Is there any type of animal where you have seen every species?

elefante

elefante

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
This is open for interpretation. For example, it's likely nobody here has seen every species of antelope, but it is possible someone has seen every species of oryx. You can get as technical as you want on this question using genus, common name, whatever.

As for me, I've seen both species of wolf, all three zebra species, both species of hippo, both species of bison, both species of wildebeest, and possibly all eight species of bears (some pictures in a photo album of a bear in the Cincinnati Zoo look like an Asiatic black bear, if anyone can confirm if they had those in the 80s).

Others where I'm close are elephants (haven't seen a forest elephant and probably never will), flamingos (haven't seen Andean or James), pelicans (haven't seen Dalmatian, spot-billed, or Australian), rhinos (haven't seen Javan or Sumatran and sadly probably won't see those), and swans (haven't seen whooper or coscoroba).
 
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I've seen both species of hippopotamus, the five great apes extant in US zoos (western gorilla, both orangutans, bonobo, chimpanzee) both species of elephants kept in captivity, all five Panthera species, at least one of each kind of ratite (except kiwi) and possibly all eight bear species, but conservatively seven; I think I may have seen the butt of an Andean bear on one occasion but my memory is quite hazy of the encounter. I've also seen three out of four tapirs and two out of three zebra with a narrow miss on the last.
 
I have seen all three subspecies of Bare-nosed Wombat in the wild. I have seen every species of Australian cockatoo, both hippos, aardvark, dugong and there are probably others that I cannot think at the moment.
 
Many Europeans on here will have seen all the flamingos, all the pelicans, all the Dendrocygna, potentially all three cassowary species (if they got to Walsrode in time, which I did not) and all the macaws, potentially all cockatoos as well depending on where they've made it to. Beyond these, the only one that springs to mind on a personal level is all three elephant species.
 
In the wild, all 5 divers (all in U.K.), all 6 spoonbills, all Egret species (and only missing 1 Ardea heron), all but one Caracara, all great ape genera, and possibly all Aquila eagles (might be missing one; need to check). Only one short for all pelicans, and all gannets and boobies. Need to check lists for others.
 
For me

Big cats
Great apes
Both hippos
Zebras

I'm close with bears, needing Asiatic black and Andean, and rhinos, needing Sumatran and Javan.
 
From memory and not checking my list, by family, I have seen complete sets of hyenas (depending on how you split aardwolves), flamingoes, bears, horses, cassowaries, elephants, hyraxes (until they are split again), hippos, giraffes (going along with the 4 species plus okapi hypothesis). Several single species families etc.
 
JVM said:
I've seen both species of hippopotamus, the five great apes extant in US zoos (western gorilla, both orangutans, bonobo, chimpanzee) both species of elephants kept in captivity, all five Panthera species, at least one of each kind of ratite (except kiwi) and possibly all eight bear species, but conservatively seven; I think I may have seen the butt of an Andean bear on one occasion but my memory is quite hazy of the encounter. I've also seen three out of four tapirs and two out of three zebra with a narrow miss on the last.
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I have seen one of each kind of ratite as well. I have not seen bonobos but have seen every other great ape in US zoos and all of the Panthera genus.

Some of you have some impressive lists!
 
Dassie rat said:
I've also seen both species of rheas and all 4 species of hyenas
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I've seen spotted and brown hyenas. Oddly enough I have seen a roadkilled striped hyena in its natural habitat but I don't count that. I've never seen an aardwolf living or dead.
 
Dassie rat said:
Have you seen the eastern gorilla and Tapanuli orang-utan?
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A bit after I posted that I realized I should've probably specified that I meant only the four great apes but not each species of gorilla and orang. I've only seen Western lowland gorillas and Sumatran and Bornean orangutans.
 
Hello.

All Panthera;
All three "gatos-do-mato" (Geoffroy's cat, oncilla, southern tigrina);
Both crowned cranes;
Both hyacinth and Lear's macaws;
Both species of hippo;
Both Pavo peafowls;
Silky anteater!

I'm close with giraffes, but I have yet to see a reticulate :oops::(. I am not very far from seeing every species of robust capuchin either, but I'll have to find a way to see Azara's, black-striped and red. I'm currently at three species of lion tamarin, three of Callithrix marmoset and one of woolly spider monkey.
 
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