If you had a zoo, what 5 species would yo definitely have?

African savanna elephants
Masai giraffes
Tufted puffins
Southern sea otters
Vampire squid
 
So summing up all the creatures from post #1 to post #43 here is my results

Mammals = 121
Birds = 21
Reptiles = 13
Fish = 6
Other Vertebrates = 2
Invertebrates = 3

As you can see most people here consider mammals to be the mainstay of a zoo. They totally dominated all other categories combined. As a matter of fact 13 people chose 5 mammals, I was the only person to choose 5 birds and one person chose 5 Reptiles.
 
I've 2 versions of my favorite zoo top 5 list :
First version ---> General Zoo
1 Gorilla
2 Quetzalt
3 Sungazer lizard
4 Ornate Wobbegong
5 Lord Howe Stick inseckt
Version 2 ---> Birdpark :
1 Quetzalt
2 Duivenbode's ( Brown ) lory
3 Shoebill
4 Negros fruit dove ( I would be the first to have this species on display ;) ! )
5 Yellow-headed picathartes
( I know, no Hummingbirds, Touracos, Curassows, Birds of prey or Hornbills, all which should actually also have a place in my birdpark ! )
 
vogelcommando said:
I've 2 versions of my favorite zoo top 5 list :
First version ---> General Zoo
1 Gorilla
2 Quetzalt
3 Sungazer lizard
4 Ornate Wobbegong
5 Lord Howe Stick inseckt
Version 2 ---> Birdpark :
1 Quetzalt
2 Duivenbode's ( Brown ) lory
3 Shoebill
4 Negros fruit dove ( I would be the first to have this species on display ;) ! )
5 Yellow-headed picathartes
( I know, no Hummingbirds, Touracos, Curassows, Birds of prey or Hornbills, all which should actually also have a place in my birdpark ! )
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Okay I assumed you would have 5 birds :)
Then I google imaged Quetzalt and got everything from xxx image to a dinosaur looking bird?
.?
 
I meant the Resplendent Quetzal, the national bird of Guatamala and in my eyes the most beautifull bird in the world. None are kept in Europe at the moment and the last one died at Walsrode Birdpark where I took care of them ( at that moment 1 male and 2 females ). So far I have however never seen Quetzals working in the xxx-rated industry ;) !!
 
Just like TLD and gentle lemur, I'm going to restrict myself to species held in my country and that I have seen before;
1. Spotted Hyena
2. Tiger (ssp. yet to be decided)
3. Western Gorilla
4. Fossa
5. Clouded Leopard
 
King Cheetah
Sunda Clouded Leopard
Bornean Bay Cat
Marbled Cat
Malayan Leopard (melanistic, which they virtually all are anyway)
 
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Batto said:
@Buldeo: Is the "Royal" Bengal Tiger any different from the normal Bengal Tiger (the one for commoners)? ;)
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:D

When I was a wee tyke that's how I was introduced to the species (and I forget exactly how), and it still feels wrong to not include the 'Royal' appellation.

The proletariat can have their Sumatran tigers!


Chlidonias said:
Interestingly though, the name "Royal Bengal tiger" isn't a zoo invention, it is because during the British rule in India leopards were called tigers. So the Royal tiger was the actual tiger. The name is just a hold-over from a past era.
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That's a fascinating bit of etymology. If you can find the source, please let me know. I would like to read that book.
 
Quite a difficult proposition, but I have managed to narrow it down to just five species (and their positions in my fantasy zoo):

1. Sunda otter civet (probably in the small mammal house)
2. Banded linsang (in an area dedicated to small carnivores)
3. Chinese dhole (in a section dedicated to predators from the European Pleistocene)
4. Russian desman (in an area dedicated to European wetlands)
5. Dracula ant (in an entirely conservation-themed zone)

10 animals that closely missed out on the top 5 included black-shouldered opossum, Indochinese golden cat, South American social spider, blue whale catfish, Darjeeling woodpecker, Caribbean torpedo ray, Calabar angwantibo, Asiatic black bear, painted bat and Malabar giant squirrel.
 
1) Marbled Cat
2) Banded Linsang
3) Asiatic Cheetah
4) Arabian Leopard
5) Sulawesi Palm Civet

I would have added Saola, Andean Mountain Cats or similar species, however I prefer species that would live a little longer in captivity.
 
animalszoos said:
however I prefer species that would live a little longer in captivity.
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I rather suspect that Andean Cat would actually live longer in captivity than Banded Linsang by quite some margin - although captive lifespan records for the former species are pretty short this can be pretty solidly ascribed to a combination of two factors; all but one individual held in captivity were several decades ago prior to modern husbandry knowledge, and the most recent individual held in captivity (which holds the lifespan record in captivity) was released back into the wild after a short period of time.

In other words, had the recent individual remained in captivity I suspect it could have survived for well over a decade given the fact its congeners can live into their 20's, whilst Banded Linsang (as with many small carnivores) struggles to hit double figures.
 
Santa Catarina Guiena Pig
Zapata Rail
Malabar Civet
Coxen's Fig Parrot
Iriomote Cat

Animals that closely missed out: Night Parrot, Hanian Gymnure, Dingagat Gymnure, Dingagat Bushy-Tailed Cloud Rat, Red-Crested Tree Rat, Pygmy Tarsier, Christmas Island Shrew, Attenborough's Long-Beaked Echidna, Cuban Solenodon, Hispolonian Solenodon, Moustached Kingfisher and the Telefoim Cuscus.

All mainly for conservation reasons. All of these animals I believe have a high risk of going extinct, so I would give them a chance of survival in my zoo.
 
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Anything but meerkats and domestic animals.

Other than that I would go for:
1. Any crocodian species
2. Giraffe
3. Rhinoceros Hornbill
4. Malayan Tiger
5. Monkfish
 
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