Speculative Burger's zoo project

[Mr Gharial]

I've been taking a little break from the Zoo guides recently. So I've started work on another little fantasy zoo mini-project.

I'm making a redesign to Dierepark Amersfoort's Dinosaur forest. I'll be uploading the first new area soon enough. I'm trying to bring in more realistic prehistoric creatures and a lot more education

 

[Mr Gharial]

Alright then. I'm probably going to upload the new project in pieces, and upload the full overview last.

In case anyone isn't familiar with Amersfoort Dinosaur forest (which is expectable): The current area is a wonderful forest filled with large statues of dinosaurs, as well as some old animatronics that are falling apart. The dinosaurs are often outdated (They're body structure is accurate enough, but no feathers to be seen). Not many photos can be found on ZC, but I did find these:

General view
No feathers!
Some very impressive sizes
Someone put this poor thing in the water
This guy too
Upon further inspection, there are some feathers. But not enough.
Some VERY impressive sizes

The tortoise greenhouse is also located here, as well as an enclosure that used to hold cassowaries.

Signage and education are disappointing at best.

I'm planning on creating a redesign with a lot more education, and comparison to modern day animals (and including more animals in the process).

The whole forest will also have some downsizing. As Amersfoort is planning on making a Chimpanzee enclosure on part of the current Dino forest.

I'm going to show the comparison species first, and hopefully I'll upload the first area tomorrow.

Prehistoric animals compared to modern-day animals:


(Most of the dinosaurs here were included because these are some of the only dinos of which we know the actual colours)

 

[Mr Gharial]

Right then, the first area of the updated dinosaur forest I'll be uploading is a dual-use greenhouse, sitting between the Paleozoic and the Mesozoic area (AKA the pre-dinosaur area and the dinosaur area).

I welcome you to the "Ancient creatures greenhouse"


The greenhouse is devided into three sections. The entrance; "First life in the sea" includes six tanks with creatures that could theoretically be seen in the Cambrian to Silurian eras.


Chambered nautilus and triops represent Ammonites and Trilobites, some of the most famous fossils. A tank full of invertebrates (Vase tunicate, Serpent star and Snakelocks anemone) to represent the true starters of life, same goes for Comb jellyfish. A cabinet of micro-life can also be seen, similar to some of the displays in Artis' Micropia.

An empty tank between the Nautilus and Invertebrates holds models of extinct fish species like Anglaspis and Cephalaspis.

From there you walk into the Devonian and Permian area.



A large mudflat holds Atlantic mudskipper, Atlantic horseshoe crab and Largescale four-eyed fish. Representing more Trilobites and the first fish to start walking on land. The foliage here consists mostly of Reed-like grasses, moss and Equisetum plants. As well as faux scaled trees and other plants found in that time.

An open paludarium holds Sailfin lizards and Rio Cauca Caecilians. Two more sailfin lizards are also free-roaming here.

From here you go back outside to see the rest of the Paleozoic area before entering the greenhouse from the other side. This area holds more foliage and has four different enclosures.

Species list


There's two lowered areas on opposite sides of the greenhouse, where you can see the fish from underwater. A larger enclosure holds the American collection, all with living fossils or generally prehistoric-looking fish. As well as Yacare caimans. Between Late April to late August, the caiman also have access to a smaller outside enclosure.

A smaller water area holds Asian prehistoric fish, as well as an "island" for Asian forest tortoises. In the final area of the greenhouse, there is another open paludarium, with Caiman lizards and Mata-mata's, showing comparisons with Postosuchus and Diplocaulus.

Some areas are confusing to explain without visuals. So with some difficulty I've made some concept art things (I'm really proud of these)



Some explaining with these four areas:

Tortoise enclosure:

The water here is quite deep to accommodate the larger fish species. The tortoises can walk for a small bit into shallower water, but a metal grid prevents them from getting into the deeper area. This grid cannot be seen from the surface of the water

For the tortoise viewing area: A lowered fence sits around the path, preventing the tortoises from getting on the bridge but still allowing the visitors to get very close.

Dual viewing window: From here you can view into both the American and Asian waters. The windows overlap, meaning you could theoretically see the American fish through the Asian window. The American enclosure sits a lot higher, and a small waterfall flows down from one tank into the other.

The viewing area after the bridge: Yeah, this one looked confusing from the top view. The path after the bridge continues lowering until you can see underwater here. And goes back up afterwards.

This is probably the most elaborate area of the dinosaur forest. Besides an added aviary, the rest of the forest will be relatively similar to what it's currently like. I'll get to work on the outside area between the greenhouse areas next

 

[Mr Gharial]

Alright then, time for the first area of the actual Dinosaur forest. Though not yet containing any actual dinosaurs yet, I present to you:

The carboniferous forest (Also the Cambrian beachside)

Before we get into the actual layout (Which will be uploaded tomorrow), I'd like to present our inhabitants!


(The random shapes are odd, but are used to recognize them on the layout)

I've always have a huge soft spot for the Carboniferous era and I'm very glad I was able to work them in.

Three different species of Sea scorpions (Jaekelopterus, Megalograptus and Pentecopterus) represent different families and different sizes, as well as different claw types.

The Carboniferous era had an extremely high amount of Oxygen (Possibly because of the evolution of trees). This means that insects and other Arthropods were able to grow absolutely massive in this era. This was also the time that Amphibians started evolving into reptilians.

Arthropleura - One of my personal favourites. A colossal millipede that grew to be 2.5 meters long, making it the largest land invertebrate of all time.

Meganeura and Mazothairos are two of the largest flying insects ever. Meganeura looking very much like a dragonfly, and Mazothairos being in the extinct Paleodictyopterida family.

Pulmonoscorpius was world's largest scorpion and one of the main arthropod predators of the time (Meganeura probably being the top predator).

Megarachne was... An interesting case. Misidentified as a giant spider for many years, later believed to be a marine animal and now assumed to be a freshwater sea scorpion-relative.

Pederpes is an early Amphibian-like creature. Medium-sized in comparison to others of the time. But colossal in today's standards.

Crassigyrinus fits the same description, but can easily be identified by its unusually small limbs

Size comparisons:

 

[Mr Gharial]

Now on to the actual forest.



The first area of the new Dinosaur forest is the Cambrian beachside

The beachside includes a group of different species of Sea scorpions coming out of the water, a small bridge takes you over the water and sand.

The carboniferous swamp includes a larger amount of species. Boardwalks take you over the water, with a large amount of animals around you. The swamp is filled with faux scaled trees typical of that era, as well as quite a few fallen logs and reeds.

In the middle area, a large swarm of Meganeura fly overhead. Two of them sit on a large fallen branch log in the water, and one is sitting on the side of one of the trees. Hidden speakers play buzzing noises, creating emersion.

Also in the middle, the Crassigyrinus model sits in the water. For almost all the Carboniferous creatures I was able to find a realistic model (shown in the previous post), except the Crassigyrinus. It will be similar to the Model used in the Paleo-series Prehistoric park.

The side path takes you past an enormous Arthropleura, as well as two smaller specimens, sitting on a swampy island in the water.

The Pederpes and Megarachne can also be found in the water along the main path.

At the end of the boardwalk there's a short land area with more giant bugs. Three Mazothairos can be found near the path. One of them sitting on the back of the tree, the other two in the air. As well as two Pulmonoscorpius, one of them half-hidden under a fallen log.

All the animals will have informative signage, so will the scaled trees and the general environment. The entrance of every new era will include signage about how the Benelux looked at the time (In Geographical location and Physically), as well as what fossils and remains can still be found today.

 

[Mr Gharial]

On to the next area in the forest; the Permian! This will also be the last area without dinosaurs.

Time to meet our inhabitants:

Estemmenosuchus and Scutosaurus are two large, omnivorous, and assumed-to-be-semi-aquatic reptiles with wonderful skull-shapes.

Cotylorhynchus is an oddity with a huge body and a small head, fully terrestrial and herbivorous, and I really want one as a pet.

Dimetrodon and Edaphosaurus are the famous cousins of the Permian. One herbivorous and one a dangerous carnivore, both topped off with a wonderful sail. Make sure not to mix those two up.

Diplocaulus is a large amphibian with a wonderful head crest. Eodicynodon is a relatively small burrowing animal with large fangs. It's not quite a reptile and not quite a mammal.

Gorgonops and Inostrancevia belong in that same not-quite-a-mammal group, but are larger and carnivorous.

Size comparisons:


Now on to the forest area!


The first area you see is a small, natural playground filled with sailed reptiles and Mini-mammals. We will get to this area later.

The path splits in two, one path takes you past the playground and around a large marsh. In the river you can see two Diplocauluses. The models will be similar to this bad boy with signage comparing it to the Mata-mata that is found in the greenhouse up ahead.

Two large Cotylorhynchus can be found grazing halfway down the path, from there you walk back to the main path and a small herd of Estemmenosuchus can be seen.

On the main path you can find the two predators (Gorgonops and Inostrancevia), as well as some Scutosaurus bathing in the marsh.

The other three animals can be found on the small playground:


The whole playground is highly naturalistic with mostly decorative rocks and branches. Two slides, one on each rock, are decorated like hollow logs.
General vibe:


Groups of Dimetrodon and Edaphosaurus can be found on the rocky outcrops of the playground, with signage at the entrance with a little game for children to try to tell them apart.

A large group of Eodicynodon can be found around the slide. There are some tunnels hidden in the rocks where Children can also see inside the dens, these tunnels will be padded with softer materials, of course.

(I might add more small lizards on these rocks but I can't research the Permian for much longer without going insane)

 

[Mr Gharial]

Well, I'm back (sort of)

I've done a few zoo projects on other zoo sites, but I'm back on ZooChat where I'll be working on a fully original project:

--- Wetlands park Europe ---

It will be a very large fantasy zoo set in the East of the Netherlands (near the border of Overijssel and Gelderland, which is currently a bit of a deadzone for zoos in the Netherlands). It will include three main regions:

- The Netted Garden:
Heavily inspired by the new Bird Paradise park in Singapore.
A colossal aviary complex (Aviary complex? I find it quite simple, actually) devided into seven region-based aviaries designed after some of the most famous Wetlands of the world:
- The Dutch polders and wetlands ("The Meadow")
- The Donau/Danube delta in Romania ("The Delta")
- The lakes and wetlands of the African Rift area ("The Savanna")
- The rice paddies and rivers of China ("The Oriental Garden")
- The frozen wetlands of Siberia ("The Tundra")
- The Pantanal wetlands in South America ("The Swamp")
- The swampy forests of Victoria region Australia ("The Fern Forest")

- The Wetlands house
a large aquarium building showcasing multiple freshwater aquariums and larger tropical exhibits

- The Boardwalk
The largest part of the zoo, consisting of a long boardwalk going over outdoor wetlands with exhibits with multiple larger wetlands animals. Loosely based around Beekse Bergen's idea.

I'm thinking of starting a new thread for this project and future projects, as I sadly won't be continuing the Burgers' Zoo Project. It's been a fun run, and it served me well as good practice for other Zoo Projects, but in the end it's simply too unrealistic. I think Burgers' Zoo is a little too close to home for me and it inspires me a little too much...

Some of the bigger projects I've been doing on other sites I hope to translate and bring to ZC as well, but I can't promise anything.

The Netted Garden is the most intricate region of the zoo, having the most species density and the most detailed landscape. So I'll be working on that first.

The designs for "The Meadow" and "The Oriental Garden" are both as good as finished and I will hopefully be uploading these relatively soon. In terms of species showcasing I will be using separate pages with animal pictures, as there are often too many species to use the animal pages I used in the Burgers' Zoo Project.

I hope to showcase the first pages of the project soon, probably in a new thread. I'll see you all then!

 

[Mr Gharial]

I'll start a proper thread when the first region is fully finished (the Oriental Garden and the Meadow's designs are finished, but I still need to make the animal pages and some side-view pictures).

For now here's a short description of all the regions of the netted gardens, as well as a simplified layout:

The netted gardens are a collection of large aviaries showcasing the world’s wetlands and aquatic habitats. The netted gardens are separated into seven different regions, with short Dutch names (translations included):

- Het Weiland (The Meadow) is the local part of the gardens. It showcases the fields, wetlands and beaches of the Netherlands. Includes a large collection of European waterbirds and a Dutch polder style.

- De Delta (The Delta) is the Mediterranean / Balkan part of the gardens. It showcases the great delta of the Danube/Donau river into the Black sea. Includes a large colony of Dalmatian pelicans and a rocky bushland style with a large lake.

- De Toendra (The Tundra) is the Siberian part of the gardens. It showcases the tall grass fields and frozen swamps of Northermost Russia. Includes Siberian cranes, multiple grouse species and a more barren landscape.

- De Siertuin (The Oriental Garden) is the East Asian part of the gardens. It showcases the gardens and rice fields of China, Korea and Japan. It is the most complex of the aviaries and includes cranes, songbirds, a large temple, a small village, a flowing river, a walled garden and a forest region with Gorals.

- Het Varenwoud (The fern forest) is the South Australian part of the gardens. It showcases the humid forests and swamps of Victoria. Includes many ducks, wallabies and a dense forest style.

- De Savanne (The Savanna) is the East African part of the gardens. It showcases the wetlands of the African rift lakes. It is the largest of the gardens and include a small African village, a Large Safari enclosure, a monkey walkthrough island, a bushland area, a huge colony of flamingos, and an open savanna style.

- Het Moeras (The Swamp) is the South American part of the gardens. It showcases the Pantanal region of Brazil and Paraguay. Includes many macaws, capybaras, and a large boardwalk path.

Here's the layout of the netted garden, with the waterways and raised areas roughly shown. The black arrows on the map show where the passages in the aviaries are. Het Moeras and Het Varenwoud are the only ones not included into a route. The other aviaries forming routes that match up geographically.



Here's a rough size estimate for the aviaries:




Spoiler alert for those who want to go in blind: here are all the areas included in De Siertuin.

- Large oriental garden with Koi pond and small pagoda
- Separated garden with outdoor Chinese Alligator enclosure
- Large "Riverine temple" with aquariums for Japanese and Chinese giant salamanders, as well as many endangered turtles and fish from China
- Village with side-aviaries for pheasants, squirrels and Silkie chickens
- Large river with Sturgeons and European fish
- Underground tunnel with underwater viewing and nocturnal enclosures
- Huge hill with rice paddies
- Bamboo forest valley with Chinese Gorals and Reeve's muntjacs
- Marsh enclosure with Chinese water deer
- Great wall themed viewing area

Areas included in Het Weiland:
- Row of knotted willow trees next to the channel
- A large channel with large fish
- A small farm with a tree orchard, large (moestuin, which I don't think has an English translation. It's essentially a mini-garden with multiple types fruits and veggies grown at a small scale), and a sheep pen
- A forest area with a beach area and a reed swamp area

 

[Mr Gharial]

For all those who still follow this thread:

The new thread has been created, and this thread is officially unofficially shut down.

I hope to see you all in Mr Gharial's zoo design