Gomphothere's Zoo Design Thread

Re: Birds. All those you've listed are currently on the list (including the Sakalava Rail), although some won't be included ultimately in the exhibits because Madagascar is not the heart, or in the heart, of their breeding territory. The list includes four subspecies of the Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher, and I'm classifying the Dark Newtonia as one species with two subspecies. In addition, the Olive-capped Coua is a subspecies of the Red-capped. The dimorphic egret is a subspecies of the Little Egret and the tentative plan will be to include both color morphs, just as I've done in other areas for, e.g., Snow Geese.

Re: Reptiles. All those you've listed are on the list, although the taxonomy from Reptile Database is different for a few. Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis and P. m. dorsivittata are now full species. I am including both subspecies of Parson's Chameleon. I have twenty-four species of Paroedura and seven of Oplurus. Androngo trivittatus is now Pygomeles trivittatus (with two subspecies) and Stenophis citrinus is now Lycodryas citrinus, Besides the two Amphiglossus species you've listed, I am also including A. reticulatus. For the Yellow-bellied Mud Turtle, I'm including the nominate subspecies and intergularis.

Re: Amphibians. All those you've listed are included, although taxonomy also differs for some. Mantidactylus corvus and M. boulengeri are in Gephyromantis, and M. pulcher is in
Guibemantis. Also, Boophis difficilis is now B. tephraeomystax, Dumeril's Bright-eyed Frog.

I haven't worked on fish or invertebrates yet so can't respond.

All those you've listed as recently extinct are planned for a museum exhibit of species gone extinct in the Anthropocene (right now, 30 mammal species, 46 bird species and 12 reptile species) although the Madagascar Pochard will be in a museum exhibit for animals too rare to exhibit. It's critically endangered but not yet extinct--there are about 20 or so left in a range of about one square kilometer.
 
Bengal Tiger said:
I was thinking a little bit and I came up with a few suggestions you might find interesting:

1. Artificial rain: I know you do artificial snow, so why not artificial rain? This could add some enrichment and naturalism (is that a even a word?) to the exhibits. For walkthrough areas, you could do it in non-visitor hours.
2. Multiple tanks per ecoregion: Instead of doing a tank/alcove per aquatic ecoregion, you could instead do multiple for each, so that certain species that may not be able to be housed with other could be exhibited.
3. Butterfly walkthrough: For certain areas you could add butterfly/moth walkthroughs, Madagascar for instance. These don’t have to be exclusively butterfly/moth areas, though, you could always add other compatible invertebrates, and in certain areas, hummingbirds.
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1. Definitely. If you look at my notes on Herpetological Husbandry for Temperate South America, you'll see I included artificial rain there, and Madagascar would merit the same, for sure.
2. Definitely, as you'll see I've done in several of the aquaria already, including the Eastern Tropical Pacific, Antarctic, Holarctic Arctic and Palearctic Tundra Aquaria. I usually include 4-6 tanks per ecoregion, varying in size, most for groups of similar sized fish or for sub-habitats but some for single species (like the Northern Pike, which is a voracious predator). Generally in aquaria, if you keep predators well fed you can exhibit them in the same tank with prey, but there are exceptions.
3. This is worth considering. Madagascar probably has insects and other invertebrates big enough to include in a walk-through exhibit. I know the Bronx Zoo butterfly walk-through includes small birds. I probably should have considered including one of these in the Austral Forests (part of Temperate South America).
 
Gomphothere said:
Re: Birds. All those you've listed are currently on the list (including the Sakalava Rail), although some won't be included ultimately in the exhibits because Madagascar is not the heart, or in the heart, of their breeding territory. The list includes four subspecies of the Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher, and I'm classifying the Dark Newtonia as one species with two subspecies. In addition, the Olive-capped Coua is a subspecies of the Red-capped. The dimorphic egret is a subspecies of the Little Egret and the tentative plan will be to include both color morphs, just as I've done in other areas for, e.g., Snow Geese.

Re: Reptiles. All those you've listed are on the list, although the taxonomy from Reptile Database is different for a few. Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis and P. m. dorsivittata are now full species. I am including both subspecies of Parson's Chameleon. I have twenty-four species of Paroedura and seven of Oplurus. Androngo trivittatus is now Pygomeles trivittatus (with two subspecies) and Stenophis citrinus is now Lycodryas citrinus, Besides the two Amphiglossus species you've listed, I am also including A. reticulatus. For the Yellow-bellied Mud Turtle, I'm including the nominate subspecies and intergularis.

Re: Amphibians. All those you've listed are included, although taxonomy also differs for some. Mantidactylus corvus and M. boulengeri are in Gephyromantis, and M. pulcher is in
Guibemantis. Also, Boophis difficilis is now B. tephraeomystax, Dumeril's Bright-eyed Frog.

I haven't worked on fish or invertebrates yet so can't respond.

All those you've listed as recently extinct are planned for a museum exhibit of species gone extinct in the Anthropocene (right now, 30 mammal species, 46 bird species and 12 reptile species) although the Madagascar Pochard will be in a museum exhibit for animals too rare to exhibit. It's critically endangered but not yet extinct--there are about 20 or so left in a range of about one square kilometer.
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Any idea of what birds won’t be included in this area? Also, fair point on showing them in other areas if they live in a larger area of the world :)
 
A couple things:
1. Are you going to be splitting ring-tailed vontsiras into two subspecies?
2. I forgot a couple of mammals to add to the list: aquatic tenrec, highland streaked tenrec, lowland streaked tenrec
3. Forgot an amphibian: mantydactylus aglavei
4. Mantidactylus pulcher only lives in pandanus palms
 
Bengal Tiger said:
A couple things:
1. Are you going to be splitting ring-tailed vontsiras into two subspecies?
2. I forgot a couple of mammals to add to the list: aquatic tenrec, highland streaked tenrec, lowland streaked tenrec
3. Forgot an amphibian: mantydactylus aglavei
4. Mantidactylus pulcher only lives in pandanus palms
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1. Three: nominate, occidentalis & dambrensis.
2. All are on the list.
3. Included, but now Spinomantis aglavei.
4. There are a whole group of Pandanus frog species living only in these palms.
 
Here are some more links (just make sure that the species aren't introduced, a pink exclamation point will signify that) These are mainly for inverts and fish, as I'm guessing you have the rest covered. Anyway, here it is:

Mauritius · iNaturalist
Aldabra Atoll World Heritage Site, SC · iNaturalist
Seychelles · iNaturalist
Comoros · iNaturalist
Mayotte · iNaturalist
Reunion · iNaturalist

Also, are Seychelles tiger chameleons, the Seychelles caecilian species(Praslin's, frigate island, and four Grandisonia sp.), and Seychellum allauadi going to be included. Also, by the looks of it, you're gonna need a whole lotta invertebrate space. You really might want to consider a butterfly (and other invert) walkthrough.
 
Hehe, and it's imaginary, so nobody actually gets pinioned. My feeling is that an open exhibit for flamingos is more dramatic and attractive, and it is the rule rather than the exception in the U.S.
 
Fair enough, are you including the aforementioned animals? One more thing which I can’t stress enough is that this project is INCREDIBLE!!!!
 
Also, do you plan on including ungava seals? Also, you could dedicate the area with Malagasy rodents to Cecil S Webb, who went to Madagascar multiple times on animal collecting trips, even spending he entirety of WWII there. He also rediscovered one of the Malagasy giant rat species (I forget which one) while there during the war, which at the time had been thought extinct. I certainly think you should have an area dedicated to him as he is a wonderful figure in the zoo world.
 
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One more thing, do you plan on including the greater Magellan goose? Also, any plans to include Nile crocodiles?

P.S. Hope you’ve considered the butterfly walkthrough, cause dang, that’s lot of inverts!!!
 
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The Ungava Seals would be in the Nearctic Boreal area, which is for the future. The Greater Magellan Goose you'll find in the Falklands/Malvinas Sea and Shore Birds exhibit, #67 in the Temperate South America exhibit, between the Juan Fernandez Fur Seals and the Marine Otters.
 
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