Speculative Zoo Design and Planning Resources Thread

Great Argus

Great Argus

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Welcome to the Speculative Zoo Design Resources thread!

Please note that this thread is for people to share resources they have found helpful and to share some of their decision-making and design process. It is NOT intended to be for questions like can saddle-billed storks be kept with rhinos (there’s other places for that, or look it up), or for soliciting ideas - rather hopefully the resources provided will help you build some high-quality fantasy zoos.

One thing you’ll notice is many of us do a lot of digging and a lot of planning for the zoos we post. This is what is expected for the subforum now, and new threads are expected to show a lot of research and thought. It is a lot of work - however for posting a zoo to the forum hopefully you’d want it to be your best work. Take your time and really think about and flesh out your concepts - no need to race on it. Most of the threads I’ve seen get locked or deleted on the new forum have been rushed without a lot of thought into the content.

Feel free to ask questions on processes or clarifying questions on resources, just please remember this is a thread for resources, not random questions.

Hopefully this helps, and enjoy creating! :)


Tagging @amur leopard, @KevinB, @Haliaeetus, @Gomphothere, @Breckenridge to share resources they use and some of their processes if they’d like.



Some handy resources linked below; not all animals have readily available information, but what is available is a good start.

ZooLex Zoo Design Organization ZooLex Zoo Design

Animal Care Manuals | Association of Zoos & Aquariums AZA Animal Care Manuals

PROGRAMMES » EAZA EAZA Best Practice Guidelines

https://www.avianscientific.org Avian Scientific Advisory Group - go to the “Resources by Taxonomy” drop down menu and select a category.

AZA Ungulates AZA Ungulates - the resources tab with ungulate profiles, some older ACMs, and mixed species documents.

LibGuides: Fact Sheet Index - San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library: All Fact Sheets San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library - numerous animal profiles, many with lots of pertinent captive care included.

Are These in Captivity? Zoochat - Whether a species is in captivity.

Walkthroughs and free-roamers Zoochat - Walkthroughs and free-roamers, species found in direct contact environments.

Reptile mixed exhibits Zoochat

Carnivores in mixed exhibits Zoochat - carnivores in mixed exhibits; not all have worked successfully or long-term.

Mixed species exhibit ideas: Zoochat - Mixed species exhibit ideas but in most cases take these with a grain of salt, as they are ideas, not necessarily current or tried mixes.

Also just searching Zoochat in general often provides handy information and answers.
 
Some of the websites I tend to use to get species distribution data, very handy for geographically themed exhibits:

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Search FishBase & Search SeaLifeBase
GBIF

And if you're heavily into the plant species to use inside your zoo, this website helped me out a lot in the past with plant hardinesses: https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/

Also for climatic purposes, USDA-maps. Not only very usable for plants, but also for animals to see wether it gets too too cold for certain species or to compare with existing zoos: Learn What USDA Hardiness Zone Your Country Falls Under
 
I wasn’t tagged, but I hope you don’t mind me contributing a few resources:
Firstly, Társaskifutók is a useful resource for mixed species exhibits among carnivorans and swine (don’t worry, despite the name there are english pages).
Then there is ZootierlisteHomepage. For those who may not know of it, it is a database of European vertebrate holdings very useful for finding out if a species is present in captivity. Various ‘database threads’ with a similar aim for other regions exist on this site as well.
And finally, How to Exhibit a Bullfrog is an excellent article by the late Wlliam G. Conway, former director of the New York Zoological Society. Not so much a resource, but nonetheless a fantastic article, for inspiration and as an eye opener for those who like to focus a lot on species lists without elaborating on the exhibit itself.
 
Some very good resources (including some I will be looking into).

Some of the ones that I commonly use have already been listed, but I will still include them in this list of the resources that I use.
  • Wikipedia is not always an an accurate or reliable source of information, but it does offer lists or categories for countries, information on ecoregions and species information that can be a good starting point. The pages for a certain also usually have links to IUCN, iNaturalist or GBIF pages, which are good sources for more accurate information.
  • For range/distribution maps my favorite source is probably the IUCN Red List: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . The IUCN website also has an extensive advanced search feature with options for regions, countries, habitats, species groups and so on, and many possible combinations of those.
  • iNaturalist A Community for Naturalists · iNaturalist is also useful resource. The website has checklists for countries and divisions thereof (like states or provinces) as well as for other geographically delineated areas. They also have range maps. Given that this website is for a large part a citizen science resource it is probably not completely accurate or reliable, but still quite useful.
  • On Living National Treasures: HOME you can find list of endemics for countries and territories.
  • Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) GBIF compiles biodiversity information from different institutions and sources. Good resource, but not the easiest to search.
  • Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) Encyclopedia of Life has a trait search feature that will allow searches based on species groups, ecoregions, geographical regions and so on. Not the easiest to use but quite interesting.
  • Husbandry manuals and mixed species resources can be found on the AZA and EAZA websites. They are not available for all species by far, but looking at a guide for a related species may still give you ideas for the species you want to include.
  • Reefapp Reef App - Encyclopedia is an interesting source to determine whether certain fish species are safe to use in living reef exhibits. It doesn't have all species and focuses mostly on species found in the aquarium hobby and/or in zoos, but most families and many genera are represented.
  • For fish species lists for (marine and freshwater) the search feature at Fishbase is a very good resource. Search FishBase
  • The Data Zone at BirdLife offers bird data for countries, Important Bird Areas and Endemic bird areas. It is a good source for regional indicator and endemic species. BirdLife Data Zone
  • Ebird is another citizen science source, but it also offers interesting regional lists. https://ebird.org/explore
  • AviBase also has bird checklists, but they aren't always accurate so I wouldn't use that website preferentially. Avibase - Vogelchecklists voor de hele wereld
  • Searching https://www.researchgate.net/ with Google can be an interesting way to find scientific publications on certain species, species groups or areas. They certainly don't have all of the publications, but they have a lot that you can download.
  • ZooLex ZooLex Gallery is a good resource to give you an idea about exhibit design and features.
  • Searching ZooChat and the ZooChat gallery can also provide with some ideas for exhibits or species mixes.
I am also going to include the resource that I used to get to my current speculative zoo designs, which I actually draw in Microsoft Office Powerpoint. The resource linked below is a good starting point for it. But it might require quite a bit of tinkering at first, and it is quite time consuming. Perhaps other people will have other resources for drawing maps.

The ZT2 Round Table-How to make a zoo map with PowerPoint

If you want to learn more about habitats and want an interesting book to read I would recommend "Habitats of the World: A Field Guide for Birders, Naturalists, and Ecologists".
 
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Also just to more specifically give advice on how to make a quality speculative zoo:
  • Don't start with the species list in general - think of what makes your zoo special, and what the aim is. Then you can start thinking about the areas of your zoo and what you want to achieve, and then maybe start thinking about what species you want to house.
  • Try to keep it at least vaguely realistic! Don't just make a zoo with a load of species that aren't at all found in captivity (unless you are undertaking a project such as that by @KevinB), have a maximum of, say, 3 or 4 very rare species. The best speculative zoos are those that are more realistic in terms of species housed, not only because it tends to mean that more thought has gone into it than looking at a Wikipedia page, but also because your ideas will apply more directly to the real world.
  • When you design your exhibits, research the species individually! Look at exhibits for that species that already exist, look at care manuals for the species if they exist, look at the animal's diet and requirements in the wild as well as their behaviour, particularly when it comes to reproduction if you have chosen to house a breeding pair.
  • Pay close attention to your mixes - certain mixes that I've seen on the speculative zoo forums of late have been completely outlandish and would never work - think properly about which animals would go together and when in doubt, ask. On the other hand, do include mixed species exhibits, it does make the zoo more exciting and fun to read about.
  • When you are drawing the map, make the exhibit sizes realistic and map as clear as possible if you're going to post it. This helps the reader to properly understand your zoo's layout and without a map reading a description can be convoluted and a difficult task.
  • Finally, and most importantly, when you write out your posts, don't just write species lists! The whole point of the speculative zoo forum is to design interesting exhibits and describe the zoo - just posting a species list adds absolutely nothing and goes against the rules of the spec. zoo forum. Try to describe the exhibit as you picture it as best you can. Things like 'a grassy paddock holds the following:' followed by a list of species, doesn't count as a description. It gives no idea of dimensions, of enrichment, of viewing opportunities or of indoor accommodation, not to mention keeper access and where the animals get food and water. You should aim to at least give a vague idea of how big or small the exhibit is and at least a few of the aforementioned factors. To be quite honest, giving a two-word long description which we could already have guessed just off the species list isn't good enough really.
  • PS - Do try to make innovative and interesting exhibits - if you are just repeating largely what has been done in every other zoo to ever hold the species, then in what way are you adding anything? Just a thought...
 
amur leopard said:
Also just to more specifically give advice on how to make a quality speculative zoo:
  • Don't start with the species list in general - think of what makes your zoo special, and what the aim is. Then you can start thinking about the areas of your zoo and what you want to achieve, and then maybe start thinking about what species you want to house.
  • Try to keep it at least vaguely realistic! Don't just make a zoo with a load of species that aren't at all found in captivity (unless you are undertaking a project such as that by @KevinB), have a maximum of, say, 3 or 4 very rare species. The best speculative zoos are those that are more realistic in terms of species housed, not only because it tends to mean that more thought has gone into it than looking at a Wikipedia page, but also because your ideas will apply more directly to the real world.
  • When you design your exhibits, research the species individually! Look at exhibits for that species that already exist, look at care manuals for the species if they exist, look at the animal's diet and requirements in the wild as well as their behaviour, particularly when it comes to reproduction if you have chosen to house a breeding pair.
  • Pay close attention to your mixes - certain mixes that I've seen on the speculative zoo forums of late have been completely outlandish and would never work - think properly about which animals would go together and when in doubt, ask. On the other hand, do include mixed species exhibits, it does make the zoo more exciting and fun to read about.
  • When you are drawing the map, make the exhibit sizes realistic and map as clear as possible if you're going to post it. This helps the reader to properly understand your zoo's layout and without a map reading a description can be convoluted and a difficult task.
  • Finally, and most importantly, when you write out your posts, don't just write species lists! The whole point of the speculative zoo forum is to design interesting exhibits and describe the zoo - just posting a species list adds absolutely nothing and goes against the rules of the spec. zoo forum. Try to describe the exhibit as you picture it as best you can. Things like 'a grassy paddock holds the following:' followed by a list of species, doesn't count as a description. It gives no idea of dimensions, of enrichment, of viewing opportunities or of indoor accommodation, not to mention keeper access and where the animals get food and water. You should aim to at least give a vague idea of how big or small the exhibit is and at least a few of the aforementioned factors. To be quite honest, giving a two-word long description which we could already have guessed just off the species list isn't good enough really.
  • PS - Do try to make innovative and interesting exhibits - if you are just repeating largely what has been done in every other zoo to ever hold the species, then in what way are you adding anything? Just a thought...
Click to expand...
I usually start with an idea of the area I want or a focal species, and then go directly to searching species to see to what extent it’s possible to make an area around that theme/species. And as the species come in, ideas get born on how to house and arrange them.
 
I usually start with a very crude sketch of a general concept with some ideas for exhibits or exhibit complexes as well as some species wish to include, which I then refine during the development of the design sketch. While in the beginning I tended to develop full species lists earlier in the process, that now has become the usual final step.

I would also like to more resources on bio/recoregions

One Earth One Earth has a number of articles with general and some species information.

To find the WWF ecoregions of a certain countries or area, there is a map available at this link, although it isn't the easiest to use: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=d60ec415febb4874ac5e0960a6a2e448
 
KevinB said:
I am also going to include the resource that I used to get to my current speculative zoo designs, which I actually draw in Microsoft Office Powerpoint. The resource linked below is a good starting point for it. But it might require quite a bit of tinkering at first, and it is quite time consuming. Perhaps other people will have other resources for drawing maps.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! I didn't know what program to use for the maps nor how to do them, do you know by any chance if this also works with OpenOffice ? No worries if you don't
 
Mickey said:
Thank you so much! I didn't know what program to use for the maps nor how to do them, do you know by any chance if this also works with OpenOffice ? No worries if you don't
Click to expand...

I don't personally know how similar in functionalities and possibilities the open source office alternatives are as I don't use such software, so unfortunately I can't help you with that, I'm sorry. You might just have to try it out.
 
KevinB said:
I don't personally know how similar in functionalities and possibilities the open source office alternatives are as I don't use such software, so unfortunately I can't help you with that, I'm sorry. You might just have to try it out.
Click to expand...
Yeah I would have had anyway but knowing it before would've been slightly better, again no worries and thanks for responding
 
LionTamarin said:
Is there something for what animals can live in what temperatures?
Click to expand...

I don't know of any specific resources, but I think the best you can do is look at the climate in the natural range of a certain species, and to how species are generally kept in a specific climate in zoos (for which the gallery might be helpful).

In temperate climates or climates with cold winters for many (sub)tropical species it is generally safe to assume a sizable and suitable indoor space will be necessary. Most primate species (aside from Barbary and Japanese macaques - and probably some of the Chinese snub-nosed monkeys) are generally unable to go outside when temperatures are below 15 degrees Celsius (59 Fahrenheit) or during wet or windy weather even when the temperature is around 15 Celsius.

And if you want to work with a (sub)tropical location or a location with hot summers it is probably best to be careful with polar species, and perhaps to some extent also species of high mountains.

For species that have available husbandry manuals, these manuals will often include some information on temperature and weather-related requirements and guidelines.
 
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LionTamarin said:
Is there something for what animals can live in what temperatures?
Click to expand...

I'm not aware of any temperature database type thing either, I'd be interested if there is one.

KevinB said:
For species that have available husbandry manuals, these manuals will often include some information on temperature and weather-related requirements and guidelines.
Click to expand...

These will always have it in my experience, it's a important part of the husbandry. Also for many herps and fish, temperature information is readily available by the private hobby as well. See these links for a start.
Great Argus said:
Animal Care Manuals | Association of Zoos & Aquariums AZA Animal Care Manuals

PROGRAMMES » EAZA EAZA Best Practice Guidelines

https://www.avianscientific.org Avian Scientific Advisory Group - go to the “Resources by Taxonomy” drop down menu and select a category.

AZA Ungulates AZA Ungulates - the resources tab with ungulate profiles, some older ACMs, and mixed species documents.

LibGuides: Fact Sheet Index - San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library: All Fact Sheets San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library - numerous animal profiles, many with lots of pertinent captive care included.
Click to expand...

Jarne said:
Also for climatic purposes, USDA-maps. Not only very usable for plants, but also for animals to see wether it gets too too cold for certain species or to compare with existing zoos: Learn What USDA Hardiness Zone Your Country Falls Under
Click to expand...
 
Great Argus said:
These will always have it in my experience, it's a important part of the husbandry. Also for many herps and fish, temperature information is readily available by the private hobby as well. See these links for a start.
Click to expand...

I forgot about this part - for fish and herps quite a bit of husbandry information can be found in private hobby resources.

This could also help with species mixes to an extent - species with very different temperature, humidity or water parameter requirements would not make a good mix, even beyond other issues.

I don't have any list of such resources, but I do have one that I sometimes look at for information on fish.

https://www.seriouslyfish.com/
 
Here's a better link for ecoregions: Ecoregions 2017 ©
If you click on any ecoregion in the map, a box opens up with more detail. At the bottom of the box, the link about reading more takes you to the One Earth article about that ecoregion. This website has lists of animals for each ecoregion: Ecoregions 2017 ©

Also, BirdsoftheWorld.org, which requires a membership, has search functions by region and by smaller areas.
 
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If you're looking for inspiration you can look at existing projects on the forum (and no, that doesn't mean you should blatantly copy them), also you could look at existing zoo exhibits, great inspiration can be found there ;)
 
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