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In my last visit I heard from a reptile keeper that they are working on updating the giant tortoise signs since Bubba left, and Abrazzo is planning on going on exhibit soon. There is a sign showing all the names of the tortoises which has been around a long time since the tortoises have been living at the zoo very long.
The Galapagos been introduced to one another yet?
 
I asked the zoo some questions and I got some answers.
-The Canada lynx and coati have passed away, they were both very old.
-About the Jaguars: sorry I asked this earlier, I contacted the zoo online. They still have the two Jaguars Jutai and Zia. Jutai is not very comfortable around people so he is usually on exhibit during off-hours, that’s why I haven’t seen him in a long time. In one of my 2019 visits I did see him when I went toward the end of the day, he was actually pretty active then. I have gone 4 times since the pandemic started and I never saw him.
 
Quick correction:
The lorises live behind-the-scenes and are not on exhibit anymore. They and the jumping rat and vampire bats are the last remaining species of the old nocturnal wing of SMH. The bushbabies live with the aye-ayes, I saw one in the second exhibit. The zoo only has one elderly jumping rat (Edward) left. The other one, his sister (Rosalie) passed away last year. Edward is now 11 years old which is now very old for a rat.
Fun fact: to my knowledge, Edward is probably amongst the oldest giant jumping rats in the U.S. I researched that the record for a captive specimen is 12.6 years so he’s getting on. Edward was born July 18, 2009 at Philadelphia Zoo making him 12 years old. Besides his sister passed away last year, both of his parents passed on many years ago. I remember in the old nocturnal wing in SMH, there were two exhibits for jumping rats. I have never seen one in RACC, back then the website must have been wrong, it also said Edward and his sister lived separately and I have always seen them together. The sign from RACC was removed a long time ago. Edward and his sister lived on the left of SMH, and his parents lived on the right. I remember correctly that before the nocturnal wing got revamped, there was still one of his parents at the zoo. Not sure which. The other parent passed away just a couple years after Edward was born. The remaining one must have gotten sent to another zoo but it probably has definitely died since given it’s age. At that time, the nocturnal wing already had a few missing animals like the striped possum, sugar glider and feather tail glider. The sugar gliders were sent away but not sure about striped possum or the feathertail gliders. Now Edward is the last Madagascar giant jumping rat in the zoo. If he passes that will be the end of an era of an endangered species.There are many species in the zoo that has a last surviving elderly individual like the mhorr’s gazelle and red-capped mangabey. Let’s just hope Edward makes it past the record. He only needs another 6 months to make it. Only time will tell.
Quick correction:
The lorises live behind-the-scenes and are not on exhibit anymore. They and the jumping rat and vampire bats are the last remaining species of the old nocturnal wing of SMH. The bushbabies live with the aye-ayes, I saw one in the second exhibit. The zoo only has one elderly jumping rat (Edward) left. The other one, his sister (Rosalie) passed away last year. Edward is now 11 years old which is now very old for a rat.
 
There are only two or three jumping rats left in US zoos, period, so an end of an era indeed.

~Thylo
I also saw one at Bronx in 2019 and I’m not sure if prospect park still has them? I know they used to. They have two at Henry Doorly Zoo. There should be more than two or three total in the U.S., but definitely not too many. I only know of 4 or 5 zoos that have them.
 
I know they keep them at Moody Gardens and Henry Doorly Zoo but that’s all I know of. Smithsonian’s pair died off years ago.
I also saw one at Bronx in 2019 and I’m not sure if prospect park still has them? I know they used to. They have two at Henry Doorly Zoo. There should be more than two or three total in the U.S., but definitely not too many. I only know of 4 or 5 zoos that have them.
Moody Gardens and Prospect Park don't have them anymore afaik, so only four are left in the US.
 
Yeah as far as I know there's still one at Bronx, one at Philadelphia, and one or two left at Omaha. Bronx had two until a couple years ago.

~Thylo
Omaha has one pair, Zucchini and Lucy. I only saw one at Bronx in 2019, did the other one pass away? Total there are only 4 left. As time goes on there will be less and less as rodents don’t live that long. The lifespan for Madagascar giant jumping rats is about 5-10 years. Shorter in the wild.
 
The brown spider monkeys have been absent for awhile now. The zoo had an elderly pair a few years back Kirby and Desi. Kirby passed away in 2017-ish? I think. She was about 31 which is very old for a spider monkey. Desi remained at the zoo for over a year after Kirby’s passing but I didn’t see him since Kirby died. He was sometimes out but not too much, he was kind of semi-retired in his old age. Both him and Kirby were like semi-retired since like 2016 and I only saw Kirby and Desi once since then shortly before Kirby died. Desi left for Europe in mid-to-late 2018, and by that time he was already about 25. By the time he left, Desi was the last remaining brown spider monkey in the U.S. since San Diego’s elderly pair passed away about a year before Desi left. Spider monkeys typically live to around 20 years like most monkeys and lemurs. The zoo has three black-headed spider monkeys, two older females Arana and Chanza, who are already 30 and 24 years old which is already very old for spider monkeys. The younger male Duke is only 6.
I know of other people on ZooChat who occasionally saw Desi in 2018 shortly before he left, but I’m not sure if I’m allowed to post pictures that other people took. And that day in 2017 when I saw both Desi and Kirby was early in the morning. The black-headed spider monkeys werent out that day but there were many times that same year where I only saw the black ones. Desi was quite a bit darker than Kirby, he was a different subspecies.
 
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Afaik the captive population of Brown Spider Monkeys has always been of unknown pedigree. Where would you have found out the subspecies of the zoo's two animals?

~Thylo
There are two recognized subspecies of brown spider monkey. I didn’t ask the zoo, I researched myself and by looking at the zoos animals thats the only subspecies they could possibly be. There is no information to prove the subspecies but I researched how they are different and that’s the only way to tell. Kirby’s subspecies was Ateles hybridus hybridus, which has a wider range of forests. Desi was much darker so he was a different subspecies, Ateles hybridus brunneus. They are typically dark brown and have a much smaller range amd are only found in Colombia. I remember someone on ZooChat saw Desi in 2018 and typed above the picture “Colombian Brown Spider Monkey”. That is not their recognized name in the wild but that’s the best way to call the subspecies in English. There are no brown spider monkeys left in the U.S. Desi moved to Europe, not sure which zoo. He was the last one in America. I’m not even sure if he is still alive today given his age. If he was still alive, he would already be 27 years old.
 
I didn’t ask the zoo, I researched myself and by looking at the zoos animals thats the only subspecies they could possibly be.
Given the small number of animals which were held in North America (a TAG I came across from 2008 said there were only eight animals), it is far more likely that all the animals were related, in which case they would either be of one subspecies or a hybrid mix.

If you don't know the origins of the individual animals then you're just presenting a guess as a statement of fact.
 
Given the small number of animals which were held in North America (a TAG I came across from 2008 said there were only eight animals), it is far more likely that all the animals were related, in which case they would either be of one subspecies or a hybrid mix.

If you don't know the origins of the individual animals then you're just presenting a guess as a statement of fact.
Yes, that’s just what I found on the internet. I do not know the origins if the individual animals. I looked up the difference between both subspecies and I just thought that was what they were. But if they are hybridized, that could be different. So I don’t know for sure.
 
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I know of other people on ZooChat who occasionally saw Desi in 2018 shortly before he left, but I’m not sure if I’m allowed to post pictures that other people took. And that day in 2017 when I saw both Desi and Kirby was early in the morning. The black-headed spider monkeys werent out that day but there were many times that same year where I only saw the black ones. Desi was quite a bit darker than Kirby, he was a different subspecies.
Desi might have went to Paington zoo in England or New England Primate Center(I know they keep them there). I know of only 4 or 5 zoos all throughout Europe that keep them. I’m not sure where he went, it’s just a guess.
 
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