Gomphothere's Zoo Design Thread

Today brings my favorite part of Temperate South America: the Austral Forests. This is a habitat I never even knew existed until I began researching temperate South America. It is particularly interesting for the native frogs and toads, many of which are endangered. The animal census, not counting fish and invertebrates, includes: 40 species and subspecies of mammals and 173 specimens; 43 species and subspecies of birds and 118 specimens; one pair each of 11 species of lizards; and 36 species of amphibians (all anurans) and 142 specimens; for a total of 130 species and subspecies and 455 specimens. I was fortunate enough to find photos of many of the frogs and toads that were available for use here, but some of them are so rare that photos of them are rare, too, and copyrighted with all rights reserved, but it's worth surfing the web with the scientific names to find those photos so you get a complete picture of the austral forest amphibians. Next week: the Chilean Matorral will complete Temperate South America. Also, I've tried something new with the interior and exterior schematics, using animal silhouettes courtesy of silhouettegarden.com. Here is the detail key and the exterior schematic.
 

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Finally, the last chapter in the Temperate South America saga: the Chilean Matorral. This is South America's Mediterranean Climate Zone and, like the climatologically similar areas in Caifornia, Europe, Africa and Australia, under considerable pressure from a growing human population and their activities. The approximate animal census here, not counting fish or invertebrates, is: 20 mammal species/subspecies and 120 specimens; 25 bird species/subspecies and 70 specimens; 26 reptile species and 52 specimens; and four amphibian species and 16 specimens; for a total of 75 species/subspecies and 258 specimens. This brings the total for Temperate South America to 747 species/subspecies and 2662 specimens. And, adding in the Arctic, Antarctic and Galapagos areas, the grand total so far is 984 species/subspecies and 4194 specimens. There will probably be a gap between now and the next postings, which will be a revised Nearctic Tundra and its next-door neighbor, the Alaska Coasts and Islands. The latter includes what would probably be the world's largest complex of bear exhibits. Attached to this post are the interior and exterior schematics and the detail key.
 

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Here is the revised Nearctic Tundra. After some additional research, I revised somewhat the birds and small mammals on exhibit. Added a cafe to the plan, revised the plan to provide for more shift enclosures, and added animal silhouettes to the plan illustration. This covers ## 65, 100 & 101 on the attached copy of the Master Plan. Also attached is the concept, listing all the animals included and providing notes on the exhibits. Total animal census is: Mammals: 22 species/subspecies and 106 specimens; Birds: 92 species/subspecies and 292 specimens; Total: 94 species/subspecies and 398 specimens.

Next up, I hope within a few weeks, is The Alaska Pacific Coasts and Islands: Kingdom of the Bear! It's about 90% done.
 

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Here is the next entirely new section: The Alaska Pacific Coasts and Islands: Kingdom of the Bear

Here is some information from the Concept document:

The concept for this bioregion is majesty and magnificence (of the landscape and the wildlife), islands (where so much of the wildlife lives and which have shaped the speciation to be seen), and the surrounding waters (which provide the foundation of the food chain). Among the residents are three of the world’s eight species of bears (the Polar Bear only seasonally), including the world’s largest land carnivores, and millions of waterfowl, waders and seabirds. The ruggedness of the scenery, however, belies the delicateness of the ecosystem, which is especially sensitive to climate change.

The approximate animal census is 81 species/subspecies and 348 specimens of mammals and 114 species/subspecies and 544 specimens of birds, for a total of 195 species/subspecies and 892 specimens.

The bioregion exhibits cover approximately 23½ acres (9.5 ha), of which approximately 12.8 acres/5.2 ha is for bears (four subspecies of Brown Bear and three subspecies of Black Bear).

(For anyone interested, the total with the other sections is now 1273 species/subspecies and 4516 specimens, although this overstates the number of species/subspecies by a little because of a few that appear in more than one section.)

Attached drawings: Zoo Master Plan showing this bioregion's location (outlined in red); full Concept Document listing all animals on exhibit with extensive notes on the exhibits; Map showing the Ecoregions whose fauna are included; and drawings of the bioregion showing its divisions into geographic subareas and the areas depicted in the subdrawings.
 

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