt Penguins, and Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas to be used instead of those?
The penguins and iguana this is essentially correct, as Ecuador does not export live animals as far as I have been told. I'm unsure if the sea lions are illegal per se, but California sea lion have a successful SSP and are acting as stand-ins, yes.
Again, yes. Ecuador does not allow export of its native wildlife.
Angie Selestino
Member
How does it prevent export?
Capturing the species in the wild is illegal, and none of those species are in captivity, so there is no captive breeding population. There are no exports because there is no captive trade for those species.
Angie Selestino
Member
If the Blue Footed Boobies and Marine Iguanas were to be put in the Houston Zoo when it’s illegal, what would happen?
You have asked this same question repeatedly, and it has been answered repeatedly, in the photo gallery for the zoo.
Angie Selestino
Member
It’s different, it’s a what if question.