Snowleopard's Mammals: A Lifetime List of Species Mammalian and Non-Mammalian

[Lori Patton]

It's time to look at Sifakas...Zoboomafoo! I've seen Coquerel's Sifakas at 9 zoos and Crowned Sifakas at 1 zoo.

1- Bronx Zoo (USA) – Coquerel’s Sifaka – 2008
2- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – Coquerel’s Sifaka – 2008
3- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – Coquerel’s Sifaka – 2010
4- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Coquerel’s Sifaka – 2010
5- Maryland Zoo (USA) – Coquerel’s Sifaka – 2010
6- Houston Zoo (USA) – Coquerel’s Sifaka – 2010
7- Sacramento Zoo (USA) – Coquerel’s Sifaka – 2011
8- San Francisco Zoo (USA) – Coquerel’s Sifaka – 2017
9- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Coquerel’s Sifaka – 2023

AND...

1- Apenheul Primate Park (Netherlands) - Crowned Sifaka – 2019

Everything looks incredible about a Coquerel's Sifaka. The bright white hair, the brown contrast, those big yellow eyes, the gangly limbs, etc. My first encounter with this primate species was at the Bronx Zoo (USA) in the Madagascar! exhibit. Here's a Bronx specimen:

@TheoV

I noticed that there's been some discussion in the ZooChat gallery with several zoo nerds debating the ethics of keeping Coquerel's Sifakas entirely indoors, as the Bronx Zoo does with its lemur species within Madagascar. I remember the enclosure being very tall, but quite narrow and probably not with the optimal amount of space that these active primates require. Here's an image of the exhibit.

@fkalltheway

But the flip side of that coin is that Los Angeles Zoo (USA) has always given its Coquerel's Sifakas an outdoor exhibit, but it lacks the naturalism of the Bronx example and is essentially one of those outdated and boring 1960s's 'roundhouses' that are infamously still at the zoo.

@Coelacanth18

@Julio C Castro

Here's where I saw Coquerel's Sifakas at Saint Louis Zoo (USA) in 2010, in a rather desultory outdoor cage attached to the Primate House.

Since then, Saint Louis Zoo (USA) has opened Primate Canopy Trails with its rotational set of exhibits. The Coquerel's Sifakas and other primates are still able to access the traditional Primate House, but there's an assortment of outdoor habitats like this one as well:

@pachyderm pro

Philadelphia Zoo (USA) is such a poor zoo, in my opinion, for primates. Whether it is the indoor, tiled, crappy exhibits in the Rare Species Conservation Center, or the mediocre PECO Primate Reserve, I left the zoo in 2010 feeling disappointed. However, there's been a number of those Zoo360 metal tunnels and runways installed since then, but even those lack any sort of naturalism and I'm not a fan of that particular design choice. You can see a sifaka gazing out from behind mesh in this 2010 photo:

Maryland Zoo (USA) had Coquerel's Sifakas when I was there in 2010, and you can see one here inside the African Journey building.

I saw Coquerel's Sifakas 4 times in the summer of 2010, culminating with this exhibit and its high wooden poles at Houston Zoo (USA):

By 2019, the exhibit was looking a little bare and tight on space. (That looks like a Radiated Tortoise on the left)

@Moebelle

In 2011, I saw Coquerel's Sifakas at Sacramento Zoo (USA) in a well-furnished exhibit that's one of the best I've seen for the species.

So, between 2008 and 2011 I came across Coquerel's Sifakas at 7 different AZA-accredited American zoos. I've only seen the species at 2 new zoos since then.

I visited San Francisco Zoo (USA) in 2017 and the Coquerel's Sifaka exhibit was only a year old at that time. Has that zoo done anything substantial since then? Is there anything for the sifakas to actually climb in this tall, aviary-style enclosure?

It's all rather ghastly:

And that brings me to San Diego Zoo (USA), with its glorious lemur exhibits in Africa Rocks:

@Moebelle

On my first European zoo trek, I saw Crowned Sifakas for the very first time. Apenheul Primate Park (Netherlands) has a hopscotch children's game drawn on the ground so that kids can leap around like sifakas. A neat idea! Here's my photo that also shows the excellent signage at this world-class primate zoo.

Crowned Sifakas obviously have a totally different colour of hair on their heads in comparison to Coquerel's Sifakas.

@MennoPebesma

I would really love to see a real life Indri, which I've never come across in all my zoo visits. I did see some taxidermy specimens at the American Museum of Natural History in 2008 and here's my photo:

Lemur List:

Ring-tailed Lemurs - 184 zoos

Black-and-white Ruffed Lemurs - 76 zoos

Red Ruffed Lemurs - 75 zoos

Black Lemurs - 14 zoos

Mongoose Lemurs - 12 zoos

Crowned Lemurs - 10 zoos

Red-fronted Lemurs - 10 zoos

Blue-eyed Black Lemurs - 9 zoos

Collared Brown Lemurs - 9 zoos

Common Brown Lemurs - 9 zoos

Coquerel's Sifakas - 9 zoos

Red-bellied Lemurs - 7 zoos

Grey Mouse Lemurs - 6 zoos

White-fronted Lemurs - 6 zoos

Lac Alaotra Gentle Lemurs - 4 zoos

Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemurs - 3 zoos

Crowned Sifakas - 1 zoo

Goodman's Mouse Lemurs - 1 zoo

Greater Bamboo Lemurs - 1 zoo

I didn't realize that Coquerel's sifakas are so uncommon in zoos so I feel fortunate to have them at my local Los Angeles Zoo. Last spring one of them had a baby and it was so adorable to see the tiny sifaka clinging to its mother as she was climbing around. I have to say that I actually like the roundhouses and think they have quite a few positive characteristics. Chief among these is that visitors can get within mere feet of the animals for a very up-close viewing experience. Looking at some of the photos you've posted of the lemur exhibits in other zoos (especially the island habitats), I wonder how visitors can even get a glimpse of them so far away and potentially even covered up by a lot of foliage. In my opinion, the roundhouses offer a charming "escape" from the heat and the crowds at the L.A. Zoo, along with a sense of surprise as to what animals are kept inside (for those who are unfamiliar with where the animals are in the zoo). Now this is highly dependent on the species, of course. Quite a long time ago in 2000, I saw two gray wolves in one of the roundhouses, which looked absolutely miserable running back and forth with nowhere to go. However, for the small primates like the sifakas, the roundhouses seem to provide a good, if not ideal, habitat.

 

[snowleopard]

From Sifakas to Aye-ayes...what curious names lemurs have! After visiting 551 different zoos/aquariums, I've seen Aye-ayes at only 5 zoos. (Would Cincinnati Zoo have had Aye-ayes when I was there in 2008? I feel like I would have remembered them)

1- Denver Zoo (USA) – Aye-aye – 2006
2- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Aye-aye – 2010
3- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Aye-aye – 2011
4- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Aye-aye – 2012
5- Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) – Aye-aye – 2019

A rare shot of an Aye-aye in the wild:

@Therabu

The very first time I saw Aye-ayes was at Denver Zoo (USA) in 2006, in an extremely dark exhibit. There's only a single photo of the enclosure in the ZooChat gallery and it's not clear enough to be usable here.

It was a thrill to see Aye-ayes at Philadelphia Zoo (USA) in 2010, in another very dark exhibit.

@Gibbonsagainstgravity

On one of the occasions when I was at San Diego Zoo (USA), I was astounded to see Aye-ayes inside a corn crib cage! Seeing a bundle of black fur in an enclosure that is common in American roadside collections was a real shock. Zoo nerds have been complaining about these corn crib eyesores for decades and yet San Diego still maintains primates in them to this day.

@TheoV

Here's a photo from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA), with a typically demonic looking Aye-aye:

@Giant Eland

This photo, also from Omaha, shows how the exhibit looked in 2020. It's inside the Expedition Madagascar building and apparently some Straw-coloured Fruit Bats were in with the Aye-ayes.

@Milwaukee Man

I had an amazing experience watching Aye-ayes at Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) in 2019. While inside the legendary Grzimek House, I had the opportunity to see FOUR Aye-ayes in several exhibits, all active and moving around. It was a great zoo moment.

Here's an image from Frankfurt of an Aye-aye early in the morning when the lights were still on:

@Joker1706

Lemur List: 20 species

Ring-tailed Lemurs - 184 zoos

Black-and-white Ruffed Lemurs - 76 zoos

Red Ruffed Lemurs - 75 zoos

Black Lemurs - 14 zoos

Mongoose Lemurs - 12 zoos

Crowned Lemurs - 10 zoos

Red-fronted Lemurs - 10 zoos

Blue-eyed Black Lemurs - 9 zoos

Collared Brown Lemurs - 9 zoos

Common Brown Lemurs - 9 zoos

Coquerel's Sifakas - 9 zoos

Red-bellied Lemurs - 7 zoos

Grey Mouse Lemurs - 6 zoos

White-fronted Lemurs - 6 zoos

Aye-ayes - 5 zoos

Lac Alaotra Gentle Lemurs - 4 zoos

Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemurs - 3 zoos

Crowned Sifakas - 1 zoo

Goodman's Mouse Lemurs - 1 zoo

Greater Bamboo Lemurs - 1 zoo

 

[Kudu21]

From Sifakas to Aye-ayes...what curious names lemurs have! After visiting 551 different zoos/aquariums, I've seen Aye-ayes at only 5 zoos. (Would Cincinnati Zoo have had Aye-ayes when I was there in 2008? I feel like I would have remembered them)

They did not have them yet, no. The aye-ayes arrived at Cincinnati in 2011 and 2012.

 

[pachyderm pro]

From Sifakas to Aye-ayes...what curious names lemurs have! After visiting 551 different zoos/aquariums, I've seen Aye-ayes at only 5 zoos. (Would Cincinnati Zoo have had Aye-ayes when I was there in 2008? I feel like I would have remembered them)

1- Denver Zoo (USA) – Aye-aye – 2006
2- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Aye-aye – 2010
3- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Aye-aye – 2011
4- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Aye-aye – 2012
5- Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) – Aye-aye – 2019

A rare shot of an Aye-aye in the wild:

@Therabu

The very first time I saw Aye-ayes was at Denver Zoo (USA) in 2006, in an extremely dark exhibit. There's only a single photo of the enclosure in the ZooChat gallery and it's not clear enough to be usable here.

It was a thrill to see Aye-ayes at Philadelphia Zoo (USA) in 2010, in another very dark exhibit.

@Gibbonsagainstgravity

On one of the occasions when I was at San Diego Zoo (USA), I was astounded to see Aye-ayes inside a corn crib cage! Seeing a bundle of black fur in an enclosure that is common in American roadside collections was a real shock. Zoo nerds have been complaining about these corn crib eyesores for decades and yet San Diego still maintains primates in them to this day.

@TheoV

Here's a photo from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA), with a typically demonic looking Aye-aye:

@Giant Eland

This photo, also from Omaha, shows how the exhibit looked in 2020. It's inside the Expedition Madagascar building and apparently some Straw-coloured Fruit Bats were in with the Aye-ayes.

@Milwaukee Man

I had an amazing experience watching Aye-ayes at Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) in 2019. While inside the legendary Grzimek House, I had the opportunity to see FOUR Aye-ayes in several exhibits, all active and moving around. It was a great zoo moment.

Here's an image from Frankfurt of an Aye-aye early in the morning when the lights were still on:

@Joker1706

Lemur List: 20 species

Ring-tailed Lemurs - 184 zoos

Black-and-white Ruffed Lemurs - 76 zoos

Red Ruffed Lemurs - 75 zoos

Black Lemurs - 14 zoos

Mongoose Lemurs - 12 zoos

Crowned Lemurs - 10 zoos

Red-fronted Lemurs - 10 zoos

Blue-eyed Black Lemurs - 9 zoos

Collared Brown Lemurs - 9 zoos

Common Brown Lemurs - 9 zoos

Coquerel's Sifakas - 9 zoos

Red-bellied Lemurs - 7 zoos

Grey Mouse Lemurs - 6 zoos

White-fronted Lemurs - 6 zoos

Aye-ayes - 5 zoos

Lac Alaotra Gentle Lemurs - 4 zoos

Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemurs - 3 zoos

Crowned Sifakas - 1 zoo

Goodman's Mouse Lemurs - 1 zoo

Greater Bamboo Lemurs - 1 zoo

Fascinated by these freaky looking prosimians. Aye-ayes are one of those animals whose size really caught me off guard when I saw them in-person for the first time. I was imaging something the size of a squirrel or a galago, so you can image my surprise walking into Omaha's Madagascar building and seeing that they're about as big as most other lemur species.

Something of note is that the aye-ayes at San Diego are now technically off-exhibit. The zoo fenced off the two crib-cages they're kept in. They can still be viewed through a wide hole in the fence, but they've always been easily missed so the odds of seeing them now are slim to none.

 

[15399]

From Sifakas to Aye-ayes...what curious names lemurs have! After visiting 551 different zoos/aquariums, I've seen Aye-ayes at only 5 zoos. (Would Cincinnati Zoo have had Aye-ayes when I was there in 2008? I feel like I would have remembered them)

1- Denver Zoo (USA) – Aye-aye – 2006
2- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Aye-aye – 2010
3- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Aye-aye – 2011
4- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Aye-aye – 2012
5- Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) – Aye-aye – 2019

A rare shot of an Aye-aye in the wild:

@Therabu

The very first time I saw Aye-ayes was at Denver Zoo (USA) in 2006, in an extremely dark exhibit. There's only a single photo of the enclosure in the ZooChat gallery and it's not clear enough to be usable here.

It was a thrill to see Aye-ayes at Philadelphia Zoo (USA) in 2010, in another very dark exhibit.

@Gibbonsagainstgravity

On one of the occasions when I was at San Diego Zoo (USA), I was astounded to see Aye-ayes inside a corn crib cage! Seeing a bundle of black fur in an enclosure that is common in American roadside collections was a real shock. Zoo nerds have been complaining about these corn crib eyesores for decades and yet San Diego still maintains primates in them to this day.

@TheoV

Here's a photo from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA), with a typically demonic looking Aye-aye:

@Giant Eland

This photo, also from Omaha, shows how the exhibit looked in 2020. It's inside the Expedition Madagascar building and apparently some Straw-coloured Fruit Bats were in with the Aye-ayes.

@Milwaukee Man

I had an amazing experience watching Aye-ayes at Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) in 2019. While inside the legendary Grzimek House, I had the opportunity to see FOUR Aye-ayes in several exhibits, all active and moving around. It was a great zoo moment.

Here's an image from Frankfurt of an Aye-aye early in the morning when the lights were still on:

@Joker1706

Lemur List: 20 species

Ring-tailed Lemurs - 184 zoos

Black-and-white Ruffed Lemurs - 76 zoos

Red Ruffed Lemurs - 75 zoos

Black Lemurs - 14 zoos

Mongoose Lemurs - 12 zoos

Crowned Lemurs - 10 zoos

Red-fronted Lemurs - 10 zoos

Blue-eyed Black Lemurs - 9 zoos

Collared Brown Lemurs - 9 zoos

Common Brown Lemurs - 9 zoos

Coquerel's Sifakas - 9 zoos

Red-bellied Lemurs - 7 zoos

Grey Mouse Lemurs - 6 zoos

White-fronted Lemurs - 6 zoos

Aye-ayes - 5 zoos

Lac Alaotra Gentle Lemurs - 4 zoos

Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemurs - 3 zoos

Crowned Sifakas - 1 zoo

Goodman's Mouse Lemurs - 1 zoo

Greater Bamboo Lemurs - 1 zoo

I've seen aye-ayes twice, at Philadelphia and Cleveland, and both times they were very active and highlights of the trip! Really, really fascinating animals, and debatably the weirdest primate of them all. The aye-aye's long tail has always reminded me of that of a squirrel, and the aye-aye's hands are also really weird, with their middle finger being abnormally long. Aye-ayes also have a really unusual skull for a primate. If you didn't know what species this skull came from, I bet you wouldn't guess it is a lemur!

Image Source:
Replica Aye-aye Skull

Of course, aye-ayes also made the news a year or two ago for this fun behavior...

.
In my primatology class this fall, we actually read the paper on nose-picking in aye-ayes... it was certainly quite the read and I'll link it here (https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jzo.13034).

 

[toastrgophr]

From Sifakas to Aye-ayes...what curious names lemurs have! After visiting 551 different zoos/aquariums, I've seen Aye-ayes at only 5 zoos. (Would Cincinnati Zoo have had Aye-ayes when I was there in 2008? I feel like I would have remembered them)

1- Denver Zoo (USA) – Aye-aye – 2006
2- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Aye-aye – 2010
3- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Aye-aye – 2011
4- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Aye-aye – 2012
5- Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) – Aye-aye – 2019

A rare shot of an Aye-aye in the wild:

@Therabu

The very first time I saw Aye-ayes was at Denver Zoo (USA) in 2006, in an extremely dark exhibit. There's only a single photo of the enclosure in the ZooChat gallery and it's not clear enough to be usable here.

It was a thrill to see Aye-ayes at Philadelphia Zoo (USA) in 2010, in another very dark exhibit.

@Gibbonsagainstgravity

On one of the occasions when I was at San Diego Zoo (USA), I was astounded to see Aye-ayes inside a corn crib cage! Seeing a bundle of black fur in an enclosure that is common in American roadside collections was a real shock. Zoo nerds have been complaining about these corn crib eyesores for decades and yet San Diego still maintains primates in them to this day.

@TheoV

Here's a photo from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA), with a typically demonic looking Aye-aye:

@Giant Eland

This photo, also from Omaha, shows how the exhibit looked in 2020. It's inside the Expedition Madagascar building and apparently some Straw-coloured Fruit Bats were in with the Aye-ayes.

@Milwaukee Man

I had an amazing experience watching Aye-ayes at Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) in 2019. While inside the legendary Grzimek House, I had the opportunity to see FOUR Aye-ayes in several exhibits, all active and moving around. It was a great zoo moment.

Here's an image from Frankfurt of an Aye-aye early in the morning when the lights were still on:

@Joker1706

Lemur List: 20 species

Ring-tailed Lemurs - 184 zoos

Black-and-white Ruffed Lemurs - 76 zoos

Red Ruffed Lemurs - 75 zoos

Black Lemurs - 14 zoos

Mongoose Lemurs - 12 zoos

Crowned Lemurs - 10 zoos

Red-fronted Lemurs - 10 zoos

Blue-eyed Black Lemurs - 9 zoos

Collared Brown Lemurs - 9 zoos

Common Brown Lemurs - 9 zoos

Coquerel's Sifakas - 9 zoos

Red-bellied Lemurs - 7 zoos

Grey Mouse Lemurs - 6 zoos

White-fronted Lemurs - 6 zoos

Aye-ayes - 5 zoos

Lac Alaotra Gentle Lemurs - 4 zoos

Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemurs - 3 zoos

Crowned Sifakas - 1 zoo

Goodman's Mouse Lemurs - 1 zoo

Greater Bamboo Lemurs - 1 zoo

I remember seeing the aye-ayes at the San Francisco Zoo, would have probably been in 2014 or something. The exhibit was only accessible during one of the daily tours with an interpreter, and I remember making my family wait with me outside the place for something like 45 minutes because I knew they would only let a certain number of people in, and of course I assumed everyone as as hyped as I was to see an aye-aye, so I thought if we didn't get there way early, we wouldn't get in. This was no the case.

When we got in, it was incredible because it was feeding time. I got to watch 2 aye-ayes fishing grubs out of a log for like 30 minutes. It was great.
I was also surprised at how big they were

I have been to San Diego many times, and I have never seen their aye-ayes, despite making attempts to do so every visit. I remember being super hyped for the aye-ayes getting a more accessible exhibit with Africa Rocks, but that plan got scrapped

 

[snowleopard]

Lots of great comments about Aye-ayes!

It's interesting to look at Zootierliste, and assuming it's accurate then there are only 15 zoos in the world with Aye-ayes. There's 7 in North America (Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Duke Lemur Center, Omaha, Philadelphia, San Diego), 6 in Europe (Africa Alive, Chester, Dublin, Frankfurt, Jersey, London) and 2 in Asia (Taipei, Ueno). The ones in Europe are mainly close together geographically speaking.

I've seen Aye-ayes on 5 occasions, but it seems that I just missed them in Cincinnati and Cleveland by a couple of years. Also, San Francisco is another zoo where I probably missed them by a short time period, as I visited in 2006 and 2017 and didn't see any Aye-ayes either time.

 

[birdsandbats]

Lots of great comments about Aye-ayes!

It's interesting to look at Zootierliste, and assuming it's accurate then there are only 15 zoos in the world with Aye-ayes. There's 7 in North America (Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Duke Lemur Center, Omaha, Philadelphia, San Diego), 6 in Europe (Africa Alive, Chester, Dublin, Frankfurt, Jersey, London) and 2 in Asia (Taipei, Ueno). The ones in Europe are mainly close together geographically speaking.

I've seen Aye-ayes on 5 occasions, but it seems that I just missed them in Cincinnati and Cleveland by a couple of years. Also, San Francisco is another zoo where I probably missed them by a short time period, as I visited in 2006 and 2017 and didn't see any Aye-ayes either time.

I imagine there's probably a zoo with them in Madagascar.

 

[PossumRoach]

I imagine there's probably a zoo with them in Madagascar.

Tsimbazaza zoo should have some. That’s where Ueno got their aye-ayes from.

 

[snowleopard]

I've seen Slow Lorises at 20 zoos. Keep in mind that these days there are up to possibly a dozen different Slow Loris species, including Pygmy Slow Loris and the usual 'Bengal' Slow Loris that has been dominant in North American zoos. For example, All the Mammals of the World (2023) lists 11 species. On my zoo travels, it's been impossible to narrow down the exact species at each facility, plus I question whether I'm missing Slow Loris at Cincinnati Zoo (inside Jungle Trails in 2008?) and Bronx Zoo (inside World of Darkness in 2008?). If present, I will add them to the list as I've always made a point of hanging out at Slow Loris exhibits as they are fascinating creatures and one of my wife's favourite animals.

There are quite a few zoos that have obtained Slow Lorises AFTER my visits, such as Smithsonian's National Zoo, Lake Superior Zoo, Berlin Zoo (their house was closed for renovations during in 2019), Milwaukee County Zoo, Miller Park Zoo, etc.

Here's what I came up with several months ago, including two zoos in bold that had TWO Slow Loris species at the same time. Now that's a rare occurrence! Of course, photos of these animals are difficult to locate, as approximately 50% of these zoos do not have any images of Slow Lorises in the gallery, but ZooChat always rises to the occasion and the other half of the zoos at least have a few photos.

20 zoos, 22 exhibits (5 Slow Loris, 17 Pygmy Slow Loris):

1- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 1996
2- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2006
3- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Greater Slow Loris, Pygmy Slow Loris – 2008
4- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2008
5- Memphis Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2008
6- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris – 2008
7- Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
8- Akron Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
9- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
10- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
11- Houston Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris – 2010
12- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris, Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
13- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2011
14- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2012
15- Moody Gardens (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2015
16- Lille Zoo (France) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2019
17- Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2019
18- Dortmund Zoo (Germany) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2019
19- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2019
20- Dierenpark Amersfoort (Netherlands) – Slow Loris – 2019

Pygmy Slow Loris at Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) in 2023. I was there in 2010 and the zoo did not have the species at that time.

@Lucas Lang

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) regularly has had one of the largest collections of animals in North America, including Pygmy Slow Lorises. Here's an excellent portrait photo from 2010:

@Giant Eland

The Greater Malayan Chevrotain/Slow Loris exhibit at Los Angeles Zoo (USA) in 2010:

@Blackduiker

Akron Zoo (USA) has a small Nocturnal House and here is the Pygmy Slow Loris exhibit that I saw in 2010. (Photo was taken in 2019)

@Moebelle

Here's a photo of a Pygmy Slow Loris at Philadelphia Zoo (USA) in 2014:

@ThylacineAlive

Here's an intriguing mixed-species exhibit. My photos from 2010 show an enclosure containing Small-clawed Otters, Prevost's Squirrels and Slow Lorises at Houston Zoo (USA):

Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) had this exhibit for Pygmy Slow Lorises in 2011, with food and water bowls on the ground. That's interesting, as many zoos have food items in hanging baskets or placed up high for their Slow Lorises.

The Pygmy Slow Loris exhibit at Little Rock Zoo (USA), with a red light at the top:

@Coelacanth18

The green-tinged hallway containing an exhibit for Pygmy Slow Lorises and Northern Tree Shrews at Moody Gardens (USA):

@geomorph

And this point in my life, I jetted off to Europe for a couple of zoo treks (2019 and 2022) and only saw Slow Lorises on 5 occasions out of 120 zoos.

Here is the heavily-themed entrance to the nocturnal area at Planckendael Zoo (Belgium), which had an exhibit for Pygmy Slow Lorises when I was there in 2019.

@KevinB

Dortmund Zoo (Germany) was the only German zoo, out of exactly 40 that I visited in 2019, with Slow Lorises. There's the exhibit in the background:

@RonBurrgundy

 

[birdsandbats]

I've seen Slow Lorises at 20 zoos. Keep in mind that these days there are up to possibly a dozen different Slow Loris species, including Pygmy Slow Loris and the usual 'Bengal' Slow Loris that has been dominant in North American zoos. For example, All the Mammals of the World (2023) lists 11 species. On my zoo travels, it's been impossible to narrow down the exact species at each facility, plus I question whether I'm missing Slow Loris at Cincinnati Zoo (inside Jungle Trails in 2008?) and Bronx Zoo (inside World of Darkness in 2008?). If present, I will add them to the list as I've always made a point of hanging out at Slow Loris exhibits as they are fascinating creatures and one of my wife's favourite animals.

There are quite a few zoos that have obtained Slow Lorises AFTER my visits, such as Smithsonian's National Zoo, Lake Superior Zoo, Berlin Zoo (their house was closed for renovations during in 2019), Milwaukee County Zoo, Miller Park Zoo, etc.

Here's what I came up with several months ago, including two zoos in bold that had TWO Slow Loris species at the same time. Now that's a rare occurrence! Of course, photos of these animals are difficult to locate, as approximately 50% of these zoos do not have any images of Slow Lorises in the gallery, but ZooChat always rises to the occasion and the other half of the zoos at least have a few photos.

20 zoos, 22 exhibits (8 Slow Loris, 14 Pygmy Slow Loris):

1- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris – 1996
2- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris – 2006
3- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris, Pygmy Slow Loris – 2008
4- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2008
5- Memphis Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris – 2008
6- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris – 2008
7- Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
8- Akron Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
9- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
10- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
11- Houston Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris – 2010
12- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris, Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
13- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2011
14- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2012
15- Moody Gardens (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2015
16- Lille Zoo (France) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2019
17- Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2019
18- Dortmund Zoo (Germany) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2019
19- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2019
20- Dierenpark Amersfoort (Netherlands) – Slow Loris – 2019

Pygmy Slow Loris at Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) in 2023. I was there in 2010 and the zoo did not have the species at that time.

@Lucas Lang

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) regularly has had one of the largest collections of animals in North America, including Pygmy Slow Lorises. Here's an excellent portrait photo from 2010:

@Giant Eland

The Greater Malayan Chevrotain/Slow Loris exhibit at Los Angeles Zoo (USA) in 2010:

@Blackduiker

Akron Zoo (USA) has a small Nocturnal House and here is the Pygmy Slow Loris exhibit that I saw in 2010. (Photo was taken in 2019)

@Moebelle

Here's a photo of a Pygmy Slow Loris at Philadelphia Zoo (USA) in 2014:

@ThylacineAlive

Here's an intriguing mixed-species exhibit. My photos from 2010 show an enclosure containing Small-clawed Otters, Prevost's Squirrels and Slow Lorises at Houston Zoo (USA):

Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) had this exhibit for Pygmy Slow Lorises in 2011, with food and water bowls on the ground. That's interesting, as many zoos have food items in hanging baskets or placed up high for their Slow Lorises.

The Pygmy Slow Loris exhibit at Little Rock Zoo (USA), with a red light at the top:

@Coelacanth18

The green-tinged hallway containing an exhibit for Pygmy Slow Lorises and Northern Tree Shrews at Moody Gardens (USA):

@geomorph

And this point in my life, I jetted off to Europe for a couple of zoo treks (2019 and 2022) and only saw Slow Lorises on 5 occasions out of 120 zoos.

Here is the heavily-themed entrance to the nocturnal area at Planckendael Zoo (Belgium), which had an exhibit for Pygmy Slow Lorises when I was there in 2019.

@KevinB

Dortmund Zoo (Germany) was the only German zoo, out of exactly 40 that I visited in 2019, with Slow Lorises. There's the exhibit in the background:

@RonBurrgundy

The one at Houston appears to be a diurnal exhibit. Are they ever actually seen there?

 

[15399]

I've seen Slow Lorises at 20 zoos. Keep in mind that these days there are up to possibly a dozen different Slow Loris species, including Pygmy Slow Loris and the usual 'Bengal' Slow Loris that has been dominant in North American zoos. For example, All the Mammals of the World (2023) lists 11 species. On my zoo travels, it's been impossible to narrow down the exact species at each facility, plus I question whether I'm missing Slow Loris at Cincinnati Zoo (inside Jungle Trails in 2008?) and Bronx Zoo (inside World of Darkness in 2008?). If present, I will add them to the list as I've always made a point of hanging out at Slow Loris exhibits as they are fascinating creatures and one of my wife's favourite animals.

There are quite a few zoos that have obtained Slow Lorises AFTER my visits, such as Smithsonian's National Zoo, Lake Superior Zoo, Berlin Zoo (their house was closed for renovations during in 2019), Milwaukee County Zoo, Miller Park Zoo, etc.

Here's what I came up with several months ago, including two zoos in bold that had TWO Slow Loris species at the same time. Now that's a rare occurrence! Of course, photos of these animals are difficult to locate, as approximately 50% of these zoos do not have any images of Slow Lorises in the gallery, but ZooChat always rises to the occasion and the other half of the zoos at least have a few photos.

20 zoos, 22 exhibits (8 Slow Loris, 14 Pygmy Slow Loris):

1- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris – 1996
2- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris – 2006
3- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris, Pygmy Slow Loris – 2008
4- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2008
5- Memphis Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris – 2008
6- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris – 2008
7- Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
8- Akron Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
9- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
10- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
11- Houston Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris – 2010
12- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris, Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
13- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2011
14- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2012
15- Moody Gardens (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2015
16- Lille Zoo (France) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2019
17- Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2019
18- Dortmund Zoo (Germany) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2019
19- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2019
20- Dierenpark Amersfoort (Netherlands) – Slow Loris – 2019

Pygmy Slow Loris at Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) in 2023. I was there in 2010 and the zoo did not have the species at that time.

@Lucas Lang

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) regularly has had one of the largest collections of animals in North America, including Pygmy Slow Lorises. Here's an excellent portrait photo from 2010:

@Giant Eland

The Greater Malayan Chevrotain/Slow Loris exhibit at Los Angeles Zoo (USA) in 2010:

@Blackduiker

Akron Zoo (USA) has a small Nocturnal House and here is the Pygmy Slow Loris exhibit that I saw in 2010. (Photo was taken in 2019)

@Moebelle

Here's a photo of a Pygmy Slow Loris at Philadelphia Zoo (USA) in 2014:

@ThylacineAlive

Here's an intriguing mixed-species exhibit. My photos from 2010 show an enclosure containing Small-clawed Otters, Prevost's Squirrels and Slow Lorises at Houston Zoo (USA):

Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) had this exhibit for Pygmy Slow Lorises in 2011, with food and water bowls on the ground. That's interesting, as many zoos have food items in hanging baskets or placed up high for their Slow Lorises.

The Pygmy Slow Loris exhibit at Little Rock Zoo (USA), with a red light at the top:

@Coelacanth18

The green-tinged hallway containing an exhibit for Pygmy Slow Lorises and Northern Tree Shrews at Moody Gardens (USA):

@geomorph

And this point in my life, I jetted off to Europe for a couple of zoo treks (2019 and 2022) and only saw Slow Lorises on 5 occasions out of 120 zoos.

Here is the heavily-themed entrance to the nocturnal area at Planckendael Zoo (Belgium), which had an exhibit for Pygmy Slow Lorises when I was there in 2019.

@KevinB

Dortmund Zoo (Germany) was the only German zoo, out of exactly 40 that I visited in 2019, with Slow Lorises. There's the exhibit in the background:

@RonBurrgundy

Pygmy slow lorises are currently the only slow loris species I am aware of being housed in US zoos. Looking at the AZA studbook, it's unlikely you saw one in Cincinnati- there was a two-year gap in them keeping lorises from Feb. 2008 to Mar. 2010. Bronx would've had a pygmy slow loris in 2008, although I have no way of knowing whether it was on display or not. I remember an episode of The Zoo highlighting this species, which they continue to house behind-the-scenes.

Of the zoos you have listed as "slow loris", I can confirm the following are pygmy slow lorises: Woodland Park, San Diego, Memphis, Mesker Park.

It appears as though Los Angeles would've had a different species, but I have no way of knowing which one. Houston supposedly had pygmy slow lorises until 2009, so it looks like they either stopped keeping lorises before your visit or switched to another species. Interesting that Minnesota and ABQ BioPark had multiple loris species- not something I would've expected given how uncommon nocturnal primates seem to be with most zoos.

 

[KiwiBirb]

The one at Houston appears to be a diurnal exhibit. Are they ever actually seen there?

Turtle Back Zoo in New Jersey had a what I believe was a 100% outdoor rotational exhibit with Red Pandas and Slow Loris between 2022 and 2023. Unfortunately both my visits in that time frame the Red Panda was on exhibit and this past visit last week they were gone

 

[twilighter]

Amazing species indeed ! You probably saw Potto as well ? Or you will post it separately ?

In 2022 I had a very good Loris year

Malayan slow loris/ Nycticebus coucang - Prague Zoo
Northern dry zone slender loris/ Loris lydekkerianus - Shaldon
Pygmy slow loris/ Xanthonycticebus pygmaeus - Shaldon
Potto/ Perodicticus potto - Axe Valley
Bengal slow loris/ Nycticebus bengalensis - Berlin Zoo

 

[snowleopard]

Thanks again for all the great comments. This has become an epic thread and I'm almost done with primates...and that makes it close to a third of the way through this whole thing!

@birdsandbats I definitely saw a Slow Loris moving around in that Houston Zoo exhibit, even with light streaming down in all directions. I remember it vividly and it's inside the Small Mammal House near the zoo's entrance. Los Angeles, Houston, Wildlife World and Dortmund add up to 4 diurnal Slow Loris exhibits on my list. Surprising!

@Neil chace Once again, thanks for your help. It's much appreciated and I already edited my list. It's true that both Minnesota (inside their Tropical House) and ABQ BioPark (in a long, narrow cave tunnel) having TWO Slow Loris species is an extraordinary fact. ABQ BioPark also had Echidnas and Micronesian Kingfishers in that dark tunnel complex when I was there in 2010.

@KiwiBirb Slow Lorises outside at Turtle Back Zoo is a fascinating piece of information. Thanks!

@twilighter You are the 'King' of tracking down obscure species. Maybe we should take a road trip together one day. I have seen Pottos and it will be a very short post along with Galagos to round off primates.

 

[twilighter]

Thanks again for all the great comments. This has become an epic thread and I'm almost done with primates...and that makes it close to a third of the way through this whole thing!

@twilighter You are the 'King' of tracking down obscure species. Maybe we should take a road trip together one day. I have seen Pottos and it will be a very short post along with Galagos to round off primates.

Thanks @snowleopard, but I am miles away from many other ZooChaters Trip together sounds like excellent idea, but there were not so many mammal species left in NA or Europe...

 

[Jurek7]

Aye-ayes are special also because they are very intelligent lemurs. In Frankfurt and other zoos they are often stereotyping. Definitely they need much enrichment.

 

[Dhole dude]

I've seen Slow Lorises at 20 zoos. Keep in mind that these days there are up to possibly a dozen different Slow Loris species, including Pygmy Slow Loris and the usual 'Bengal' Slow Loris that has been dominant in North American zoos. For example, All the Mammals of the World (2023) lists 11 species. On my zoo travels, it's been impossible to narrow down the exact species at each facility, plus I question whether I'm missing Slow Loris at Cincinnati Zoo (inside Jungle Trails in 2008?) and Bronx Zoo (inside World of Darkness in 2008?). If present, I will add them to the list as I've always made a point of hanging out at Slow Loris exhibits as they are fascinating creatures and one of my wife's favourite animals.

There are quite a few zoos that have obtained Slow Lorises AFTER my visits, such as Smithsonian's National Zoo, Lake Superior Zoo, Berlin Zoo (their house was closed for renovations during in 2019), Milwaukee County Zoo, Miller Park Zoo, etc.

Here's what I came up with several months ago, including two zoos in bold that had TWO Slow Loris species at the same time. Now that's a rare occurrence! Of course, photos of these animals are difficult to locate, as approximately 50% of these zoos do not have any images of Slow Lorises in the gallery, but ZooChat always rises to the occasion and the other half of the zoos at least have a few photos.

20 zoos, 22 exhibits (5 Slow Loris, 17 Pygmy Slow Loris):

1- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 1996
2- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2006
3- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris, Pygmy Slow Loris – 2008
4- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2008
5- Memphis Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2008
6- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris – 2008
7- Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
8- Akron Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
9- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
10- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
11- Houston Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris – 2010
12- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – Slow Loris, Pygmy Slow Loris – 2010
13- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2011
14- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2012
15- Moody Gardens (USA) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2015
16- Lille Zoo (France) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2019
17- Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2019
18- Dortmund Zoo (Germany) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2019
19- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – Pygmy Slow Loris – 2019
20- Dierenpark Amersfoort (Netherlands) – Slow Loris – 2019

The other Slow Loris species held at Minnesota was the Greater or Sunda Slow Loris (Nycticebus coucang). I believe they were held behind the scenes until around 2016. On a slightly unrelated note, do you remember what else was held in the Nocturnal part of the Tropics Trail when you visited in 2008? I believe you were one of the last members to see it before it permanently closed sometime between 2009 and 2010.

 

[snowleopard]

The other Slow Loris species held at Minnesota was the Greater or Sunda Slow Loris (Nycticebus coucang). I believe they were held behind the scenes until around 2016. On a slightly unrelated note, do you remember what else was held in the Nocturnal part of the Tropics Trail when you visited in 2008? I believe you were one of the last members to see it before it permanently closed sometime between 2009 and 2010.

Thanks for that information. My 2008 reviews aren't nearly as comprehensive as later ones, and so I don't have a lot of data about the nocturnal part of the Tropics Trails. It wasn't a large area, and I don't have a comprehensive species list, but here's a pretty good snapshot of what I saw on July 1st, 2008:

Tropics Trail - Malayan Tapir, Long-tailed Goral, Chevrotain, Sun Bear, Clouded Leopard, Fishing Cat, Red Panda, Matschie's Tree Kangaroo, Binturong, Tamandua, Three-banded Armadillo, Red-rumped Agouti, Flying Fox, Prevost's Squirrel, Two-toed Sloth, White-cheeked Gibbon, Ring-tailed Lemur, Red Ruffed Lemur, Cotton-top Tamarin, Golden-lion Tamarin, Greater Slow Loris, Pygmy Slow Loris, Komodo Dragon, Asian Water Monitor, Burmese Brown Tortoise and Burmese Python. Plus there was the huge Coral Reef tank.

Here's the Prevost's Squirrel, Pygmy Slow Loris and Burmese Python trio of exhibits:

@geomorph (photo taken in May 2010)

 

[15399]

Aye-ayes are special also because they are very intelligent lemurs. In Frankfurt and other zoos they are often stereotyping. Definitely they need much enrichment.

I mean, most lemurs are very intelligent. A few years ago I was talking to a zoo professional whose zoo was considering adding aye-ayes to the collection (spoiler alert: they did not). They ended up opting against it after finding out that, since aye-ayes tend to be a pretty shy species, they benefit from exhibits with a lot of depth to them. Most zoos tend to design exhibits without much depth, instead opting for maximizing the viewable space (e.g., length), but that kind of set-up isn't going to be conducive to a good aye-aye exhibit. So while I don't want to say aye-ayes don't need a lot of enrichment, there are also going to be other factors such as the habitat set-up.