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

[pachyderm pro]

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

I've never seen a Steller's sea lion in person, but I'm itching to change that. Those photos from Harderwijk look ridiculous; maybe it's just the exhibit appearing smaller but that bull looks massive and I'm honestly a bit shocked keepers go in with animals of that size.

Walruses however remain my favorite pinniped. I'll never forget seeing them for the first time at SeaWorld San Diego many years ago; watching both animals emerge from their holding areas and crash into the water was a sight to behold. I was really looking forward to seeing them again at Indianapolis when I visited yesterday, but for whatever reason they were off-exhibit after just returning following a several year-long renovation to their exhibit (which looks identical to how it did before).

By the way, happy to hear a new installment in the Snowleopard Road Trip saga is just a few weeks away! I'm sure it'll be great as always no matter where you go, although I do echo @Neil chace that you really should revisit some larger collections in the East and Midwestern US. Some of these are places you haven't been to since your first road trip and have completely changed since then. I think many of us would be interested to hear how your thoughts on certain facilities may change over time following a repeat visit.

 

[aardvark250]

I've never seen a Steller's sea lion in person, but I'm itching to change that. Those photos from Harderwijk look ridiculous; maybe it's just the exhibit appearing smaller but that bull looks massive and I'm honestly a bit shocked keepers go in with animals of that size.

It's not the exhibit that's pulling tricks to the eyes, they can really get to such huge size, even larger than adult walruses

 

[Valvas]

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

You've made a mistake: Monde Sauvage keeps (and has only ever kept) South American sea lions instead of fur seals.

 

[15399]

I've never seen a Steller's sea lion in person, but I'm itching to change that. Those photos from Harderwijk look ridiculous; maybe it's just the exhibit appearing smaller but that bull looks massive and I'm honestly a bit shocked keepers go in with animals of that size

Mystic Aquarium is the only remaining holder in the continental United States. I believe Alaska Sea Life Center also houses the species, however.

Walruses however remain my favorite pinniped. I'll never forget seeing them for the first time at SeaWorld San Diego many years ago; watching both animals emerge from their holding areas and crash into the water was a sight to behold. I was really looking forward to seeing them again at Indianapolis when I visited yesterday, but for whatever reason they were off-exhibit after just returning following a several year-long renovation to their exhibit (which looks identical to how it did before).

Walruses are really the one pinniped I haven't seen but would love to some day! I know the US population doesn't look great at the moment, but given that they are long-lived animals there will hopefully be walruses in US zoos for decades to come.

 

[NNM.]

It’s a shame that New York couldn’t bring back walruses when they revamped themselves after being utterly decimated. I even heard that one of the survivors was a baby walrus. It’s especially so since it was more or less what they were known for in their previous form.

 

[biggest_dreamer]

If not an east coast road trip then fingers crossed for Asia (notably Japan). Can't wait to follow along.

 

[snowleopard]

It's time to end off pinnipeds and with that I'll also be ending off Carnivora at the same time. I mentioned yesterday how it's been very tricky to go back through all the years, and all the hundreds of zoos, in order to come up with my list of species and the pinnipeds have been difficult to figure out. Sometimes zoo signage is unreliable, or else names get lost in translation in various countries, ZooChat photos can be mislabeled, or taxonomy has been altered in the last 20 years. Nevertheless, with pinnipeds I've managed to figure out what I've seen or not seen, partly with the aid of a couple of Aussie zoo nerds who have hopefully steered me in the right direction for my long ago visits 'Down Under'.

I have already supplied loads of photos and analysis for 7 pinniped species, and in this post I'm going to tackle NINE more to give me 16 pinniped species all-time. Here we go!

I've seen Australian Sea Lions at 3 zoos:

1- Sydney Aquarium (Australia) – Australian Sea Lion – 2007
2- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – Australian Sea Lion – 2007
3- Adelaide Zoo (Australia) – Australian Sea Lion – 2007

Here's an Australian Sea Lion at Sydney Aquarium (Australia) in 2007, in the mixed-species pinniped tank prior to it becoming a Dugong exhibit. That underwater visitor tunnel is a real highlight of the facility.

@Baldur

Nearby Taronga Zoo (Australia) also held Australian Sea Lions in 2007:

@Baldur

The Australian Sea Lion exhibit at Adelaide Zoo (Australia) is memorable because it's so tiny! I recall being shocked at the size of the pool in 2007 and it seems that it's not much larger now (but with viewing windows instead of a railing).

@Baldur

I've seen Northern Elephant Seals in 3 collections:

1- The Marine Mammal Center (USA) – Northern Elephant Seal – 2017
2- Marine Mammal Care Center (USA) – Northern Elephant Seal – 2017
3- Pacific Marine Mammal Center (USA) – Northern Elephant Seal – 2017

I visited 4 'rescue pinniped facilities' in California in the summer of 2017, including the Northcoast Marine Mammal Center in Crescent Beach. That one only had Harbour Seals, but at The Marine Mammal Center (USA) in Sausalito they had 10 Northern Elephant Seals in residence at the time of my visit. I highlighted this place earlier, as it's the one that had 62 pinnipeds of 4 different species when I was there.

Further south in California is the city of San Pedro and there one can find the Marine Mammal Care Center (USA). I saw California Sea Lions and Northern Elephant Seals in a series of pools and enclosures all across the establishment.

Pacific Marine Mammal Center (USA) is in Laguna Beach and I saw some sparring Northern Elephant Seals as well as some California Sea Lions in captivity there. It's interesting that I've not seen (to my knowledge) Southern Elephant Seals anywhere but only the Northern species.

The next pinniped species on my list is South American Fur Seals, which I've only ever seen at 2 zoos.

1- Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) – South American Fur Seal – 2019
2- Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Netherlands) – South American Fur Seal – 2019

At Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany), there's been a mixed-species exhibit (South American Fur Seal and Walrus) that's remarkable to see. I saw 3 Walrus pools in 2019 and one of them was this combination. Here's a wonderful image of two of the animals together:

@RonBurrgundy

I saw South American Fur Seals and California Sea Lions together at Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Netherlands) in the Nortica section of the zoo. It's fascinating at just how many pinnipeds are mixed together at zoos across the globe.

I've seen South American Sea Lions at 2 zoos.

1- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – South American Sea Lion – 2001
2- Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) – South American Sea Lion – 2019

Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) had South American Sea Lions for years, until the last one died in 2012. I wish that I had a photo of their exhibit to showcase here, as it was horrendous! Located in an all-purpose building called the Saito Centre, I recall seeing a trio of South American Sea Lions entirely indoors within a very tiny area that was the winter holding complex for many animals across the zoo. The pool was puny. The building still exists as a sort of nebulous 'discovery centre', but the sea lions are long gone and in fact the zoo built an impressive outdoor pinniped exhibit in 2012 for Northern Fur Seals and Harbour Seals.

Thanks to @Valvas (cheers mate!) I know that Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) has had South American Sea Lions for years. Here's the exhibit:

@Tiger

I have seen Baikal Seals at 1 zoo:

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Baikal Seal – 1975

My childhood zoo, originally known as Alberta Game Farm (Canada), had a body of water called Lost Lake that contained Baikal Seals. I'll refer to this zoo a lot during my ungulate posts in the fall, as the collection was the Berlin Tierpark of North America in its heyday, but as a kid I would visit and on this map you can see the red dots that illustrate where the picnic grounds were located at the bottom of the lake. We'd bring sandwiches and sit on the shores of the lake and even all these years later I can remember seeing Baikal Seals on many occasions as they were so plump and round, especially from the perspective of a young kid.

Here's what a Baikal Seal looks like: (Toba Aquarium in Japan)

@Giant Eland

I've seen Guadalupe Fur Seals at 1 zoo:

1- SeaWorld San Diego (USA) – Guadalupe Fur Seal – 2006

SeaWorld San Diego (USA) has maintained at least one Guadalupe Fur Seal for at least 20 years now. At one point there was two of them but I'm not sure what the status is now. It was easy to see one during my 2006 and 2011 visits to this park, as the species was combined with California Sea Lions and Harbour Seals in the popular Pacific Point exhibit.

@African Grey

@geomorph

I have seen a single Harp Seal at 1 zoo:

1- Detroit Zoo (USA) – Harp Seal – 2008

When I first visited Detroit Zoo (USA) in 2008, there was one Harp Seal in the Arctic Ring of Life complex, but when I went back in 2018 I did not see it. The one in this photo was named 'Mack' and he was a male who had been shot and subsequently rescued in 1997.

@Baldur

Here's a magnificent photo of a Polar Bear hunting a Harp Seal:

@fkalltheway

I have seen a Leopard Seal at 1 zoo:

1- Taronga Zoo (Australia) Leopard Seal – 2007

Before Taronga Zoo (Australia) opened its $50+ million Great Southern Oceans complex, I visited and saw a series of pinniped pools in mid-2007 with a variety of species. 'Brooke' was the name of the Leopard Seal that was there and she was a fantastic creature.

@Baldur

I have seen New Zealand Fur Seals at 1 zoo:

1- Sydney Aquarium (Australia) – New Zealand Fur Seal – 2007

My Icelandic friend @Baldur gave up being a 'zoo nerd' years ago and he now works on cruise ships that take visitors on expeditions to the southern regions of the world such as Antarctica. His images from Sydney Aquarium (Australia) have a species lineup that he claims contained the following 4 species: New Zealand Fur Seal, Australian Sea Lion, Afro-Australian Fur Seal and Subantarctic Fur Seal. I can't find anyone to confirm or deny that impressive list of 4 pinniped species all together, before this facility went in for Dugongs, but someone did tell me that New Zealand Fur Seal was highly likely but they weren't sure about the Subantarctic Fur Seal and therefore I've left it off my pinniped species list for now.

@Baldur

Pinnipeds: 16 species

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
Australian Sea Lion – 3 zoos
Northern Elephant Seal – 3 zoos
South American Fur Seal – 2 zoos
South American Sea Lion – 2 zoos
Baikal Seal – 1 zoo
Guadalupe Fur Seal – 1 zoo
Harp Seal – 1 zoo
Leopard Seal – 1 zoo
New Zealand Fur Seal – 1 zoo
Subantarctic Fur Seal - I cannot confirm this potential 17th species

 

[birdsandbats]

Before we put Carnivora off our mind for a while, I'm really curious to know how many zoos you've been to with Domestic Dogs and Cats. Obviously these animals are ubiquitous in our daily lives as pets, but I can't imagine they're too common in zoos for precisely this reason. But I'd b really interested to know how well they match up among other carnivores.

 

[Nile Hippo Expert]

It's time to end off pinnipeds and with that I'll also be ending off Carnivora at the same time. I mentioned yesterday how it's been very tricky to go back through all the years, and all the hundreds of zoos, in order to come up with my list of species and the pinnipeds have been difficult to figure out. Sometimes zoo signage is unreliable, or else names get lost in translation in various countries, ZooChat photos can be mislabeled, or taxonomy has been altered in the last 20 years. Nevertheless, with pinnipeds I've managed to figure out what I've seen or not seen, partly with the aid of a couple of Aussie zoo nerds who have hopefully steered me in the right direction for my long ago visits 'Down Under'.

I have already supplied loads of photos and analysis for 7 pinniped species, and in this post I'm going to tackle NINE more to give me 16 pinniped species all-time. Here we go!

I've seen Australian Sea Lions at 3 zoos:

1- Sydney Aquarium (Australia) – Australian Sea Lion – 2007
2- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – Australian Sea Lion – 2007
3- Adelaide Zoo (Australia) – Australian Sea Lion – 2007

Here's an Australian Sea Lion at Sydney Aquarium (Australia) in 2007, in the mixed-species pinniped tank prior to it becoming a Dugong exhibit. That underwater visitor tunnel is a real highlight of the facility.

@Baldur

Nearby Taronga Zoo (Australia) also held Australian Sea Lions in 2007:

@Baldur

The Australian Sea Lion exhibit at Adelaide Zoo (Australia) is memorable because it's so tiny! I recall being shocked at the size of the pool in 2007 and it seems that it's not much larger now (but with viewing windows instead of a railing).

@Baldur

I've seen Northern Elephant Seals in 3 collections:

1- The Marine Mammal Center (USA) – Northern Elephant Seal – 2017
2- Marine Mammal Care Center (USA) – Northern Elephant Seal – 2017
3- Pacific Marine Mammal Center (USA) – Northern Elephant Seal – 2017

I visited 4 'rescue pinniped facilities' in California in the summer of 2017, including the Northcoast Marine Mammal Center in Crescent Beach. That one only had Harbour Seals, but at The Marine Mammal Center (USA) in Sausalito they had 10 Northern Elephant Seals in residence at the time of my visit. I highlighted this place earlier, as it's the one that had 62 pinnipeds of 4 different species when I was there.

Further south in California is the city of San Pedro and there one can find the Marine Mammal Care Center (USA). I saw California Sea Lions and Northern Elephant Seals in a series of pools and enclosures all across the establishment.

Pacific Marine Mammal Center (USA) is in Laguna Beach and I saw some sparring Northern Elephant Seals as well as some California Sea Lions in captivity there. It's interesting that I've not seen (to my knowledge) Southern Elephant Seals anywhere but only the Northern species.

The next pinniped species on my list is South American Fur Seals, which I've only ever seen at 2 zoos.

1- Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) – South American Fur Seal – 2019
2- Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Netherlands) – South American Fur Seal – 2019

At Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany), there's been a mixed-species exhibit (South American Fur Seal and Walrus) that's remarkable to see. I saw 3 Walrus pools in 2019 and one of them was this combination. Here's a wonderful image of two of the animals together:

@RonBurrgundy

I saw South American Fur Seals and California Sea Lions together at Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Netherlands) in the Nortica section of the zoo. It's fascinating at just how many pinnipeds are mixed together at zoos across the globe.

I've seen South American Sea Lions at 2 zoos.

1- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – South American Sea Lion – 2001
2- Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) – South American Sea Lion – 2019

Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) had South American Sea Lions for years, until the last one died in 2012. I wish that I had a photo of their exhibit to showcase here, as it was horrendous! Located in an all-purpose building called the Saito Centre, I recall seeing a trio of South American Sea Lions entirely indoors within a very tiny area that was the winter holding complex for many animals across the zoo. The pool was puny. The building still exists as a sort of nebulous 'discovery centre', but the sea lions are long gone and in fact the zoo built an impressive outdoor pinniped exhibit in 2012 for Northern Fur Seals and Harbour Seals.

Thanks to @Valvas (cheers mate!) I know that Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) has had South American Sea Lions for years. Here's the exhibit:

@Tiger

I have seen Baikal Seals at 1 zoo:

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Baikal Seal – 1975

My childhood zoo, originally known as Alberta Game Farm (Canada), had a body of water called Lost Lake that contained Baikal Seals. I'll refer to this zoo a lot during my ungulate posts in the fall, as the collection was the Berlin Tierpark of North America in its heyday, but as a kid I would visit and on this map you can see the red dots that illustrate where the picnic grounds were located at the bottom of the lake. We'd bring sandwiches and sit on the shores of the lake and even all these years later I can remember seeing Baikal Seals on many occasions as they were so plump and round, especially from the perspective of a young kid.

Here's what a Baikal Seal looks like: (Toba Aquarium in Japan)

@Giant Eland

I've seen Guadalupe Fur Seals at 1 zoo:

1- SeaWorld San Diego (USA) – Guadalupe Fur Seal – 2006

SeaWorld San Diego (USA) has maintained at least one Guadalupe Fur Seal for at least 20 years now. At one point there was two of them but I'm not sure what the status is now. It was easy to see one during my 2006 and 2011 visits to this park, as the species was combined with California Sea Lions and Harbour Seals in the popular Pacific Point exhibit.

@African Grey

@geomorph

I have seen a single Harp Seal at 1 zoo:

1- Detroit Zoo (USA) – Harp Seal – 2008

When I first visited Detroit Zoo (USA) in 2008, there was one Harp Seal in the Arctic Ring of Life complex, but when I went back in 2018 I did not see it. The one in this photo was named 'Mack' and he was a male who had been shot and subsequently rescued in 1997.

@Baldur

Here's a magnificent photo of a Polar Bear hunting a Harp Seal:

@fkalltheway

I have seen a Leopard Seal at 1 zoo:

1- Taronga Zoo (Australia) Leopard Seal – 2007

Before Taronga Zoo (Australia) opened its $50+ million Great Southern Oceans complex, I visited and saw a series of pinniped pools in mid-2007 with a variety of species. 'Brooke' was the name of the Leopard Seal that was there and she was a fantastic creature.

@Baldur

I have seen New Zealand Fur Seals at 1 zoo:

1- Sydney Aquarium (Australia) – New Zealand Fur Seal – 2007

My Icelandic friend @Baldur gave up being a 'zoo nerd' years ago and he now works on cruise ships that take visitors on expeditions to the southern regions of the world such as Antarctica. His images from Sydney Aquarium (Australia) have a species lineup that he claims contained the following 4 species: New Zealand Fur Seal, Australian Sea Lion, Afro-Australian Fur Seal and Subantarctic Fur Seal. I can't find anyone to confirm or deny that impressive list of 4 pinniped species all together, before this facility went in for Dugongs, but someone did tell me that New Zealand Fur Seal was highly likely but they weren't sure about the Subantarctic Fur Seal and therefore I've left it off my pinniped species list for now.

@Baldur

Pinnipeds: 16 species

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
Australian Sea Lion – 3 zoos
Northern Elephant Seal – 3 zoos
South American Fur Seal – 2 zoos
South American Sea Lion – 2 zoos
Baikal Seal – 1 zoo
Guadalupe Fur Seal – 1 zoo
Harp Seal – 1 zoo
Leopard Seal – 1 zoo
New Zealand Fur Seal – 1 zoo
Subantarctic Fur Seal - I cannot confirm this potential 17th species

Looking at that Alberta Game Farm map, they literally seem to have had everything… except Nile Hippos.

 

[carlos55]

Pinnipeds are not that common in Mexican animal collections. The most frequent are California sea lions which are native to Mexico and are taken as rescues. California sea lions are kept at Chapultepec, San Juan de Aragon, Morelia, Leon and Guadalajara zoos and at Mazatlán and Veracruz Aquariums. South American sea lions are imported and can be found at San Juan de Aragon zoo , at Acuario Interactivo Cancun and at various swim with the dolphins places.Guadalajara zoo has a rescued male Guadalupe fur seal named Lupito, of course. There are no seals in any Mexican zoo.

 

[Osedax]

I'm surprised you have only seen Long-nosed / NZ Fur Seals at Sydney Aquarium. They are probably the second most common pinniped in Australian zoos, after Australian Sea Lions. Are you sure you didn't see them at Melbourne and Taronga?

 

[snowleopard]

Before we put Carnivora off our mind for a while, I'm really curious to know how many zoos you've been to with Domestic Dogs and Cats. Obviously these animals are ubiquitous in our daily lives as pets, but I can't imagine they're too common in zoos for precisely this reason. But I'd be really interested to know how well they match up among other carnivores.

I can't specifically recall ever seeing a Domestic Dog or Cat exhibit at a zoo, but I feel that there might have been one or two over the years. For example, Oregon Zoo (USA) opened a Domestic 'Catio' in 2018, but I don't recall seeing it when I was at the zoo last year. Certainly in parts of Europe, especially at several zoos in Germany, there are dogs in abundance but they are ones that are walked by their owners. Duisburg Zoo in 2019 was absolutely crawling with dogs on leashes everywhere and it was a bit annoying to be honest. I've been to zoos where there's been kennels at the front and a dog owner can pay a small fee of perhaps $5 and leave their dog there while they wander around the zoo.

Looking at that Alberta Game Farm map, they literally seem to have had everything… except Nile Hippos.

When I get to ungulates in the fall, the Alberta Game Farm will receive a LOT of attention. I was born in 1975 and visited that place regularly until 1986 and the collection was astonishing. For example, I saw my only Saiga and Baikal Seals there when I was a kid. Plus Gayal, Cape Hartebeest and so many other rare species.

There are no seals in any Mexican zoo.

It's nice to know that sea lions are doing fine in Mexican zoos, but to have zero seals is a bit of a shock. Harbour Seals are pretty much everywhere these days.

I'm surprised you have only seen Long-nosed / NZ Fur Seals at Sydney Aquarium. They are probably the second most common pinniped in Australian zoos, after Australian Sea Lions. Are you sure you didn't see them at Melbourne and Taronga?

I can accurately pinpoint probably 99% of the zoos with pinnipeds on my all-time list as I've gone through all my old reviews, zoo maps and photos. However, as I alluded to in my post today, the Aussie zoos that I visited 17 years ago were extremely difficult to narrow down in terms of what species were there.

I've visited 19 zoos/aquariums in Australia and here are the 4 with pinnipeds and what myself and others came up with for the year 2007. If anyone can tweak what I have for these 4 zoos then I'd hopefully be 100% accurate. I didn't post extensive zoo reviews back then as it was pre-ZooChat for me and I was on my honeymoon.

1- Sydney Aquarium (Australia) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (Australian), Australian Sea Lion, New Zealand Fur Seal – 2007 (possibly Subantarctic Fur Seal)

2- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – Leopard Seal, Afro-Australian Fur Seal (Australian), Australian Sea Lion, California Sea Lion – 2007

3- Adelaide Zoo (Australia) – Australian Sea Lion – 2007

4- Melbourne Zoo (Australia) – Afro-Australian Fur Seal (Australian) – 2007

 

[birdsandbats]

Interestingly, the only two zoos I've ever seen with Domestic Cat exhibits were both major AZA zoos (Brookfield and Milwaukee). I've never seen one at an unaccredited zoo.

While I have seen dogs used in animal shows or as owner's pets, the only zoo I've ever seen a devoted Domestic Dog exhibit at was Animal Haven. The dogs in question were Jack Russel terriers.

 

[carlos55]

Some Mexican animal collections exhibit the Mexican hairless dog or xoloizcuintle also known as Xolos. Merida zoo in the Yucatán had one on exhibit a few years ago and Crococun zoo near Cancun still has Xolos.At Xcaret , Xolos appear in the night show. Chapultepec zoo once had Xolos but replaced them with maras.

 

[twilighter]

Before we put Carnivora off our mind for a while, I'm really curious to know how many zoos you've been to with Domestic Dogs and Cats. Obviously these animals are ubiquitous in our daily lives as pets, but I can't imagine they're too common in zoos for precisely this reason. But I'd b really interested to know how well they match up among other carnivores.

The most unique Domestic Cat exhibit I have seen was at the Skansen Children’s Zoo (Lill-Skansen), Stockholm. The Indoor exhibit represents Living Room, while the outdoor exhibit is high fanced yard, which looks like a true wild carnivore enclosure.

Domestic Cat outdoor exhibit

• twilighter
• 28 Dec 2022
• 4

 

[splendens]

SeaWorld San Diego (USA) has maintained at least one Guadalupe Fur Seal for at least 20 years now. At one point there was two of them but I'm not sure what the status is now. It was easy to see one during my 2006 and 2011 visits to this park, as the species was combined with California Sea Lions and Harbour Seals in the popular Pacific Point exhibit.

Currently, SeaWorld has at least 2, maybe 3 of them. On my visit in June there was a female and a male on display, the female being named Chickaree, sadly I forgot what she said the male's name was. I asked a keeper and I believe she said there was another male behind the scenes and off display, though my memory is a bit fuzzy on that detail.

 

[Giant Eland]

It's time to end off pinnipeds and with that I'll also be ending off Carnivora at the same time. I mentioned yesterday how it's been very tricky to go back through all the years, and all the hundreds of zoos, in order to come up with my list of species and the pinnipeds have been difficult to figure out. Sometimes zoo signage is unreliable, or else names get lost in translation in various countries, ZooChat photos can be mislabeled, or taxonomy has been altered in the last 20 years. Nevertheless, with pinnipeds I've managed to figure out what I've seen or not seen, partly with the aid of a couple of Aussie zoo nerds who have hopefully steered me in the right direction for my long ago visits 'Down Under'.

I have already supplied loads of photos and analysis for 7 pinniped species, and in this post I'm going to tackle NINE more to give me 16 pinniped species all-time. Here we go!

I've seen Australian Sea Lions at 3 zoos:

1- Sydney Aquarium (Australia) – Australian Sea Lion – 2007
2- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – Australian Sea Lion – 2007
3- Adelaide Zoo (Australia) – Australian Sea Lion – 2007

Here's an Australian Sea Lion at Sydney Aquarium (Australia) in 2007, in the mixed-species pinniped tank prior to it becoming a Dugong exhibit. That underwater visitor tunnel is a real highlight of the facility.

@Baldur

Nearby Taronga Zoo (Australia) also held Australian Sea Lions in 2007:

@Baldur

The Australian Sea Lion exhibit at Adelaide Zoo (Australia) is memorable because it's so tiny! I recall being shocked at the size of the pool in 2007 and it seems that it's not much larger now (but with viewing windows instead of a railing).

@Baldur

I've seen Northern Elephant Seals in 3 collections:

1- The Marine Mammal Center (USA) – Northern Elephant Seal – 2017
2- Marine Mammal Care Center (USA) – Northern Elephant Seal – 2017
3- Pacific Marine Mammal Center (USA) – Northern Elephant Seal – 2017

I visited 4 'rescue pinniped facilities' in California in the summer of 2017, including the Northcoast Marine Mammal Center in Crescent Beach. That one only had Harbour Seals, but at The Marine Mammal Center (USA) in Sausalito they had 10 Northern Elephant Seals in residence at the time of my visit. I highlighted this place earlier, as it's the one that had 62 pinnipeds of 4 different species when I was there.

Further south in California is the city of San Pedro and there one can find the Marine Mammal Care Center (USA). I saw California Sea Lions and Northern Elephant Seals in a series of pools and enclosures all across the establishment.

Pacific Marine Mammal Center (USA) is in Laguna Beach and I saw some sparring Northern Elephant Seals as well as some California Sea Lions in captivity there. It's interesting that I've not seen (to my knowledge) Southern Elephant Seals anywhere but only the Northern species.

The next pinniped species on my list is South American Fur Seals, which I've only ever seen at 2 zoos.

1- Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) – South American Fur Seal – 2019
2- Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Netherlands) – South American Fur Seal – 2019

At Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany), there's been a mixed-species exhibit (South American Fur Seal and Walrus) that's remarkable to see. I saw 3 Walrus pools in 2019 and one of them was this combination. Here's a wonderful image of two of the animals together:

@RonBurrgundy

I saw South American Fur Seals and California Sea Lions together at Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Netherlands) in the Nortica section of the zoo. It's fascinating at just how many pinnipeds are mixed together at zoos across the globe.

I've seen South American Sea Lions at 2 zoos.

1- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – South American Sea Lion – 2001
2- Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) – South American Sea Lion – 2019

Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) had South American Sea Lions for years, until the last one died in 2012. I wish that I had a photo of their exhibit to showcase here, as it was horrendous! Located in an all-purpose building called the Saito Centre, I recall seeing a trio of South American Sea Lions entirely indoors within a very tiny area that was the winter holding complex for many animals across the zoo. The pool was puny. The building still exists as a sort of nebulous 'discovery centre', but the sea lions are long gone and in fact the zoo built an impressive outdoor pinniped exhibit in 2012 for Northern Fur Seals and Harbour Seals.

Thanks to @Valvas (cheers mate!) I know that Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) has had South American Sea Lions for years. Here's the exhibit:

@Tiger

I have seen Baikal Seals at 1 zoo:

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Baikal Seal – 1975

My childhood zoo, originally known as Alberta Game Farm (Canada), had a body of water called Lost Lake that contained Baikal Seals. I'll refer to this zoo a lot during my ungulate posts in the fall, as the collection was the Berlin Tierpark of North America in its heyday, but as a kid I would visit and on this map you can see the red dots that illustrate where the picnic grounds were located at the bottom of the lake. We'd bring sandwiches and sit on the shores of the lake and even all these years later I can remember seeing Baikal Seals on many occasions as they were so plump and round, especially from the perspective of a young kid.

Here's what a Baikal Seal looks like: (Toba Aquarium in Japan)

@Giant Eland

I've seen Guadalupe Fur Seals at 1 zoo:

1- SeaWorld San Diego (USA) – Guadalupe Fur Seal – 2006

SeaWorld San Diego (USA) has maintained at least one Guadalupe Fur Seal for at least 20 years now. At one point there was two of them but I'm not sure what the status is now. It was easy to see one during my 2006 and 2011 visits to this park, as the species was combined with California Sea Lions and Harbour Seals in the popular Pacific Point exhibit.

@African Grey

@geomorph

I have seen a single Harp Seal at 1 zoo:

1- Detroit Zoo (USA) – Harp Seal – 2008

When I first visited Detroit Zoo (USA) in 2008, there was one Harp Seal in the Arctic Ring of Life complex, but when I went back in 2018 I did not see it. The one in this photo was named 'Mack' and he was a male who had been shot and subsequently rescued in 1997.

@Baldur

Here's a magnificent photo of a Polar Bear hunting a Harp Seal:

@fkalltheway

I have seen a Leopard Seal at 1 zoo:

1- Taronga Zoo (Australia) Leopard Seal – 2007

Before Taronga Zoo (Australia) opened its $50+ million Great Southern Oceans complex, I visited and saw a series of pinniped pools in mid-2007 with a variety of species. 'Brooke' was the name of the Leopard Seal that was there and she was a fantastic creature.

@Baldur

I have seen New Zealand Fur Seals at 1 zoo:

1- Sydney Aquarium (Australia) – New Zealand Fur Seal – 2007

My Icelandic friend @Baldur gave up being a 'zoo nerd' years ago and he now works on cruise ships that take visitors on expeditions to the southern regions of the world such as Antarctica. His images from Sydney Aquarium (Australia) have a species lineup that he claims contained the following 4 species: New Zealand Fur Seal, Australian Sea Lion, Afro-Australian Fur Seal and Subantarctic Fur Seal. I can't find anyone to confirm or deny that impressive list of 4 pinniped species all together, before this facility went in for Dugongs, but someone did tell me that New Zealand Fur Seal was highly likely but they weren't sure about the Subantarctic Fur Seal and therefore I've left it off my pinniped species list for now.

@Baldur

Pinnipeds: 16 species

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
Australian Sea Lion – 3 zoos
Northern Elephant Seal – 3 zoos
South American Fur Seal – 2 zoos
South American Sea Lion – 2 zoos
Baikal Seal – 1 zoo
Guadalupe Fur Seal – 1 zoo
Harp Seal – 1 zoo
Leopard Seal – 1 zoo
New Zealand Fur Seal – 1 zoo
Subantarctic Fur Seal - I cannot confirm this potential 17th species

Great selection @snowleopard, and I too am excited to hear about your next roadtrip!!

As I've enjoyed doing with previous carnivore groups here's my Pinniped Species List and the first times I remember seeing the species, wild in bold:


1.) (Odobenus rosmarus) walrus: San Diego Sea World early-1990s
2.) (Eumetopias jubatus) Steller sea lion: Dolfinarium Harderwijk 2010
3.) (Neophoca cinerea) Australian Sea Lion: Sydney Aquarium 2007
4.) (Otaria byronia) South American sea lion: Chile 2021, Madrid Zoo 2009
5.) (Zalophus californianus) California sea lion: Bronx Zoo late-1980s
6.) (Zalophus wollebaeki) Galapagos sea lion: wild in Galapagos 2012
7.) (Arctocephalus australis) South American Fur Seal: Dortmund Zoo 2010
8.) (Arctocephalus galapagoensis) Galapagos Fur Seal: wild in Galapagos 2012
9.) (Arctocephalus forsteri) New Zealand fur seal: wild in New Zealand 2007
10.) (Arctocephalus pusillus) South African fur seal: wild in South Africa 2019, Toronto Zoo early-1990s
11.) (Arctocephalus townsendi) Guadalupe fur seal: San Diego Sea World 2010
12.) (Arctocephalus tropicalis) subantarctic fur seal: Melbourne Zoo 2007
13.) (Callorhinus ursinus) Northern fur seal: Brooklyn Aquarium early-1990s
14.) (Halichoerus grypus) Gray Seal: don't remember 1st wild, possibly early 1990s Los Angeles Zoo
15.) (Hydrurga leptonyx) leopard seal: Sydney Zoo 2007
16.) (Monachus schauinslandi) Hawaiian monk seal: wild in Hawaii 2020, San Antonio Sea World 2010
17.) (Mirounga angustirostris) Northern elephant seal: wild in California 2020, Pacific Marine Mammal Center 2011
18.) (Mirounga leonine) Southern elephant seal: wild in South Africa 2019, Mundo Marino Argentina 2013
19.) (Pagophilus groenlandicus) harp seal: Detroit Zoo 2013
20.) (Phoca largha) spotted seal: Toba Aquarium 2018
21.) (Phoca vitulina) harbor seal: Long Island 2004, possibly Brooklyn Aquarium early-1990s
22.) (Pusa hispida) ringed seal: Burgers' Zoo 2010
23.) (Pusa sibirica) Baikal seal: Leipzig Zoo 2010

With limited time in Japan in 2018, I was sad to not even attempt some of the rare Pinnipeds like Caspian Seal (off exhibit anyways at that time to my understanding), Bearded Seal and best of all Ribbon Seal!

 

[Osedax]

It's nice to know that sea lions are doing fine in Mexican zoos, but to have zero seals is a bit of a shock. Harbour Seals are pretty much everywhere these days.

There are no seals in Australian zoos either. The last Harbour Seal died a few years ago.

 

[biggest_dreamer]

Now that we're done with carnivorans, I believe I can say there is exactly one that I've seen that you haven't: the humble least weasel, which I saw at Western North Carolina Nature Center in 2021 shortly before it seemingly passed away. I imagine that this may very well wind up being the only species I can make this claim for, since I know you've been to the zoos that my rarer ungulate sightings are from.

 

[carlos55]

Why are there no seals in Mexican zoos ? Harbor seals are not native to Mexico, except for occasional visitors to Baja California. Marine mammal protection laws in the U.S. and Canada strongly restrict the import and export of these animals. South America is another matter, there pinniped species are often culled due to pressure from fishermen. So Mexican animal collections can import South American sea lions.