Rarest animals seen in a zoo or aquarium

Zygodactyl said:
And while I'm not sure how rare seamoths are, I never heard of them before I went to the Scripps Aquarium (and they're so striking I could not forget them) so I suspect they're still rare in captivity.
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I believe you are right in saying that they're rare. From what I've heard they are a bit hard to maintain in captivity. I've seen the dragon sea moth (E. draconis) at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and haven't seen any other.
 
Some Ive been lucky enough to see

- Helmeted honey eater - Healesville Sanctuary
- Regent honey eater - Melbourne Zoo
- Greater Spotted Kiwi - Otorahanga Kiwi House
- Campbell island teal - Otorahanga Kiw House and Auckland Zoo
- Lesser short tailed bat - Auckland Zoo
- Takahe - Auckland Zoo
- Asiatic Lion - Night Safari
- Malayan Tiger- Night Safari
- Asian Rhino - Night safari
- Thamin deer - Night Safari
- Platypus - Healesville Sanctuary
- Mountain pygmy possum - Healesville Sanctuary
- cooberie frog - Healesville sanctuary
- Orange bellied parrot - Healesville Sanctuary
- eastern barred bandicoot - Werribee Open Range Zoo
- Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo - Jurong Bird Park
- Bali myna - Jurong Bird Park

- lowland anoa Night Safari
- Roti island snake turtle - Singapore Zoo
- Philippine crocodile - Melbourne Zoo
- Fiji crested iguana - Melbourne Zoo
- Vietnamese pond turtle - Singapore Zoo
- Chinese alligator - river safari
- Baw baw frog - Melbourne Zoo
- Hochstetters frog - Hamilton Zoo
- Archeys frog - Auckland Zoo
- Dwarf crocodile - river safari
- Giant fresh water stingray - river safari
- Mekong giant catfish - river safari
- Swift parrot - Healesville Sanctuary
- Swamp Harrier ( rarely kept in NZ and Australia) despite it being a common species - Wingspan bird of prey trust
- Blue throated macaw - Jurong Birdpark
 
JVM said:
Orinoco Crocodile (Brookfield Zoo)
Red-Faced Spider Monkey (Brookfield Zoo)
Forest Buffalo (Brookfield Zoo)
Sichuan Takin (Lincoln Park Zoo)
Asiatic Black Bear (Milwaukee County Zoo) -- been quite a while
Kikanjou (Milwaukee County Zoo)
Tayra? (Milwaukee County Zoo) -- don't really remember seeing it too well, but I know I've seen it
Beluga (Shedd Aquarium)
Gharial (National Zoo)
Giant Panda (National Zoo)

I'm probably missing some species, but those are the first ones off my head that really seemed unique. There are a few that seemed unique at the time but have since become common as well, like Red pandas, or are unique in my area but not so much nationally or worldwide.
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Adding a few some other members have mentioned:

Vampire Bats (Brookfield Zoo)
Bonobo (Milwaukee County Zoo)
Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombat (Brookfield Zoo)
American Moose (Milwaukee County Zoo)
 
JVM said:
Asiatic Black Bear (Milwaukee County Zoo) -- been quite a while
Kikanjou (Milwaukee County Zoo)
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I'd just like to note that while kinkajous are neat, they aren't rare, in fact they're one of the more common exotic mammals kept as pets. They're also quite common in zoos. I mention this because it's a pet peeve of mine that the AZA has a "species survival plan" for the kinkajou, an animal which is neither endangered in the wild nor rare in captivity.

While I'm at it I'll also mention that the Asiatic black bear also seems to be fairly common in zoos. Most bears I've seen in zoos have been either American or Asiatic black bears, though I'm not sure which is more common. They have adaptations in common with both the panda (sedentary grazer lifestyle) and sun bear (cool chest markings) but are easier to obtain and keep than either.
 
Zygodactyl said:
I'd just like to note that while kinkajous are neat, they aren't rare, in fact they're one of the more common exotic mammals kept as pets. They're also quite common in zoos. I mention this because it's a pet peeve of mine that the AZA has a "species survival plan" for the kinkajou, an animal which is neither endangered in the wild nor rare in captivity.

While I'm at it I'll also mention that the Asiatic black bear also seems to be fairly common in zoos. Most bears I've seen in zoos have been either American or Asiatic black bears, though I'm not sure which is more common. They have adaptations in common with both the panda (sedentary grazer lifestyle) and sun bear (cool chest markings) but are easier to obtain and keep than either.
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Kinkajous aren't rare, but rather uncommon, and while many zoos have them as a program animal, they aren't often an exhibit animal. And what is the problem with a SSP? SSPs ensure genetic sustainability, which is rather important if the population is to remain viable long-term.

As @savethelephant mentions above, Asian black bears are actually quite uncommon, if not rare. They are indeed phase out in the AZA, and even the private holdings of the species are aging and almost entirely non-breeding. I only know of one breeding pair, at the Metro Richmond Zoo, and I don't think even that pair has produced cubs in a while.
 
savethelephant said:
Actually Asiatic Black Bears aren't too common at all and are actually getting phased out by the AZA
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Really? Why is the AZA phasing them out when the species is vulnerable?

I guess I've been lucky; I've seen enough that I didn't think the species is rare.

Also, it occurs to me that I've only ever seen a fisher in one zoo, and Zootierliste says no European zoos have them, so that's also likely pretty rare in zoos.

jayjds2 said:
Kinkajous aren't rare, but rather uncommon, and while many zoos have them as a program animal, they aren't often an exhibit animal. And what is the problem with a SSP? SSPs ensure genetic sustainability, which is rather important if the population is to remain viable long-term.
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It's a combination of the inaccuract name and that the rules for SSPs seem rather ... Leninesque to me. While central planning is all well and good if you have a tiny population where you're trying to maximize survival, when you have a large population there is no need for it. I imagine that the SSP administrator would prohibit zoos obtaining kinkajous from private breeders, which could otherwise be a viable source of new DNA.

Moreover currently kinakjou populations in the US (in both zoos and private breeders) seem to be a mix of subspecies. If I understand how the SSP works, an AZA zoo could not import a group of kinks of a single subspecies and chose to keep that subspecies distinct.
 
Zygodactyl said:
I'd just like to note that while kinkajous are neat, they aren't rare, in fact they're one of the more common exotic mammals kept as pets. They're also quite common in zoos. I mention this because it's a pet peeve of mine that the AZA has a "species survival plan" for the kinkajou, an animal which is neither endangered in the wild nor rare in captivity.

While I'm at it I'll also mention that the Asiatic black bear also seems to be fairly common in zoos. Most bears I've seen in zoos have been either American or Asiatic black bears, though I'm not sure which is more common. They have adaptations in common with both the panda (sedentary grazer lifestyle) and sun bear (cool chest markings) but are easier to obtain and keep than either.
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What are some other U. S. zoos with kinkajous? I'd love to learn more, genuinely. I don't remember finding them very exciting until I saw the one in Milwaukee, who seemed very active and friendly, as the whole nocturnal section was that day. I'm aware they exist in the exotic pet trade though. I can sort of see your perspective on the SSP thing but I've no commentary of my own.

You're not wrong. The Asiatic Black Bear was a common species in the past but as of today, the zoo population in the United States is elderly and geriatric and the AZA has made them a phase-out species, discouraging any facilities from replenishing it. They are on a rapid decline, and many zoos that had them ten to twenty years ago no longer do, nor ever will again.

Compare how meerkats, African wild dogs and red river hogs were considered uncommon two decades ago but have now become fairly standard, and many zoos that don't already have them may add them in future African-themed renovations.

There's a tricky balance in this topic. Some species that were common in the past no longer are, some are more common in certain regions or countries, and some people may just not have the luck.

Really? Why is the AZA phasing them out when the species is vulnerable?
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My assumption is that the AZA feels the space and money is better suited for the species of bear they already have cooperative plans for - from my memory, four species of bear (Polar, Sun, Sloth, Andean/Spectacled) have plans, and many zoos today are only prioritizing one or two. Out of my local facilities, two of them also have grizzlies, and two also have American black bears. One phased out Sun bears and Spectacled bears, the other only the Spectacled bears.

In the interests of keeping self-sustaining, healthy and independent captive populations, the AZA seems to be moving in a direction to focus on a handful of most important keystone species, but it serves the consequence of minimizing variety within the larger zoo population.
 
Zygodactyl said:
It's a combination of the inaccuract name and that the rules for SSPs seem rather ... Leninesque to me. While central planning is all well and good if you have a tiny population where you're trying to maximize survival, when you have a large population there is no need for it. I imagine that the SSP administrator would prohibit zoos obtaining kinkajous from private breeders, which could otherwise be a viable source of new DNA.

Moreover currently kinakjou populations in the US (in both zoos and private breeders) seem to be a mix of subspecies. If I understand how the SSP works, an AZA zoo could not import a group of kinks of a single subspecies and chose to keep that subspecies distinct.
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While it is more effective when used with a smaller population, I'd say that the SSP is still quite useful in animals with larger populations. At its simplest, it makes sure that no inbreeding occurs when two institutions make loans or transfers. Inbreeding doesn't affect every animal but we haven't studied the effects of it on every animal, so it's best to play it safe.

I don't know if this is the case with every SSP, but in at least one (helmeted curassow) a privately sourced animal has entered the breeding population. If the breeder can prove origin or ancestry, then why wouldn't the SSP jump at a chance for a new bloodline?

I dislike the mixing of subspecies, but in some cases I am less inclined to care. Sometimes, though, the subspecies become species (one pet peeve of mine is the "reticulated" giraffe we have in American zoos).

An AZA zoo is entirely capable of importing a pure subspecies. Most of the time, however, if allowed to enter the normal breeding population, the subspecies will be disregarded. If a zoo doesn't want this to happen, they have to maintain the subspecies on their own. This means they have to have a healthy breeding population, with space for new offspring. That becomes taxing on the facility quickly. Other institutions may take surplus animals, or perhaps even join the program. However, the AZA doesn't approve of too much space being dedicated to a non-SSP population and that has caused disputes in the past. Again, though, it is feasible. The Nashville maintains the non-SSP Palawan binturong in a breeding population and offspring have been sent to borh Pittsburgh and Columbus.

Sorry if that went on a bit long and got confusing. I'll try to answer any further questions you may have.

Also, @JVM: sun bears used to be a managed population. However, as only one institution (San Diego Zoo) managed to breed them in the 20 or so years since the main imports, they are considered a phase-out population. Some zoos are still trying to breed them, though.
 
@JVM : I'm pretty sure I saw the kinkajou in at least one animal ambassador program when I was a kid. This combined with the fact that it's a popular exotic pet may have lead me to overestimate its popularity. I also may have conflated kinkajous and binturongs as "cute prehensile-tailed fruit-eating carnivores that don't do much." There are two zoos where I thought I remembered seeing it, and neither of them has one. San Diego Zoo does, but after the train tour (which my cousin said was mandatory at least once) we had two hours in the San Diego Zoo, which wasn't even enough to see everything we'd planned.

Any rate, I went to the Miami Zoo yesterday with my aunt (who is a member). We rented one of their cycle carts, which let us cover a lot more ground than usual in the 2-3 hours at a time my aunt can stand to spend at the zoo. I only saw four species in the Cloud Forest aviary (there were half a dozen more I really hoped to see), and the sloth and sun bear were both off-exhibit; it sounds like they're building a new bear-focused exhibit. Still, my visit was much more fruitful than the last time I visited.

So in addition to the harpy eagles, arboreal alligator lizard, white-crested laughingthrush, buff-banded rail, and hooded pitta (all of which I saw last time but didn't include on my list because I forgot the harpy and didn't realize the others were rate in captivity until I checked Zootierliste), I can add the following animals to the list of rare zoo animals I've seen in zoos new as of yesterday. In roughly the order that I saw them:
  1. Koala
  2. Matchie's tree kangaroo
  3. New Guinea singing dog
  4. Saffron finch
  5. Turquoise tanager
  6. Occelated turkey
  7. Helmeted basilisk (not sure which species but all are rare in captivity)
  8. Giant river otter
  9. Jamaican fruit-eating bats
  10. Seba's short-tailed bats
  11. One other Neotropical fruit bat whose name I forget
  12. Sandgrouse (not sure of species but all seem to be rare in captivity)
  13. Magpie shrike
  14. Blue-naped mousebird
  15. Dollarbird
  16. Bowerbird (uncertain species but all seem to be rare in captivity)
  17. Black-collared starling
  18. Orange-breasted green pigeon
The tree kangaroo is one of the most interesting animals to watch I've ever seen, which surprised me. I could probably have spent hours watching it (same for the bats, but that's just because I love bats). The black-collared mynah and dollarbird were both really vocal, which was fun to watch. Blue-naped mousebirds are much smaller than speckled mousebirds, and the blue is an iridescent azure. And turquoise tanagers and saffron finches are simply gorgeous.

I'll also note that I saw the slender-billed cockatoo, dusky lory, and perfect lorikeet at Parrot Jungle back when it was still Parrot Jungle. Probably some other rare parrots as well, but those (and the palm cockatoo, however the palm cockatoo is relatively common on Zootierliste) are the parrots I both remember vividly from my visits before the new owners ruined it which I have never seen elsewhere.
 
I get to add a few species after my visit to the Capital of Texas Zoo today.
  1. Fossa
  2. Falanoka
  3. Blue-throated macaw
Dingoes, jungle cats, and brown lemurs aren't common in the US but do seem to be fairly common in Europe, so I'll mention those but won't count them. I also may have seen a collared lemur, but given the inaccurate signage, I'm not going to count it unless I can see it clearly.
 
Here's a few more in recent years:
- Colocolo (Las Leyendas, Lima)
- Marine otter (Huachipa, Lima)
- Collared titi (Quistacocha, Iquitos)
- Golden-mantled tamarin (Pilpintuwasi, Iquitos)
- Red-eared guenon (Havana Zoo)
 
Here are handful more. (Might have already been mentioned already).
These are all rare in the U.S.
Brown throated three-toed sloth (Dallas world aquarium)
Ocean sunfish (monterey bay)
Golden rumped elephant shrew: Omaha, Philadephia
Golden-bellied mangabey (Cleveland metroparks zoo)
African Savannah Water buffalo (SDZ wildlife park)
Margay (Arizona Sonora desert museum) Maybe?
Cacomsticle (Arizona Sonora-desert museum)
Antilles tree spider (Cincinnati) Not sure if they are rare or not I have never seen them on display anywhere else? (Could be behind the scenes)
Silvery gibbon (Fort wayne)
Banded mongoose (Fort wayne)
Agile gibbon (Omaha)
Greater bulldog bat (Omaha)
Ring tailed mongoose (Bronx)
Hawaiian monk seal (Minnesota)
 
Luke da Zoo nerd said:
Here are handful more. (Might have already been mentioned already).
These are all rare in the U.S.
Brown throated three-toed sloth (Dallas world aquarium)
Ocean sunfish (monterey bay)
Golden rumped elephant shrew: Omaha, Philadephia
Golden-bellied mangabey (Cleveland metroparks zoo)
African Savannah Water buffalo (SDZ wildlife park)
Margay (Arizona Sonora desert museum) Maybe?
Cacomsticle (Arizona Sonora-desert museum)
Antilles tree spider (Cincinnati) Not sure if they are rare or not I have never seen them on display anywhere else? (Could be behind the scenes)
Silvery gibbon (Fort wayne)
Banded mongoose (Fort wayne)
Agile gibbon (Omaha)
Greater bulldog bat (Omaha)
Ring tailed mongoose (Bronx)
Hawaiian monk seal (Minnesota)
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I am surprised Banded mongoose are a rare species in the US, in Europe hundreds of zoos keep them, including many smaller ones.
 
lintworm said:
I am surprised Banded mongoose are a rare species in the US, in Europe hundreds of zoos keep them, including many smaller ones.
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I am to, If you go on Zootierliste I see tons of facilities holding this species. One common species of mongoose in the U.S. is the Dwarf mongoose. Yellow mongooses also seem to be held quite a bit in Europe as well.
 
lintworm said:
I am surprised Banded mongoose are a rare species in the US, in Europe hundreds of zoos keep them, including many smaller ones.
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In the US all mongoose species are listed as a noxious species, meaning they can't be imported, sold, or brought across state borders without special permission, which is very hard to get. This means that pretty much all the species are rare, except for Meerkat and Common Dwarf Mongoose, which are just uncommon. The mongooses that are around are kind of stuck in the collections they are in.
 
birdsandbats said:
In the US all mongoose species are listed as a noxious species, meaning they can't be imported, sold, or brought across state borders without special permission, which is very hard to get. This means that pretty much all the species are rare, except for Meerkat and Common Dwarf Mongoose, which are just uncommon. The mongooses that are around are kind of stuck in the collections they are in.
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That's a shame, I wish there would be a little more small carnivore diversity in U.S. zoos.
 
Here are some of mine

Swift Parrot (moonlit Sanctuary)
Baw Baw Frog (Melbourne Zoo)
Eastern Barred Bandicoot (mainland population)(Werribee zoo)
Black Striped Wallaby (Phillip Island Wildlife Park)
Southern Coroboree Frog (Melbourne Zoo)
Australian Lungfish (Currumbin sanctuary (like 8 years ago) and Melbourne Museum
Chameleon Gecko (Melbourne Museum, Temporary display)
Phillipine Crocodile (Melbourne Zoo)
Spotted Tree Frog (Melbourne Zoo)
Growling Grass Frog (Melbourne Museum and Moonlit Sanctuary (in a secret area))
Speartooth River Shark (Melbourne Aquarium)
Orange Bellied Parrot (Werribee zoo and Moonlit Sanctuary)
Spotted Tree Monitor (Moonlit Sanctuary)
Bongo (Melbourne zoo in 2014)
Spotted Handfish (Melbourne Aquarium)

more I’ll do later
 
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