List of rarest species in US?

Okapipako

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
I'm aware there's a thread on this topic already, but it's been roughly 6 years since the last post in it and I have a more specific request.

Obviously this information isn't readily available publicly at the moment, but I know some members keep and have kept tabs on these things to an extent. I was wondering if anyone had on hand information on which species (if possible subspecies as well) are kept in only 10 or fewer American zoos? If it's less trouble I'm most interested in mammals. Information doesn't have to be precisely up to date but the more recent the better.

This is for the purpose of planning and prioritizing zoo-based trips, although rare species aren't the only factor I'm considering but are a significant one. If possible something like the post by Dassie rat in this thread would be appreciated, as it's helped me do the same for eventual trips to Europe: Rare and new at the zoos of europe
 
The following is a list species found at only one zoo in the US (there are probably more than what's on this list, and possibly some that are wrong on this list, too):

Giant Oceanic Manta Ray Manta birostris - Georgia Aquarium
Brown-Throated Three-Toed Sloth Bradypus variegatus - Dallas World Aquarium
Long-Wattled Umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger - Dallas World Aquarium
Black Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus tyrannus - Dallas World Aquarium
Ring-Tailed Mongoose Galidia elegans - Bronx Zoo
Emperor Penguin Aptenodytes forsteri - SeaWorld San Diego
Pondicherry Vulture Sarcogyps calvus - Palm Beach Zoo
Aardwolf Proteles cristata - Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
Harnessed Bushbuck Tragelaphus scriptus - Gladys Porter Zoo
Peruvian Pelican Pelecanus thagus - Bronx Zoo
Sociable Weaver Philetairus socius - San Diego Zoo
Talaud Red-And-Blue Lory Eos histrio - San Diego Zoo
Goliath Heron Ardea goliath - San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Barbary Deer Cervus elaphus barbarus - San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Fanaloka Fossa fossana - Capital of Texas Zoo
Black-Faced Friarbird Philemon moluccensis - Reid Park Zoo
White-Crowned Hornbill Berenicornis comatus - St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park
Whale Shark Rhincodon typus - Georgia Aquarium
Giant Hammerhead Shark Sphyrna mokarran - Adventure Aquarium
Galapagos Shark Carcharhinus galapagensis - Mandalay Bay Aquarium
Irwin’s Snapping Turtle Elseya irwini - National Aquarium in Baltimore
Northern Australian Snapping Turtle Elseya dentata - National Aquarium in Baltimore
Thick-Billed Euphonia Euphonia laniirostris - Dallas World Aquarium
Resplendent Quetzal Pharomachrus mocinno - Dallas World Aquarium
Crested Quetzal Pharomachrus antisianus - Dallas World Aquarium
Guiana Crested Eagle Morphnus guianensis - Dallas World Aquarium
Many-Banded Aracari Pteroglossus pluricinctus - Dallas World Aquarium
Versicolored Barbet Eubucco versicolor - Dallas World Aquarium
Red-Capped Manakin Ceratopipra mentalis - Dallas World Aquarium
Blue-Crowned Manakin Lepidothrix coronata - Dallas World Aquarium
Lance-Tailed Manakin Chiroxiphia lanceolata - Dallas World Aquarium
Little Tinamou Crypturellus soui - Dallas World Aquarium
Yellow-Casqued Hornbill Ceratogymna elata - Memphis Zoo
Northern Elephant Seal Mirounga angustirostris - Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
White-Thighed Hornbill Bycanistes albotibialis - Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium
Wood Bison Bison bison athabascae - Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis - Monterey Bay Aquarium
Togo Slippery Frog Conraua derooi - Brookfield Zoo
Brolga Antigone rubicunda - International Crane Foundation
Persian Leopard Panthera pardus tulliana - Exotic Feline Breeding Compound
Spotted Knifejaw Oplegnathus punctatus - Newport Aquarium
Malayan Black Hornbill Anthracoceros malayanus - Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium
Mariana Fruit Bat Pteropus mariannus - Guam Zoo
Yellow-Rumped Tinkerbird Pogoniulus bilineatus - San Diego Zoo
Double-Toothed Barbet Lybius bidentatus - San Diego Zoo
White-Winged Vampire Bat Diaemus youngi - Rosamond Gifford Zoo
Pale Spear-Nosed Bat Phyllostomus discolor - Zoo Miami
Pallid Bat Antrozous pallidus - Fort Worth Zoo
Mexican Free-tailed Bat Tadarida brasiliensis - San Antonio Zoo
Evening Bat Nycticeius humeralis - Lubee Bat Conservancy
Southeastern Myotis Myotis austroriparius - Lubee Bat Conservancy
Common Opossum Didelphis marsupialis - Smithsonian National Zoo
Long-Nosed Potoroo Potorous tridactylus - Gladys Porter Zoo
Antillean Manatee Trichechus manatus manatus - Dallas World Aquarium
Red Uakari Cacajao calvus - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Guatemalan Mantled Howler Monkey Alouatta palliata - Gladys Porter Zoo
Venezuelan Red Howler Monkey Alouatta seniculus - Dallas World Aquarium
Red-Shanked Douc Langur Pygathrix nemaeus - Philadelphia Zoo
White-Bearded Manakin Manacus manacus - San Diego Zoo
Red-Throated Bee-Eater Merops bulocki - Oklahoma City Zoo
Oriental White-Rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis - Zoo Miami
White-Headed Vulture Trigonoceps occipitalis - Toledo Zoo
Wattled Guan Aburria aburri - Dallas World Aquarium
Chaco Chachalaca Ortalis canicollis - Tracys Aviary
Northern Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes moseleyi - Moody Gardens
Gray’s Crowned Guenon Cercopithecus pogonias grayi - Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Kimberley Rock Monitor Varanus glauerti - Rosamond Gifford Zoo
Kimberley Snake-Necked Turtle Chelodina walloyarrina - National Aquarium in Baltimore
Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle - National Aquarium in Baltimore
Razorbill Alca torda - National Aquarium in Baltimore
Brazil-Nut Poison Frog Adelphobates castaneoticus - National Aquarium in Baltimore
Harlequin Poison Frog Oophaga histrionica - National Aquarium in Baltimore
Ruddy-Breasted Seedeater Sporophila minuta - Bronx Zoo
Black-And-White Seedeater Sporophila luctuosa - Bronx Zoo
Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus - Bronx Zoo
Malagasy Turtle Dove Nesoenas picturatus - Bronx Zoo
Daurian Pika Ochotona dauurica - Bronx Zoo
Spix’s Guan Penelope jacquacu - San Francisco Zoo
Common Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus - San Diego Zoo
Lesser Long-Nosed Bat Leptonycteris yerbabuenae - Fort Worth Zoo
Sulawesi Bear Cuscus Ailurops ursinus - Memphis Zoo
Goodfellow's Tree-Kangaroo Dendrolagus goodfellowi - San Diego Zoo
Agile Wallaby Notamacropus agilis - Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium
Platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus - San Diego Zoo Safari Park (are these at the zoo yet?)
Tinian Monarch Monarcha takatsukasae - Memphis Zoo
Sahel Paradise Whydah Vidua orientalis - Memphis Zoo
Brothers Island Tuatara Sphenodon guntheri - San Diego Zoo
Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Macropus fuliginosus fuliginosus - Gladys Porter Zoo
Ariel Toucan Ramphastos vitellinus ariel - Dallas World Aquarium
Side-Striped Jackal Canis adustus - Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park
Chestnut-Tipped Toucanet Aulacorhynchus derbianus - Emerald Forest Bird Gardens
Somali Ostrich Struthio molybdophanes - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Jabiru Jabiru mycteria - Dallas World Aquarium
Pacific White-Sided Dolphin Lagenorhynchus obliquidens - Shedd Aquarium
 
Thank you so much! Extremely helpful. :)

I'm still interested in species found in more than one but still uncommon if anyone has this information.
 
Thank you so much! Extremely helpful. :)

I'm still interested in species found in more than one but still uncommon if anyone has this information.

10 or fewer still is a pretty big category. A few that come to mind offhand:

Giant Panda (San Diego, Atlanta, National, Calgary)
Tasmanian Devil
Hawaiian Monk Seal (Minnesota, Wakiki Aquarium, I think another one or two in Hawaii)
Giant Otter
Knobbed Hornbill
Red-footed Booby (Monterey Bay Aquarium, a couple in Hawaii)
 
Yellow-Casqued Hornbill Ceratogymna elata - Memphis Zoo
Kept by at least one other zoo.
Guatemalan Mantled Howler Monkey Alouatta palliata - Gladys Porter Zoo
Pigra, not palliata.
Side-Striped Jackal Canis adustus - Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park
Kept by at least one other zoo.
Pacific White-Sided Dolphin Lagenorhynchus obliquidens - Shedd Aquarium
Kept by two other zoos.
Apparently Brookfield keeps this subspecies as well.
Brookfield keeps melanops and non-ssp individuals.
 
The following is a list species found at only one zoo in the US (there are probably more than what's on this list, and possibly some that are wrong on this list, too):

Giant Oceanic Manta Ray Manta birostris - Georgia Aquarium
Brown-Throated Three-Toed Sloth Bradypus variegatus - Dallas World Aquarium
Long-Wattled Umbrellabird Cephalopterus penduliger - Dallas World Aquarium
Black Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus tyrannus - Dallas World Aquarium
Ring-Tailed Mongoose Galidia elegans - Bronx Zoo
Emperor Penguin Aptenodytes forsteri - SeaWorld San Diego
Pondicherry Vulture Sarcogyps calvus - Palm Beach Zoo
Aardwolf Proteles cristata - Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
Harnessed Bushbuck Tragelaphus scriptus - Gladys Porter Zoo
Peruvian Pelican Pelecanus thagus - Bronx Zoo
Sociable Weaver Philetairus socius - San Diego Zoo
Talaud Red-And-Blue Lory Eos histrio - San Diego Zoo
Goliath Heron Ardea goliath - San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Barbary Deer Cervus elaphus barbarus - San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Fanaloka Fossa fossana - Capital of Texas Zoo
Black-Faced Friarbird Philemon moluccensis - Reid Park Zoo
White-Crowned Hornbill Berenicornis comatus - St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park
Whale Shark Rhincodon typus - Georgia Aquarium
Giant Hammerhead Shark Sphyrna mokarran - Adventure Aquarium
Galapagos Shark Carcharhinus galapagensis - Mandalay Bay Aquarium
Irwin’s Snapping Turtle Elseya irwini - National Aquarium in Baltimore
Northern Australian Snapping Turtle Elseya dentata - National Aquarium in Baltimore
Thick-Billed Euphonia Euphonia laniirostris - Dallas World Aquarium
Resplendent Quetzal Pharomachrus mocinno - Dallas World Aquarium
Crested Quetzal Pharomachrus antisianus - Dallas World Aquarium
Guiana Crested Eagle Morphnus guianensis - Dallas World Aquarium
Many-Banded Aracari Pteroglossus pluricinctus - Dallas World Aquarium
Versicolored Barbet Eubucco versicolor - Dallas World Aquarium
Red-Capped Manakin Ceratopipra mentalis - Dallas World Aquarium
Blue-Crowned Manakin Lepidothrix coronata - Dallas World Aquarium
Lance-Tailed Manakin Chiroxiphia lanceolata - Dallas World Aquarium
Little Tinamou Crypturellus soui - Dallas World Aquarium
Yellow-Casqued Hornbill Ceratogymna elata - Memphis Zoo
Northern Elephant Seal Mirounga angustirostris - Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
White-Thighed Hornbill Bycanistes albotibialis - Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium
Wood Bison Bison bison athabascae - Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis - Monterey Bay Aquarium
Togo Slippery Frog Conraua derooi - Brookfield Zoo
Brolga Antigone rubicunda - International Crane Foundation
Persian Leopard Panthera pardus tulliana - Exotic Feline Breeding Compound
Spotted Knifejaw Oplegnathus punctatus - Newport Aquarium
Malayan Black Hornbill Anthracoceros malayanus - Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium
Mariana Fruit Bat Pteropus mariannus - Guam Zoo
Yellow-Rumped Tinkerbird Pogoniulus bilineatus - San Diego Zoo
Double-Toothed Barbet Lybius bidentatus - San Diego Zoo
White-Winged Vampire Bat Diaemus youngi - Rosamond Gifford Zoo
Pale Spear-Nosed Bat Phyllostomus discolor - Zoo Miami
Pallid Bat Antrozous pallidus - Fort Worth Zoo
Mexican Free-tailed Bat Tadarida brasiliensis - San Antonio Zoo
Evening Bat Nycticeius humeralis - Lubee Bat Conservancy
Southeastern Myotis Myotis austroriparius - Lubee Bat Conservancy
Common Opossum Didelphis marsupialis - Smithsonian National Zoo
Long-Nosed Potoroo Potorous tridactylus - Gladys Porter Zoo
Antillean Manatee Trichechus manatus manatus - Dallas World Aquarium
Red Uakari Cacajao calvus - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Guatemalan Mantled Howler Monkey Alouatta palliata - Gladys Porter Zoo
Venezuelan Red Howler Monkey Alouatta seniculus - Dallas World Aquarium
Red-Shanked Douc Langur Pygathrix nemaeus - Philadelphia Zoo
White-Bearded Manakin Manacus manacus - San Diego Zoo
Red-Throated Bee-Eater Merops bulocki - Oklahoma City Zoo
Oriental White-Rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis - Zoo Miami
White-Headed Vulture Trigonoceps occipitalis - Toledo Zoo
Wattled Guan Aburria aburri - Dallas World Aquarium
Chaco Chachalaca Ortalis canicollis - Tracys Aviary
Northern Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes moseleyi - Moody Gardens
Gray’s Crowned Guenon Cercopithecus pogonias grayi - Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Kimberley Rock Monitor Varanus glauerti - Rosamond Gifford Zoo
Kimberley Snake-Necked Turtle Chelodina walloyarrina - National Aquarium in Baltimore
Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle - National Aquarium in Baltimore
Razorbill Alca torda - National Aquarium in Baltimore
Brazil-Nut Poison Frog Adelphobates castaneoticus - National Aquarium in Baltimore
Harlequin Poison Frog Oophaga histrionica - National Aquarium in Baltimore
Ruddy-Breasted Seedeater Sporophila minuta - Bronx Zoo
Black-And-White Seedeater Sporophila luctuosa - Bronx Zoo
Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus - Bronx Zoo
Malagasy Turtle Dove Nesoenas picturatus - Bronx Zoo
Daurian Pika Ochotona dauurica - Bronx Zoo
Spix’s Guan Penelope jacquacu - San Francisco Zoo
Common Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus - San Diego Zoo
Lesser Long-Nosed Bat Leptonycteris yerbabuenae - Fort Worth Zoo
Sulawesi Bear Cuscus Ailurops ursinus - Memphis Zoo
Goodfellow's Tree-Kangaroo Dendrolagus goodfellowi - San Diego Zoo
Agile Wallaby Notamacropus agilis - Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium
Platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus - San Diego Zoo Safari Park (are these at the zoo yet?)
Tinian Monarch Monarcha takatsukasae - Memphis Zoo
Sahel Paradise Whydah Vidua orientalis - Memphis Zoo
Brothers Island Tuatara Sphenodon guntheri - San Diego Zoo
Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Macropus fuliginosus fuliginosus - Gladys Porter Zoo
Ariel Toucan Ramphastos vitellinus ariel - Dallas World Aquarium
Side-Striped Jackal Canis adustus - Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park
Chestnut-Tipped Toucanet Aulacorhynchus derbianus - Emerald Forest Bird Gardens
Somali Ostrich Struthio molybdophanes - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Jabiru Jabiru mycteria - Dallas World Aquarium
Pacific White-Sided Dolphin Lagenorhynchus obliquidens - Shedd Aquarium
Does anyone know of any animals that need to be added to this list?
 
Does anyone know of any animals that need to be added to this list?

Catoctin has booted macaques. SeaWorld (San Diego, I think it was?) has a harp seal and a ringed seal, both seem to permanently live there but both species can occasionally been found at other institutions while animals are being rehabbed.
 
10 or fewer still is a pretty big category. A few that come to mind offhand:

Giant Panda (San Diego, Atlanta, National, Calgary)
Tasmanian Devil
Hawaiian Monk Seal (Minnesota, Wakiki Aquarium, I think another one or two in Hawaii)
Giant Otter
Knobbed Hornbill
Red-footed Booby (Monterey Bay Aquarium, a couple in Hawaii)
Memphis Zoo also has giant pandas.
 
That wasn't the thread I was referring to. I had missed that and one other thread, both of which TinoPup had already linked in this thread.
 
No Gray's crowned guenons. I don't think Dallas Aquarium has other quetzal species besides for Golden-headed.
 
Magnificent frigatebird at Texas State Aquarium
Wedge tailed shearwater at Sea Life Park Hawaii?
Great frigatebird at Sea Life Park Hawaii?
Commerson's porpoise at Aquatica Orlando
Short-finned pilot whale at SeaWorld?
Guadulupe fur seal at SeaWorld San Diego
any Chinese water deer?
Greater grison at Timbavati and Wildwood Wildlife Parks
Bare-tailed woolly opossum at Shell Factory Nature Park
Jackson's hartebeest at Lion Country Safari
Cape vulture at Bright's Zoo
White-naped mangabey at Long Island Wildlife Park and Creation Kingdom Zoo
Assam macaque at Tregembo Animal Park
 
Back
Top