Planet Zoo Species Challenge 2023

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary - January 2 2023
1. Timber Wolf Canis lupus
2. Boa Constrictor Boa constrictor
3. Red Fox Vulpes vulpes
4. Striped Skunk Mephitis mephitis
5. Cougar Puma concolor

Lake Superior Zoo - January 4 2023
6. Ring Tailed Lemur Lemur catta
7. Green Iguana Iguana iguana
8. Gila Monster Heloderma suspectum
9. Eastern Blue Tongued Lizard Tiliqua scincoides
10. Egyptian Fruit Bat Rousettus aegyptiacus

Manitowoc Lincoln Park Zoo - January 7 2023
11. American Bison Bison bison

Jack R. Facente Serpentarium - January 7 2023
12. Puff Adder Bitis arietans
13. Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Crotalus atrox
14. American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis

Northeastern Wisconsin Zoo & Adventure Park - January 15 2023
15. African Lion Panthera leo leo
16. Aldabra Giant Tortoise Aldabrachelys gigantea
17. Red Panda Ailurus fulgens
18. Japanese Macaque Macaca fuscata
19. African Penguin Spheniscus demersus
20. American Bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus
21. Moose Alces alces
22. Black-tailed Prairie Dog Cynomys ludovicianus
23. Raccoon Procyon lotor

Bruemmer Park Zoo - January 18 2023
24. Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus
25. Arctic Fox Vulpes lagopus
 
  1. African Savannah Elephant ZooMiami
  2. Grizzly Bear Bronx Zoo
  3. West African Lion Alt: Any Lions ZooMiami, Naples Zoo, Bronx Zoo
  4. Plains Zebra ZooMiami, Naples Zoo
  5. Ring Tailed Lemur Naples Zoo, Bronx Zoo, Animal Adventures
  6. Galapagos Giant Tortoise ZooMiami, Naples Zoo
  7. Reticulated Giraffe ZooMiami, Naples Zoo, Bronx Zoo
  8. Western Chimpanzee ZooMiami
  9. Pygmy Hippo ZooMiami
  10. Komodo Dragon ZooMiami, Bronx Zoo
  11. Thomson's Gazelle Bronx Zoo
  12. African Wild Dog ZooMiami, Bronx Zoo
  13. Cheetah Naples Zoo
  14. Indian Peafowl Everglades Wonder Gardens, Bronx Zoo
  15. Boa Constrictor American Adventures
  16. Bengal Tiger Alt: Any Tigers ZooMiami
  17. Spotted Hyena ZooMiami, Bronx Zoo
  18. Bactrian Camel ZooMiami, Bronx Zoo
  19. Green Iguana Wild
  20. Bornean Orangutan ZooMiami
  21. Common Warthog ZooMiami
  22. Lehmann's Poison Frog
  23. Snow Leopard Bronx Zoo
  24. Aldabra Giant Tortoise ZooMiami, Naples Zoo, Animal Adventures
  25. Yellow Anaconda ZooMiami
  26. Indian Rhinoceros ZooMiami
  27. Okapi ZooMiami
  28. Indian Elephant ZooMiami
  29. Gharial Bronx Zoo
  30. Aardvark Bronx Zoo
  31. Red Panda Bronx Zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo
  32. Western Lowland Gorilla ZooMiami
  33. Sable Antelope ZooMiami
  34. Golden Poison Frog Bronx Zoo
  35. Bongo ZooMiami, Naples Zoo
  36. Siberian Tiger Bronx Zoo
  37. Red Ruffed Lemur Naples Zoo, Bronx Zoo
  38. Gila Monster Bronx Zoo, Animal Adventures
  39. American Bison Bronx Zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo
  40. Jaguar ZooMiami
  41. Giant Anteater ZooMiami
  42. Red-Eyed Tree Frog ZooMiami
  43. Red Kangaroo Animal Adventures
  44. Southern Cassowary ZooMiami
  45. Eastern Blue Tongued Lizard Animal Adventures
  46. Koala ZooMiami
  47. Giant Otter ZooMiami
  48. Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman Maritime Aquarium
  49. Diamondback Terrapin Maritime Aquarium
  50. Clouded Leopard ZooMiami, Naples Zoo
  51. Malayan Tapir ZooMiami, Bronx Zoo
  52. North Sulawesi Babirusa ZooMiami
  53. Dhole ZooMiami
  54. Giant Malaysian Leaf Insect Alt: Any Leaf Insect Bronx Zoo
  55. Meerkat ZooMiami, Maritime Aquarium
  56. Southern White Rhinoceros Bronx Zoo
  57. American Alligator ZooMiami, Naples Zoo, Everglades Wonder Garden
  58. American Bullfrog Maritime Aquarium
  59. California Sea Lion Bronx Zoo
  60. Cougar ZooMiami, Ecotarium
  61. Arctic Fox Animal Adventures
  62. Eurasian Lynx Animal Adventures
  63. Asian Small-Clawed Otter ZooMiami
  64. Red-Crowned Crane Roger Williams Park Zoo
  65. Amur Leopard Bronx Zoo
  66. Siamang ZooMiami, Naples Zoo
  67. Raccoon ZooMiami
  68. Red Fox Animal Adventures
  69. Striped Skunk Maritime Aquarium, Animal Adventures
  70. Emu Animal Adventures
  71. Red-Necked Wallaby Animal Adventures
  72. Striped Hyena Naples Zoo
hehe i like planet zoo
 
Leaf Productions said:
  1. African Savannah Elephant ZooMiami
  2. Grizzly Bear Bronx Zoo
  3. West African Lion Alt: Any Lions ZooMiami, Naples Zoo, Bronx Zoo
  4. Plains Zebra ZooMiami, Naples Zoo
  5. Ring Tailed Lemur Naples Zoo, Bronx Zoo, Animal Adventures
  6. Galapagos Giant Tortoise ZooMiami, Naples Zoo
  7. Reticulated Giraffe ZooMiami, Naples Zoo, Bronx Zoo
  8. Western Chimpanzee ZooMiami
  9. Pygmy Hippo ZooMiami
  10. Komodo Dragon ZooMiami, Bronx Zoo
  11. Thomson's Gazelle Bronx Zoo
  12. African Wild Dog ZooMiami, Bronx Zoo
  13. Cheetah Naples Zoo
  14. Indian Peafowl Everglades Wonder Gardens, Bronx Zoo
  15. Boa Constrictor American Adventures
  16. Bengal Tiger Alt: Any Tigers ZooMiami
  17. Spotted Hyena ZooMiami, Bronx Zoo
  18. Bactrian Camel ZooMiami, Bronx Zoo
  19. Green Iguana Wild
  20. Bornean Orangutan ZooMiami
  21. Common Warthog ZooMiami
  22. Lehmann's Poison Frog
  23. Snow Leopard Bronx Zoo
  24. Aldabra Giant Tortoise ZooMiami, Naples Zoo, Animal Adventures
  25. Yellow Anaconda ZooMiami
  26. Indian Rhinoceros ZooMiami
  27. Okapi ZooMiami
  28. Indian Elephant ZooMiami
  29. Gharial Bronx Zoo
  30. Aardvark Bronx Zoo
  31. Red Panda Bronx Zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo
  32. Western Lowland Gorilla ZooMiami
  33. Sable Antelope ZooMiami
  34. Golden Poison Frog Bronx Zoo
  35. Bongo ZooMiami, Naples Zoo
  36. Siberian Tiger Bronx Zoo
  37. Red Ruffed Lemur Naples Zoo, Bronx Zoo
  38. Gila Monster Bronx Zoo, Animal Adventures
  39. American Bison Bronx Zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo
  40. Jaguar ZooMiami
  41. Giant Anteater ZooMiami
  42. Red-Eyed Tree Frog ZooMiami
  43. Red Kangaroo Animal Adventures
  44. Southern Cassowary ZooMiami
  45. Eastern Blue Tongued Lizard Animal Adventures
  46. Koala ZooMiami
  47. Giant Otter ZooMiami
  48. Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman Maritime Aquarium
  49. Diamondback Terrapin Maritime Aquarium
  50. Clouded Leopard ZooMiami, Naples Zoo
  51. Malayan Tapir ZooMiami, Bronx Zoo
  52. North Sulawesi Babirusa ZooMiami
  53. Dhole ZooMiami
  54. Giant Malaysian Leaf Insect Alt: Any Leaf Insect Bronx Zoo
  55. Meerkat ZooMiami, Maritime Aquarium
  56. Southern White Rhinoceros Bronx Zoo
  57. American Alligator ZooMiami, Naples Zoo, Everglades Wonder Garden
  58. American Bullfrog Maritime Aquarium
  59. California Sea Lion Bronx Zoo
  60. Cougar ZooMiami, Ecotarium
  61. Arctic Fox Animal Adventures
  62. Eurasian Lynx Animal Adventures
  63. Asian Small-Clawed Otter ZooMiami
  64. Red-Crowned Crane Roger Williams Park Zoo
  65. Amur Leopard Bronx Zoo
  66. Siamang ZooMiami, Naples Zoo
  67. Raccoon ZooMiami
  68. Red Fox Animal Adventures
  69. Striped Skunk Maritime Aquarium, Animal Adventures
  70. Emu Animal Adventures
  71. Red-Necked Wallaby Animal Adventures
  72. Striped Hyena Naples Zoo
hehe i like planet zoo
Click to expand...
I don't think ANY Lions or ANY Tigers should be substitutable for West African Lion or Bengal Tiger (respectively). I think subbing any African Lion for West African Lion is fair (since West African Lion doesn't exist anymore anyway) and I think we should keep Bengal Tiger as meaning pure Bengal Tiger - they are around in zoos.

How should Arctic Wolf be defined? Maybe we should just ignore that one?
 
birdsandbats said:
I don't think ANY Lions or ANY Tigers should be substitutable for West African Lion or Bengal Tiger (respectively). I think subbing any African Lion for West African Lion is fair (since West African Lion doesn't exist anymore anyway) and I think we should keep Bengal Tiger as meaning pure Bengal Tiger - they are around in zoos.

How should Arctic Wolf be defined? Maybe we should just ignore that one?
Click to expand...
If you're willing to go to Plumpton Park Zoo (or Toronto) to see Arctic wolf...
 
North Carolina Zoo:
- African Elephant
- American Alligator
- American Bison
- Arctic Fox
- Cougar
- Eastern Blue-tongued Lizard
- Gila Monster
- Grizzly Bear
- Plains Zebra
- Polar Bear
- Reticulated Giraffe
- Southern White Rhino
- Western Lowland Gorilla
 
I've noticed lots of people counting generic Giraffes as Reticulated - I don't really like that either.
 
Leaf Productions said:
Green Iguana Wild
Click to expand...

I thought you said wild sightings were not allowed?

birdsandbats said:
I don't think ANY Lions or ANY Tigers should be substitutable for West African Lion or Bengal Tiger (respectively). I think subbing any African Lion for West African Lion is fair (since West African Lion doesn't exist anymore anyway) and I think we should keep Bengal Tiger as meaning pure Bengal Tiger - they are around in zoos.

How should Arctic Wolf be defined? Maybe we should just ignore that one?
Click to expand...

StoppableSan said:
If you're willing to go to Plumpton Park Zoo (or Toronto) to see Arctic wolf...
Click to expand...

I am a fan of the idea that you should only be allowed to substitute animals if they are of the same species but different subspecies. Since Mexican Gray Wolves and Arctic Wolves are both Canis lupus, I think Mexican Gray Wolves should be allowed to be substituted for Arctic Wolves. A simple catch-all rule like this also means people won't have to keep track of dozens of exceptions for each individual entry.
 
ZooElephantsMan said:
I thought you said wild sightings were not allowed?





I am a fan of the idea that you should only be allowed to substitute animals if they are of the same species but different subspecies. Since Mexican Gray Wolves and Arctic Wolves are both Canis lupus, I think Mexican Gray Wolves should be allowed to be substituted for Arctic Wolves. A simple catch-all rule like this also means people won't have to keep track of dozens of exceptions for each individual entry.
Click to expand...
That kind of falls under the 'substitute any animal for any other animal' issue, no? There are tons of Gray Wolf subspecies, and Arctic and Mexican Gray aren't particularly closely related (relatively speaking).

Perhaps we should just ignore subspecies level as a whole for this entire challenge?
 
Leaf Productions said:
  1. African Savannah Elephant ZooMiami
  2. Grizzly Bear Bronx Zoo
  3. West African Lion Alt: Any Lions ZooMiami, Naples Zoo, Bronx Zoo
  4. Plains Zebra ZooMiami, Naples Zoo
  5. Ring Tailed Lemur Naples Zoo, Bronx Zoo, Animal Adventures
  6. Galapagos Giant Tortoise ZooMiami, Naples Zoo
  7. Reticulated Giraffe ZooMiami, Naples Zoo, Bronx Zoo
  8. Western Chimpanzee ZooMiami
  9. Pygmy Hippo ZooMiami
  10. Komodo Dragon ZooMiami, Bronx Zoo
  11. Thomson's Gazelle Bronx Zoo
  12. African Wild Dog ZooMiami, Bronx Zoo
  13. Cheetah Naples Zoo
  14. Indian Peafowl Everglades Wonder Gardens, Bronx Zoo
  15. Boa Constrictor American Adventures
  16. Bengal Tiger Alt: Any Tigers ZooMiami
  17. Spotted Hyena ZooMiami, Bronx Zoo
  18. Bactrian Camel ZooMiami, Bronx Zoo
  19. Green Iguana Wild
  20. Bornean Orangutan ZooMiami
  21. Common Warthog ZooMiami
  22. Lehmann's Poison Frog
  23. Snow Leopard Bronx Zoo
  24. Aldabra Giant Tortoise ZooMiami, Naples Zoo, Animal Adventures
  25. Yellow Anaconda ZooMiami
  26. Indian Rhinoceros ZooMiami
  27. Okapi ZooMiami
  28. Indian Elephant ZooMiami
  29. Gharial Bronx Zoo
  30. Aardvark Bronx Zoo
  31. Red Panda Bronx Zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo
  32. Western Lowland Gorilla ZooMiami
  33. Sable Antelope ZooMiami
  34. Golden Poison Frog Bronx Zoo
  35. Bongo ZooMiami, Naples Zoo
  36. Siberian Tiger Bronx Zoo
  37. Red Ruffed Lemur Naples Zoo, Bronx Zoo
  38. Gila Monster Bronx Zoo, Animal Adventures
  39. American Bison Bronx Zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo
  40. Jaguar ZooMiami
  41. Giant Anteater ZooMiami
  42. Red-Eyed Tree Frog ZooMiami
  43. Red Kangaroo Animal Adventures
  44. Southern Cassowary ZooMiami
  45. Eastern Blue Tongued Lizard Animal Adventures
  46. Koala ZooMiami
  47. Giant Otter ZooMiami
  48. Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman Maritime Aquarium
  49. Diamondback Terrapin Maritime Aquarium
  50. Clouded Leopard ZooMiami, Naples Zoo
  51. Malayan Tapir ZooMiami, Bronx Zoo
  52. North Sulawesi Babirusa ZooMiami
  53. Dhole ZooMiami
  54. Giant Malaysian Leaf Insect Alt: Any Leaf Insect Bronx Zoo
  55. Meerkat ZooMiami, Maritime Aquarium
  56. Southern White Rhinoceros Bronx Zoo
  57. American Alligator ZooMiami, Naples Zoo, Everglades Wonder Garden
  58. American Bullfrog Maritime Aquarium
  59. California Sea Lion Bronx Zoo
  60. Cougar ZooMiami, Ecotarium
  61. Arctic Fox Animal Adventures
  62. Eurasian Lynx Animal Adventures
  63. Asian Small-Clawed Otter ZooMiami
  64. Red-Crowned Crane Roger Williams Park Zoo
  65. Amur Leopard Bronx Zoo
  66. Siamang ZooMiami, Naples Zoo
  67. Raccoon ZooMiami
  68. Red Fox Animal Adventures
  69. Striped Skunk Maritime Aquarium, Animal Adventures
  70. Emu Animal Adventures
  71. Red-Necked Wallaby Animal Adventures
  72. Striped Hyena Naples Zoo
hehe i like planet zoo
Click to expand...
The peafowl at Everglades Wonder Gardens must have been wild, right?
 
birdsandbats said:
That kind of falls under the 'substitute any animal for any other animal' issue, no? There are tons of Gray Wolf subspecies, and Arctic and Mexican Gray aren't particularly closely related (relatively speaking).

Perhaps we should just ignore subspecies level as a whole for this entire challenge?
Click to expand...
Wolves are one of the (many) groups of animals that the taxonomy/phylogeny of is a hotly debated mess at the moment. It's unfortunate no one can seem to agree on what is or isn't a species or subspecies, as it has real-world consequences in the realm of conservation, but for a challenge like this I agree the best course of action is to pick a taxonomic database to use, and stick with whatever they define at species-level (e.g. IUCN Redlist)
 
birdsandbats said:
I don't think ANY Lions or ANY Tigers should be substitutable for West African Lion or Bengal Tiger (respectively). I think subbing any African Lion for West African Lion is fair (since West African Lion doesn't exist anymore anyway) and I think we should keep Bengal Tiger as meaning pure Bengal Tiger - they are around in zoos.

How should Arctic Wolf be defined? Maybe we should just ignore that one?
Click to expand...
Where outside India has pure Bengal Tiger. This has been discussed many times but there are not any in Europe
 
All Henry Vilas Zoo, 2/5/23

  • West African Lion (sub: any lion)
  • Bengal Tiger (sub: any tiger)
  • Bactrian Camel
  • Bornean Orangutan
  • Aldabra Giant Tortoise
  • Aardvark
  • Red Panda
  • Siberian Tiger (the tiger HVZ actually has)(please correct me if I'm wrong)
  • Gila Monster
  • American Bison
  • Polar Bear
  • American Alligator
  • Black-and-white ruffed lemur
 
The rules seem incredibly messy at the moment, especially with the species substitutions. An improved and more detailed overview, as provided in many of the long running ZooChat challenges, would be appreciated.
 
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TNT said:
The rules seem incredibly messy at the moment, especially with the species substitutions. An improved and more detailed overview, as provided in many of the long running ZooChat challenges, would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
To be fair, if it's called a "Planet Zoo Species Challenge" and the object is to see as many as possible, and there's no leaderboard for who wins (besides, what would you win - brownie points?) it should be pretty self explanatory. For challenging stuff like West African Lion, Bengal Tiger, Proboscis Monkey or Chinese Pangolin, I'd *personally* just do full substitutions for the lion and the tiger or give half points for subspecies that are similar enough (e.g. Indian pangolin). For stuff that's just flat-out impossible, hate to be so blunt about it, but tough noogie.
 
StoppableSan said:
To be fair, if it's called a "Planet Zoo Species Challenge" and the object is to see as many as possible, and there's no leaderboard for who wins (besides, what would you win - brownie points?) it should be pretty self explanatory. For challenging stuff like West African Lion, Bengal Tiger, Proboscis Monkey or Chinese Pangolin, I'd *personally* just do full substitutions for the lion and the tiger or give half points for subspecies that are similar enough (e.g. Indian pangolin). For stuff that's just flat-out impossible, hate to be so blunt about it, but tough noogie.
Click to expand...

The lions, tigers, and pangolins have substitutions for any lion/tiger/pangolin (I think there's a specific substitution for the pangolin but I haven't seen one of those yet so I'm not concerned yet personally), but as has been said earlier the proboscis monkey just straight up does not have a substitution. I mean, if the Global Challenge is designed to be near (if not entirely) impossible to 100%, I think it's okay if this one also is. Especially since it's just for fun, even more so than the other challenges like the North America and Global challenges. Also not to put words in someone's mouth, but I think it's really just to see how many of the Planet Zoo species can be seen. I want to complete as much of it as possible, but I really think everyone would benefit from taking this particular challenge a little less seriously. (Unless I'm missing something and there are rules for the rules challenges have)
 
StoppableSan said:
To be fair, if it's called a "Planet Zoo Species Challenge" and the object is to see as many as possible, and there's no leaderboard for who wins (besides, what would you win - brownie points?) it should be pretty self explanatory. For challenging stuff like West African Lion, Bengal Tiger, Proboscis Monkey or Chinese Pangolin, I'd *personally* just do full substitutions for the lion and the tiger or give half points for subspecies that are similar enough (e.g. Indian pangolin). For stuff that's just flat-out impossible, hate to be so blunt about it, but tough noogie.
Click to expand...

ifesbob said:
The lions, tigers, and pangolins have substitutions for any lion/tiger/pangolin (I think there's a specific substitution for the pangolin but I haven't seen one of those yet so I'm not concerned yet personally), but as has been said earlier the proboscis monkey just straight up does not have a substitution. I mean, if the Global Challenge is designed to be near (if not entirely) impossible to 100%, I think it's okay if this one also is. Especially since it's just for fun, even more so than the other challenges like the North America and Global challenges. Also not to put words in someone's mouth, but I think it's really just to see how many of the Planet Zoo species can be seen. I want to complete as much of it as possible, but I really think everyone would benefit from taking this particular challenge a little less seriously. (Unless I'm missing something and there are rules for the rules challenges have)
Click to expand...

The problem with the challenge is not that it is impossible to complete. The problem instead lies in the challenge’s other vague rules, and the fact that these rules are not enforced. Are we counting animals at the species level only, or do we care about the subspecies level as well? Are we counting animals seen only in captivity, or do wild sightings also count? If I have to see a Grizzly Bear and a Himalayan Brown Bear for the challenge, and if I am allowed to sub the Himalayan Brown Bear with any Brown Bear, does that mean that seeing a single Grizzly Bear counts towards both challenges? These are just a couple of the questions that currently have no clear answers.

Also, I’d argue that having a leaderboard would be valuable for this challenge. Winners seem to usually be announced at the end of other zoochat challenges, and the fact that there is no prize for winning doesn’t make having a leaderboard any less valuable. If 10 people raced around a track, they would still all want to know how they scored even if there was no prize. The same applies here.
 
pipaluk said:
My list so far:

Colchester ( 2 visits)

1 African Elephant
2 Lion
3 Plains Zebra
4 Grey Wolf
5 Ring-tailed lemur
6 Reticulated Giraffe
7 Chimpanzee
8 Spotted Hyaena
9 Green Iguana
10 Bornean Orangutan
11 Warthog
12 Aardvark
13 Mandrill
14 Red Panda
15 Siberian Tiger
16 Giant Anteater
17 Eastern Blue tongued lizard
18 Sun Bear
19 Binturong
20 Meerkat
21 Fennec fox
22 White Rhino
23 Black & White ruffed lemur
24 Amur Leopard
25 Red necked wallaby

Linton Jan 2nd

26 Snow Leopard
27 Red Kangaroo
28 Aldabra Giant Tortoise
29 Red ruffed lemur

Hamerton

30 Cheetah
31 Greater Flamingo
32 Gila monster
33 Dingo
34 Southern Cassowary
35 Asian small clawed otter
36 Red crowned Crane
37 Common Wombat

Whipsnade

38 Common Hippo
39 Pygmy Hippo
40 Bactrian Camel
41 Ostrich
42 Indian Rhino
43 Indian elephant
44 Gemsbok
45 Bongo
46 Eurasian Lynx
47 Reindeer
48 European fallow deer
49 Babirusa
50 African penguin
51 Prezwalskis Horse
52 Emu
53 Scimitar horned oryx

Drusilla's

54 Boa constrictor
55 Capybara
56 N American Beaver
57 Black tailed prairie dog

One missed from Colchester

58 Komodo Dragon

I think I've seen a couple of the spiders and some butterflies but didn't take much notice at the time!
Click to expand...
Linton Feb 15

59 Goliath Birdeating Spider
 
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