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

[snowleopard]

Were there no Northern fur seals at Mystic Aquarium at the time of your visit? I know they've kept the species, at least on-and-off, over the years (and are currently one of three US facilities with the species).

When I visited Mystic Aquarium on July 17th, 2012, I saw California Sea Lions in the main building, Steller Sea Lions and Harbour Seals in the Pacific Northwest area, and Grey Seals and more Harbour Seals in the Seal Rescue Clinic zone.

Since my visit, Mystic Aquarium has had at one time or another species such as Northern Fur Seal and Spotted Seal. It would be nice to go back one day!

 

[NNM.]

When I visited Mystic Aquarium on July 17th, 2012, I saw California Sea Lions in the main building, Steller Sea Lions and Harbour Seals in the Pacific Northwest area, and Grey Seals and more Harbour Seals in the Seal Rescue Clinic zone.

Since my visit, Mystic Aquarium has had at one time or another species such as Northern Fur Seal and Spotted Seal. It would be nice to go back one day!

The last time I was there, it had all of those species.

 

[Lafone]

In the usual spirit of learning a thing on Zoochat I didn’t realise different seals were held in the same / mixed exhibits in many zoos and collections. I’ve only seen one type in the collections I’ve visited and assumed incorrectly that was how they were held.

I guess it reflects a wild state. And that there is no inter breeding etc.

Do the different seal sub species have any defined hierarchy (so do harbour seals rule a pool etc) or is it just down to individuals?

You don’t see much about seal / sealion conflict in zoos so guess they are essentially pretty sociable even when mixed?

 

[snowleopard]

In the usual spirit of learning a thing on Zoochat I didn’t realise different seals were held in the same / mixed exhibits in many zoos and collections. I’ve only seen one type in the collections I’ve visited and assumed incorrectly that was how they were held.

I guess it reflects a wild state. And that there is no inter breeding etc.

Do the different seal sub species have any defined hierarchy (so do harbour seals rule a pool etc) or is it just down to individuals?

You don’t see much about seal / sealion conflict in zoos so guess they are essentially pretty sociable even when mixed?

Of the 76 zoos where I've seen California Sea Lions, it would seem that at least 25 of those exhibits have had another pinniped in with the sea lions. I've never heard of any conflict between pinniped species. Harbour Seals come across as being totally placid and easygoing creatures, or at least that's the impression I get from seeing those blubbery logs floating around various pools.

You bring up an excellent point in regards to interbreeding. I'd be intrigued to know if Harbour Seals would breed with another species (Spotted, Ringed, Harp, etc.) if placed together. Are there implanted contraceptive devices (or monthly shots) that zoos and aquariums use on pinnipeds?

 

[BlobfishBoy]

Of the 76 zoos where I've seen California Sea Lions, it would seem that at least 25 of those exhibits have had another pinniped in with the sea lions. I've never heard of any conflict between pinniped species. Harbour Seals come across as being totally placid and easygoing creatures, or at least that's the impression I get from seeing those blubbery logs floating around various pools.

You bring up an excellent point in regards to interbreeding. I'd be intrigued to know if Harbour Seals would breed with another species (Spotted, Ringed, Harp, etc.) if placed together. Are there implanted contraceptive devices (or monthly shots) that zoos and aquariums use on pinnipeds?

There is a shot. I know the National Zoo gives contraceptive shots to their female gray seals when they’re not breeding.

 

[15399]

Since my visit, Mystic Aquarium has had at one time or another species such as Northern Fur Seal and Spotted Seal. It would be nice to go back one day!

You 100% should do another trip that takes you to the northeast! I am admittedly biased to my home region, but there is a lot to see here. Many of the zoos here have had major updates since your last time to the region:

• Roger Williams Park Zoo opened both the "Faces of the Rainforest" building (featuring giant otters and giant wood rails, amongst other species) and a new and improved Farmyard. More recently, new homes for red pandas, servals, and African birds have been constructed.
• Franklin Park Zoo opened both "Gorilla Grove", a new outdoor space for their gorillas, and "Nature's Neighborhoods", a Children's Zoo that features hooded cranes and some rare waterfowl. New species to the collection also include Northern brown kiwi, Somali wild ass, and Madagascar sacred ibis (I still need to return to see the latter two).
• Rosamond Gifford Zoo has celebrated the birth of Asian elephant twins- certainly a sight in zoological history worth seeing!
• Buffalo Zoo has opened Arctic's Edge, a new and improved habitat for their polar bears (alongside arctic fox, Canada lynx, and bald eagles).

There are also some excellent smaller AZA-accredited zoos that you've yet to visit here- including a trio of small zoos in Massachusetts (Buttonwood Park, Stone, and Capron Park)- Buttonwood Park is a rather historic zoo with some excellent callitrichid habitats (including some large social groups) and a very large waterfowl collection, while Stone Zoo has two incredible exhibit areas in the form of Caribbean Coast (bush dogs, Jamaican iguanas, and a flamingo aviary!) and Himalayan Highlands (extremely naturalistic snow leopard and markhor exhibits). Capron Park Zoo is my hometown zoo, and while I don't get there often these days, it recently added a Palawan porcupine to exhibit (one of only two zoos with the species in the US), and despite many exhibits being dated still has a lot of charm. In New York, the Utica Zoo has a very large habitat for African lions which includes many mature trees, and also exhibits striped hyenas.

These are just some of the zoos I am most partial to as well- there's of course also all five WCS facilities, Staten Island Zoo, a number of zoos in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, plus plenty of unaccredited facilities (everything from a very reputable waterfowl conservancy in Connecticut to one of the worst roadside zoos in the country in Massachusetts).

 

[snowleopard]

I've seen Walruses at 8 zoos. Here is another pinniped species rarely seen in captivity, with Zootierliste currently listing a total of 10 zoos in Europe (and 7 of those are in Russia), 4 in North America, 1 in Africa and close to 20 in Asia. Therefore, actually seeing a Walrus is a rare event, although in truth all Euro zoo nerds come across the species when they make a pilgrimage to Hagenbeck. Who can resist the lure of that Tierpark?

1- Point Defiance Zoo (USA) – Walrus – 2005*
2- SeaWorld San Diego (USA) – Walrus – 2006*
3- Indianapolis Zoo (USA) – Walrus – 2008*
4- New York Aquarium (USA) – Walrus – 2012
5- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (USA) – Walrus – 2017
6- Vancouver Aquarium (Canada) – Walrus – 2018
7- Dolfinarium Harderwijk (Netherlands) – Walrus – 2019
8- Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) – Walrus – 2019*

*Only 4 of these zoos still have Walruses

I've visited Point Defiance Zoo (USA) almost a dozen times and for most of those visits the facility has held Walruses in their Rocky Shores area.

Walruses have become such a fixture at the zoo over the past 40 years, especially with the ultra-popular and now deceased male named 'E.T.', that the zoo debuted a huge Walrus statue of him at the entrance in 2017. The statue is 10.6 feet long, 8 feet wide and 6 feet high.

SeaWorld San Diego (USA) had a Walrus exhibit in the Wild Arctic zone when I was there in 2006, a heavily themed area with Beluga Whales, Walruses and Polar Bears.

Both photos via @geomorph

Also at SeaWorld, I saw a Walrus in a show (in a separate area) and here are my images from 2006:

What a crazy stage!!!

When I first visited Indianapolis Zoo (USA) in 2008, I saw 3 Walruses in this exhibit. When I went back to the zoo in 2012 I saw one Walrus and one California Sea Lion together.

Just like Point Defiance and Indianapolis, New York Aquarium's (USA) Walrus exhibit was netted during my visit. This image is from the Sea Cliffs part of the facility.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (USA) had an exhibit called Jocko's Walrus Experience when I was there in 2017, featuring 'Jocko' the Walrus. It was a typical netted Walrus pool for two individuals that were displaying stereotypical behaviour by going back and forth in the same swimming motions for ages. Whatever happened to the two Walrus there?

I saw Walrus at Vancouver Aquarium (Canada) on a couple of occasions, but it was a really weird setup and there are zero photos in the ZooChat gallery. There was a previously off-show area that was named the Marine Mammal Rescue Exhibit that held two Walruses that were on-loan from the Quebec Aquarium. Vancouver Aquarium heavily promoted the Walruses and yet they were on public display for only 40 minutes each day! There was a 20-minute morning presentation held in a very small viewing area and then a second one later in the afternoon. Photography was limited, the crowds were intense, and many members of the public were irate as they were understandably expecting the Walruses to be on-show all day long. Once the Walruses left the aquarium after their year or so adventure, that off-show area went back to being behind closed doors on a permanent basis.

Dolfinarium Harderwijk (Netherlands) is famous for its display of marine mammals and I watched the 'Walrus Show' there in 2019 with 4 of the animals in the presentation. If I'm not mistaken, the Walruses are all gone now and Steller Sea Lions are now in this exhibit. Where did the Walruses go?

Lastly, Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) has Walruses in the legendary Eismeer complex that was completely rebuilt and reopened in 2012. When I was there in 2019, I saw 6 Walruses in total and one huge male Walrus shared his pool with South American Fur Seals. There was a total of THREE Walrus exhibits at the zoo, all in Eismeer.

@Dianamonkey

Pinnipeds:

California Sea Lions - 76 zoos
Harbour Seals - 71 zoos
Grey Seals - 19 zoos
Northern Fur Seals - 8 zoos
Walruses - 8 zoos

 

[PossumRoach]

Knowing that you hadn’t been to the western side of the Pacific Ocean I expected that the number of spotted/largha seals would never be able rival that of harbor seals. But the fact that we hadn’t even reached this species despite reaching single digit holding numbers is shocking to me. I thought you would have seen them in at least ten zoos.

 

[Panda_Fan]

I've seen Walruses at 8 zoos. Here is another pinniped species rarely seen in captivity, with Zootierliste currently listing a total of 10 zoos in Europe (and 7 of those are in Russia), 4 in North America, 1 in Africa and close to 20 in Asia. Therefore, actually seeing a Walrus is a rare event, although in truth all Euro zoo nerds come across the species when they make a pilgrimage to Hagenbeck. Who can resist the lure of that Tierpark?

1- Point Defiance Zoo (USA) – Walrus – 2005*
2- SeaWorld San Diego (USA) – Walrus – 2006
3- Indianapolis Zoo (USA) – Walrus – 2008*
4- New York Aquarium (USA) – Walrus – 2012
5- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (USA) – Walrus – 2017
6- Vancouver Aquarium (Canada) – Walrus – 2018
7- Dolfinarium Harderwijk (Netherlands) – Walrus – 2019
8- Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) – Walrus – 2019*

*Only 3 of these zoos still have Walruses

I've visited Point Defiance Zoo (USA) almost a dozen times and for most of those visits the facility has held Walruses in their Rocky Shores area.

Walruses have become such a fixture at the zoo over the past 40 years, especially with the ultra-popular and now deceased male named 'E.T.', that the zoo debuted a huge Walrus statue of him at the entrance in 2017. The statue is 10.6 feet long, 8 feet wide and 6 feet high.

SeaWorld San Diego (USA) had a Walrus exhibit in the Wild Arctic zone when I was there in 2006, a heavily themed area with Beluga Whales, Walruses and Polar Bears.

Both photos via @geomorph

Also at SeaWorld, I saw a Walrus in a show (in a separate area) and here are my images from 2006:

What a crazy stage!!!

When I first visited Indianapolis Zoo (USA) in 2008, I saw 3 Walruses in this exhibit. When I went back to the zoo in 2012 I saw one Walrus and one California Sea Lion together.

Just like Point Defiance and Indianapolis, New York Aquarium's (USA) Walrus exhibit was netted during my visit. This image is from the Sea Cliffs part of the facility.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (USA) had an exhibit called Jocko's Walrus Experience when I was there in 2017, featuring 'Jocko' the Walrus. It was a typical netted Walrus pool for two individuals that were displaying stereotypical behaviour by going back and forth in the same swimming motions for ages. Whatever happened to the two Walrus there?

I saw Walrus at Vancouver Aquarium (Canada) on a couple of occasions, but it was a really weird setup and there are zero photos in the ZooChat gallery. There was a previously off-show area that was named the Marine Mammal Rescue Exhibit that held two Walruses that were on-loan from the Quebec Aquarium. Vancouver Aquarium heavily promoted the Walruses and yet they were on public display for only 40 minutes each day! There was a 20-minute morning presentation held in a very small viewing area and then a second one later in the afternoon. Photography was limited, the crowds were intense, and many members of the public were irate as they were understandably expecting the Walruses to be on-show all day long. Once the Walruses left the aquarium after their year or so adventure, that off-show area went back to being behind closed doors on a permanent basis.

Dolfinarium Harderwijk (Netherlands) is famous for its display of marine mammals and I watched the 'Walrus Show' there in 2019 with 4 of the animals in the presentation. If I'm not mistaken, the Walruses are all gone now and Steller Sea Lions are now in this exhibit. Where did the Walruses go?

Lastly, Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) has Walruses in the legendary Eismeer complex that was completely rebuilt and reopened in 2012. When I was there in 2019, I saw 6 Walruses in total and one huge male Walrus shared his pool with South American Fur Seals. There was a total of THREE Walrus exhibits at the zoo, all in Eismeer.

@Dianamonkey

Pinnipeds:

California Sea Lions - 76 zoos
Harbour Seals - 71 zoos
Grey Seals - 19 zoos
Northern Fur Seals - 8 zoos
Walruses - 8 zoos

Didn't you see walruses at Pairi Daza?

 

[BlobfishBoy]

I've seen Walruses at 8 zoos. Here is another pinniped species rarely seen in captivity, with Zootierliste currently listing a total of 10 zoos in Europe (and 7 of those are in Russia), 4 in North America, 1 in Africa and close to 20 in Asia. Therefore, actually seeing a Walrus is a rare event, although in truth all Euro zoo nerds come across the species when they make a pilgrimage to Hagenbeck. Who can resist the lure of that Tierpark?

1- Point Defiance Zoo (USA) – Walrus – 2005*
2- SeaWorld San Diego (USA) – Walrus – 2006
3- Indianapolis Zoo (USA) – Walrus – 2008*
4- New York Aquarium (USA) – Walrus – 2012
5- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (USA) – Walrus – 2017
6- Vancouver Aquarium (Canada) – Walrus – 2018
7- Dolfinarium Harderwijk (Netherlands) – Walrus – 2019
8- Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) – Walrus – 2019*

*Only 3 of these zoos still have Walruses

I've visited Point Defiance Zoo (USA) almost a dozen times and for most of those visits the facility has held Walruses in their Rocky Shores area.

Walruses have become such a fixture at the zoo over the past 40 years, especially with the ultra-popular and now deceased male named 'E.T.', that the zoo debuted a huge Walrus statue of him at the entrance in 2017. The statue is 10.6 feet long, 8 feet wide and 6 feet high.

SeaWorld San Diego (USA) had a Walrus exhibit in the Wild Arctic zone when I was there in 2006, a heavily themed area with Beluga Whales, Walruses and Polar Bears.

Both photos via @geomorph

Also at SeaWorld, I saw a Walrus in a show (in a separate area) and here are my images from 2006:

What a crazy stage!!!

When I first visited Indianapolis Zoo (USA) in 2008, I saw 3 Walruses in this exhibit. When I went back to the zoo in 2012 I saw one Walrus and one California Sea Lion together.

Just like Point Defiance and Indianapolis, New York Aquarium's (USA) Walrus exhibit was netted during my visit. This image is from the Sea Cliffs part of the facility.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (USA) had an exhibit called Jocko's Walrus Experience when I was there in 2017, featuring 'Jocko' the Walrus. It was a typical netted Walrus pool for two individuals that were displaying stereotypical behaviour by going back and forth in the same swimming motions for ages. Whatever happened to the two Walrus there?

I saw Walrus at Vancouver Aquarium (Canada) on a couple of occasions, but it was a really weird setup and there are zero photos in the ZooChat gallery. There was a previously off-show area that was named the Marine Mammal Rescue Exhibit that held two Walruses that were on-loan from the Quebec Aquarium. Vancouver Aquarium heavily promoted the Walruses and yet they were on public display for only 40 minutes each day! There was a 20-minute morning presentation held in a very small viewing area and then a second one later in the afternoon. Photography was limited, the crowds were intense, and many members of the public were irate as they were understandably expecting the Walruses to be on-show all day long. Once the Walruses left the aquarium after their year or so adventure, that off-show area went back to being behind closed doors on a permanent basis.

Dolfinarium Harderwijk (Netherlands) is famous for its display of marine mammals and I watched the 'Walrus Show' there in 2019 with 4 of the animals in the presentation. If I'm not mistaken, the Walruses are all gone now and Steller Sea Lions are now in this exhibit. Where did the Walruses go?

Lastly, Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) has Walruses in the legendary Eismeer complex that was completely rebuilt and reopened in 2012. When I was there in 2019, I saw 6 Walruses in total and one huge male Walrus shared his pool with South American Fur Seals. There was a total of THREE Walrus exhibits at the zoo, all in Eismeer.

@Dianamonkey

Pinnipeds:

California Sea Lions - 76 zoos
Harbour Seals - 71 zoos
Grey Seals - 19 zoos
Northern Fur Seals - 8 zoos
Walruses - 8 zoos

SeaWorld San Diego actually still has walruses! A female (Basila) and a male (Dozer).

 

[snowleopard]

@PossumRoach I've seen Spotted/Largha Seals on ZERO occasions. Never in my lifetime. It appears that 80% of current captive specimens are in Japanese collections.

@Xavier GM I visited Pairi Daiza in 2019 and Land of the Cold opened in 2020.

@BlobfishBoy That's great to know. Thanks!

 

[aardvark250]

It's so weird hearing that spotted seals are so rare outside of Asia, I see them everywhere! Of course, as sl have said my perception of the species is biased due to being on the other side of pacific (and being in japan a lot)

 

[15399]

@PossumRoach I've seen Spotted/Largha Seals on ZERO occasions. Never in my lifetime. It appears that 80% of current captive specimens are in Japanese collections.

Another reason to return to Mystic- the only holder of this species in the continental US! I can't believe there are actually TWO mammal species I've seen that @snowleopard hasn't- despite the fact he's visited over 500 more zoos than I!

 

[PossumRoach]

@PossumRoach I've seen Spotted/Largha Seals on ZERO occasions. Never in my lifetime. It appears that 80% of current captive specimens are in Japanese collections.

I thought you would have seen them in your visits to American the west coast. I am flabbergasted that they’re not even there.

 

[birdsandbats]

To be fair, it is really weird how Largha Seals go as far down the Pacific Coast as Taiwan in Asia but in North America they don't even go south of the Alaska Peninsula.

 

[snowleopard]

I'm going with TWO pinniped species today (Afro-Australian Fur Seals and Steller Sea Lions) and then tomorrow I'll have a whopper of a post with a whole whack of pinnipeds. There will be a surprise or two that might shock a few of you.

I've got to keep going at a decent pace with this thread, as I have a truly exciting, secret 'Snowleopard Road Trip' coming up in August. I know that @Neil chace has been attempting to get me to consider an Eastern USA zoo trek, and he has a very convincing argument, but the one I have planned is not going to be anywhere in North America. More to come at a later date, but I board an airplane on August 1st. I can't wait!

The goal is to finish off Carnivora in the next two posts, then bang off some other mammals, then take a break for most of August, and then from September to Christmas it will be months of hoofed mammals. Hopefully everyone hangs around for the ride.

The name changes with pinnipeds made for some trickery when I took the time to compile these extensive lists. For instance, I figured out months ago that I had seen South African Fur Seals at 7 zoos, but if one goes to Zootierliste then that name doesn't register whatsoever. What the heck? It's necessary to type in Cape Fur Seal to get what you want. But for the lead name on Wikipedia, neither South African Fur Seal or Cape Fur Seal are technically correct and in fact it turns out that Brown Fur Seal is found there. There are then 3 pages of ZooChat photos that are either labeled as Brown Fur Seal or Australian Fur Seal, yet another name. To top things off, the more modern name is Afro-Australian Fur Seal and that's what the book All the Mammals of the World (2023) uses. Essentially, there's two subspecies and only ONE species with at least 5 different common names that I've seen in 6 different countries. Sheesh!

I've seen Afro-Australian Fur Seals at 10 zoos (7 South African, 3 Australian – two subspecies) in 6 different nations

1- Sydney Aquarium (Australia) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (Australian) – 2007
2- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (Australian) – 2007
3- Melbourne Zoo (Australia) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (Australian) – 2007
4- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (South African) – 2008
5- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (South African) – 2019
6- Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (South African) – 2019
7- Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (South African) – 2019
8- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (South African) – 2019
9- Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (South African) – 2022
10- Kolmarden Wildlife Park (Sweden) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (South African) – 2022

AND...

I've seen Steller Sea Lions at 5 zoos and they have also been called Steller's Sea Lions or Northern Sea Lions and I've been fortunate enough to have seen them plenty of times at the first two locations on my list. Other than my geographical location, the rest of my zoo trips have shown this species to be extremely rare and there's only around 20 to 25 zoos on the planet with Steller Sea Lions. Once you see them, particularly the big males, you never forget!

1- Oregon Zoo (USA) – Steller Sea Lion – 2005
2- Vancouver Aquarium (Canada) – Steller Sea Lion – 2011
3- Mystic Aquarium (USA) – Steller Sea Lion – 2012
4- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – Steller Sea Lion – 2019
5- Dolfinarium Harderwijk (Netherlands) – Steller Sea Lion – 2019

Sydney Aquarium (Australia), before it held Dugongs and before it became a Merlin Sea Life franchise, had Afro-Australian Fur Seals in a mixed-species pinniped pool when I was there in 2007.

@Baldur

Nearby, at Taronga Zoo (Australia), there was a series of pinniped pools with various species, including Afro-Australian Fur Seals.

@Baldur

Toronto Zoo (Canada) had Afro-Australian Fur Seals for many years and here's an individual in a 2008 photo.

@Quartz92

At this point, 11 long years went by and then I saw the species 4 times in a month in Western Europe. Pairi Daiza (Belgium) had 3 pinniped species when I was there in 2019 and they must have 4 now as Walruses were added in 2020. Not a lot of zoos have that many pinnipeds. Here is the Afro-Australian Fur Seal exhibit:

Not as well-known as its Belgian peer, Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) also held Afro-Australian Fur Seals in 2019.

A very rocky, spacious Afro-Australian Fur Seal exhibit can be found at Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) and it's a relatively recent development.

@twilighter

@Gil

I saw the species at Berlin Zoo (Germany) in an older exhibit, but it was much better than the junky pool at Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) for Afro-Australian Fur Seals that I saw in 2022. For some reason, the water level was very low and the chipped, cracked pool looked like it had seen better days. A very poor exhibit.

Kolmarden Wildlife Park (Sweden) had Afro-Australian Fur Seals, Grey Seals and Harbour Seals all together in this exhibit in 2022:

@Anton

Onto Steller Sea Lions...

For many years, Oregon Zoo (USA) had Steller Sea Lions in the Pacific Shores section of the zoo, called Steller Cove. However, in 2014 and again in 2015 the zoo euthanized elderly sea lions and soon after (2016?) Harbour Seals took up residence on a permanent basis. The massive sea lions are greatly missed, as Harbour Seals are boring animals in zoos. There really is no comparison between seeing the magnificent sea lions swimming underwater and common little seals.

Vancouver Aquarium (Canada) has been conducting research on Steller Sea Lions for years, and occasionally a few individuals would go on exhibit and others would be kept behind the scenes. After the Beluga Whales died (and now will never return because of Canada's cetacean laws), the aquarium opened Steller's Bay in 2017 and it was just the old whale pool but now with Steller Sea Lions.

@geomorph

At Mystic Aquarium (USA) in 2012, I saw two exhibits with Steller Sea Lions in the excellent Pacific Northwest zone. The first enclosure held a couple of Steller Sea Lions, while the second had one Steller Sea Lion and 4 Harbour Seals together.

Pairi Daiza (Belgium) is an amazing zoo and one of its newer 'worlds' is The Last Frontier, modeled after a Canadian landscape. Steller Sea Lions are found here in a rocky coastline environment, complete with the Paddling Bear Hotel in the background. At the rear of this photo is a sandy beach area for the pinnipeds.

Both photos via @KevinB

The 5th and final time I have seen Steller Sea Lions is at Dolfinarium Harderwijk (Netherlands). They now inhabit the old Walrus pool, but when I was there in 2019 the sea lions looked cramped in a smaller exhibit. These enormous beasts, especially the big males, need a lot of space in zoos.

@Jakub

Pinnipeds:

California Sea Lions - 76 zoos
Harbour Seals - 71 zoos
Grey Seals - 19 zoos
Afro-Australian Fur Seals - 10 zoos
Northern Fur Seals - 8 zoos
Walruses - 8 zoos
Steller Sea Lions - 5 zoos

 

[Panda_Fan]

I'm going with TWO pinniped species today (Afro-Australian Fur Seals and Steller Sea Lions) and then tomorrow I'll have a whopper of a post with a whole whack of pinnipeds. There will be a surprise or two that might shock a few of you.

I've got to keep going at a decent pace with this thread, as I have a truly exciting, secret 'Snowleopard Road Trip' coming up in August. I know that @Neil chace has been attempting to get me to consider an Eastern USA zoo trek, and he has a very convincing argument, but the one I have planned is not going to be anywhere in North America. More to come at a later date, but I board an airplane on August 1st. I can't wait!

The goal is to finish off Carnivora in the next two posts, then bang off some other mammals, then take a break for most of August, and then from September to Christmas it will be months of hoofed mammals. Hopefully everyone hangs around for the ride.

The name changes with pinnipeds made for some trickery when I took the time to compile these extensive lists. For instance, I figured out months ago that I had seen South African Fur Seals at 7 zoos, but if one goes to Zootierliste then that name doesn't register whatsoever. What the heck? It's necessary to type in Cape Fur Seal to get what you want. But for the lead name on Wikipedia, neither South African Fur Seal or Cape Fur Seal are technically correct and in fact it turns out that Brown Fur Seal is found there. There are then 3 pages of ZooChat photos that are either labeled as Brown Fur Seal or Australian Fur Seal, yet another name. To top things off, the more modern name is Afro-Australian Fur Seal and that's what the book All the Mammals of the World (2023) uses. Essentially, there's two subspecies and only ONE species with at least 5 different common names that I've seen in 6 different countries. Sheesh!

I've seen Afro-Australian Fur Seals at 10 zoos (7 South African, 3 Australian – two subspecies) in 6 different nations

1- Sydney Aquarium (Australia) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (Australian) – 2007
2- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (Australian) – 2007
3- Melbourne Zoo (Australia) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (Australian) – 2007
4- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (South African) – 2008
5- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (South African) – 2019
6- Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (South African) – 2019
7- Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (South African) – 2019
8- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (South African) – 2019
9- Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (South African) – 2022
10- Kolmarden Wildlife Park (Sweden) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (South African) – 2022

AND...

I've seen Steller Sea Lions at 5 zoos and they have also been called Steller's Sea Lions or Northern Sea Lions and I've been fortunate enough to have seen them plenty of times at the first two locations on my list. Other than my geographical location, the rest of my zoo trips have shown this species to be extremely rare and there's only around 20 to 25 zoos on the planet with Steller Sea Lions. Once you see them, particularly the big males, you never forget!

1- Oregon Zoo (USA) – Steller Sea Lion – 2005
2- Vancouver Aquarium (Canada) – Steller Sea Lion – 2011
3- Mystic Aquarium (USA) – Steller Sea Lion – 2012
4- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – Steller Sea Lion – 2019
5- Dolfinarium Harderwijk (Netherlands) – Steller Sea Lion – 2019

Sydney Aquarium (Australia), before it held Dugongs and before it became a Merlin Sea Life franchise, had Afro-Australian Fur Seals in a mixed-species pinniped pool when I was there in 2007.

@Baldur

Nearby, at Taronga Zoo (Australia), there was a series of pinniped pools with various species, including Afro-Australian Fur Seals.

@Baldur

Toronto Zoo (Canada) had Afro-Australian Fur Seals for many years and here's an individual in a 2008 photo.

@Quartz92

At this point, 11 long years went by and then I saw the species 4 times in a month in Western Europe. Pairi Daiza (Belgium) had 3 pinniped species when I was there in 2019 and they must have 4 now as Walruses were added in 2020. Not a lot of zoos have that many pinnipeds. Here is the Afro-Australian Fur Seal exhibit:

Not as well-known as its Belgian peer, Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) also held Afro-Australian Fur Seals in 2019.

A very rocky, spacious Afro-Australian Fur Seal exhibit can be found at Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) and it's a relatively recent development.

@twilighter

@Gil

I saw the species at Berlin Zoo (Germany) in an older exhibit, but it was much better than the junky pool at Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) for Afro-Australian Fur Seals that I saw in 2022. For some reason, the water level was very low and the chipped, cracked pool looked like it had seen better days. A very poor exhibit.

Kolmarden Wildlife Park (Sweden) had Afro-Australian Fur Seals, Grey Seals and Harbour Seals all together in this exhibit in 2022:

@Anton

Onto Steller Sea Lions...

For many years, Oregon Zoo (USA) had Steller Sea Lions in the Pacific Shores section of the zoo, called Steller Cove. However, in 2014 and again in 2015 the zoo euthanized elderly sea lions and soon after (2016?) Harbour Seals took up residence on a permanent basis. The massive sea lions are greatly missed, as Harbour Seals are boring animals in zoos. There really is no comparison between seeing the magnificent sea lions swimming underwater and common little seals.

Vancouver Aquarium (Canada) has been conducting research on Steller Sea Lions for years, and occasionally a few individuals would go on exhibit and others would be kept behind the scenes. After the Beluga Whales died (and now will never return because of Canada's cetacean laws), the aquarium opened Steller's Bay in 2017 and it was just the old whale pool but now with Steller Sea Lions.

@geomorph

At Mystic Aquarium (USA) in 2012, I saw two exhibits with Steller Sea Lions in the excellent Pacific Northwest zone. The first enclosure held a couple of Steller Sea Lions, while the second had one Steller Sea Lion and 4 Harbour Seals together.

Pairi Daiza (Belgium) is an amazing zoo and one of its newer 'worlds' is The Last Frontier, modeled after a Canadian landscape. Steller Sea Lions are found here in a rocky coastline environment, complete with the Paddling Bear Hotel in the background. At the rear of this photo is a large, sandy beach area for the pinnipeds.

Both photos via @KevinB

The 5th and final time I have seen Steller Sea Lions is at Dolfinarium Harderwijk (Netherlands). They now inhabit the old Walrus pool, but when I was there in 2019 the sea lions looked cramped in a smaller exhibit. These enormous beasts, especially the big males, need a lot of space in zoos.

@Jakub

Pinnipeds:

California Sea Lions - 76 zoos
Harbour Seals - 71 zoos
Grey Seals - 19 zoos
Afro-Australian Fur Seals - 10 zoos
Northern Fur Seals - 8 zoos
Walruses - 8 zoos
Steller Sea Lions - 5 zoos

Really excited for your new road trip!!!!

 

[TeaLovingDave]

If I'm not mistaken, the Walruses are all gone now and Steller Sea Lions are now in this exhibit. Where did the Walruses go?

Not *mistaken* per se, merely a bit premature - that is the long-term plan, but they haven't left yet.

The 5th and final time I have seen Steller Sea Lions is at Dolfinarium Harderwijk (Netherlands). They now inhabit the old Walrus pool, but when I was there in 2019 the sea lions looked cramped in a smaller exhibit. These enormous beasts, especially the big males, need a lot of space in zoos.

...and as such, the Stellers are still in the exhibit you saw.

 

[vogelcommando]

Very curious about your new roadtrip !!!

 

[15399]

I've got to keep going at a decent pace with this thread, as I have a truly exciting, secret 'Snowleopard Road Trip' coming up in August. I know that @Neil chace has been attempting to get me to consider an Eastern USA zoo trek, and he has a very convincing argument, but the one I have planned is not going to be anywhere in North America. More to come at a later date, but I board an airplane on August 1st. I can't wait!

No matter where you are traveling, enjoy your trip! I'll be excited to read your reviews, whether it be from Europe, Australia, Asia, or somewhere completely unexpected.