There & Back Again: Brooks to Key Largo to Kachemak Bay

[Pleistohorse]

I’m compiling the comparative data that I acquired during visits to 24 zoos (plus five here in Alaska over the summer and the Palm Bay Bass Pro Shop) during my recent drive from Pensacola to Marco Island to Homestead to Anchorage. I’m likely going to exclude visits to Beardsley Zoo and Mystic Aquarium from last March as my “survey” of those facilities would be incomplete.

Foremost is a spreadsheet detailing the types (and when possible the number of individuals) of the animals on display at these various zoos. Secondly a general ranking and scoring of the facilities I visited.

In that light I thought it would be interesting to see how these facilities collectively display the “most popular zoo animals” and expressing my view as too which zoos did it best.

I looked through couple of google surveys to tabulate a list and I bumped the number up to 20 by adding four of my favorites and dividing the Elephants into African and Asian types. I also added a collective designation - “Tropical Forest Exhibit.”

For the American Alligators and Tropical Forest Exhibit Catagories…I preemptively disqualified Florida and Georgia. Seriously…the Palm Bay Bass Pro Shop has a great Alligator exhibit and the Tallahassee Museum, Homossassa Springs and Oatland Island were all nestled in beautiful and lush sub-tropical forests. I’ll also add that the Wings of Asia Aviary at the Miami Zoo is the best outdoor tropical forest exhibit I’ve seen. Maybe Zoos in Guam, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, or (remaining strictly now in North America) Brownsville, Texas can challenge that designation.

Again the species were determined by typing “most popular zoo animals” in Google and then sifting through the results for a statistical average.

I determined that the following species (or type maybe as Penguins, Rhinos and Elephants were not broken further down) to be the “most popular:”

Penguins
Giraffes
Red Pandas
Lions
Tigers
Gorillas
Cheetahs
Peacocks (I lumped Indian and Green Peafowl)
Elephants (I split African and Asian)
Chimpanzees
Camels (lumped)
Zebras (lumped)
Rhinoceros (lumped)
Polar Bears
Hippos (certainly meaning Nile/Common/River Hippos)

I added four of my own:
Cougar (North America’s Great Cat…aside from the Jaguar…but really the Cougar/Puma/Panther/Mountain Lion has a hold like no other on the imaginations of North Americans)

North American Bison (the National Mammal of the United States…I’m limiting this inclusion to strictly Plains Bison…Calgary Zoo’s Wood Bison were off view and the AWCC was not strictly part of this road-trip…and I missed the Yukon Wildlife Preserve).

Bald Eagle (the National Bird of the United States and endemic to North America).

American Alligator (should be the National Reptile of the United States…perhaps the (generic) Rattlesnake as a near claim to the title…but the American Alligator is largely…aside from a spreading toehold along the southern tributaries of the Rio Grande in Mexico…endemic to the United States and certainly endemic to North America).

Look below for my rankings of which zoos exhibited these species the best…and multiple zoos held these animals…so the surveys seem to have been pretty accurate (although I refused to rank Pygmy Goats and Budgies….)

 

[Pleistohorse]

Penguins:
The Best - Calgary Zoo
Number 2 - Minnesota Zoo
Number 3 - Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay
The Worst - Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park.

Giraffes:
The Best - Zoo Miami
Number 2 - Brevard Zoo
Number 3 - Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay
Best Feeding Station - Controversially…Gulf Breeze Zoo

Red Pandas:
The Best - Zoo Montana
Number 2 - Calgary Zoo
Number 3 - Mill Mountain Zoo just over Pittsburgh Zoo
Honorable Mention - You just know that the North Carolina Zoo is going to knock this one out of the park.

Lions:
The Best - Denver Zoo
Number 2 - Brookfield Zoo (the very historic ambiance and the quality of the Lions themselves helped here)
Number 3 - North Carolina Zoo
Honorable Mention - Jacksonville Zoo

Tigers:
The Best - The Minnesota Zoo
Number 2 - Alaska Zoo
Number 3 - Calgary Zoo
Honorable Mention - Henry Doorly Zoo / Zoo Montana

Gorillas:
The Best - Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay
Number 2 - North Carolina
Number 3 - Calgary Zoo/Henry Doorly Zoo (indoor exhibits)
The Worst - Gulf Breeze was not great…but the Brookfield Zoo felt wrong to me.

Cheetahs:
The Best - Henry Doorly Zoo
Number 2 - Busch Gardens (unnatural maybe but a pleasant habitat that showcased the cats very well)
Number 3 - Pittsburgh Zoo
Honorable Mention - Virginia Safari Park (an exhibit that from the perspective of the animal was similar to Busch Gardens…perhaps even better as the animals were able to see other species…I believe a Camel nearby provided an enriching experience for one Cheetah. For the visitor the viewing quality was not on par with Busch Gardens, but these were King Cheetahs).

 

[Pleistohorse]

Peafowl:
The Best - Zoo Montana (A Beautiful Indian Peafowl sitting on a porch railing of the Barnyard Farm House on crisp Autumn morning…this was the animal that most captivated me of all its kind).
Number 2 - Zoo Miami (Green Peafowl in the Wings of Asia Aviary).
Number 3 - Edmonton Zoo (check out the gallery and tell me they didn’t earn the ranking on audacity alone).

African Elephants:
The Best - North Carolina Zoo
Number 2 - Henry Doorly Zoo
Number 3 - Tampa Zoo

Asian Elephants:
The Best - Zoo Miami
Number 2 - Denver Zoo
The Worst - Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay
Less egregious - Edmonton Zoo

Chimpanzees:
The Best - North Carolina Zoo

Camels:
The Best - Edmonton Zoo

Zebras:
The Best - Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay
Number 2 - North Carolina Zoo
Number 3 - Brevard Zoo

Rhinoceroses:
The Best - Jacksonville Zoo
Number 2 - North Carolina Zoo
Number 3 - Henry Doorly Zoo / Brevard Zoo

Cougars:
The Best - North Carolina Zoo
Number 2 - Calgary Zoo
Number 3 - Tallahassee Museum
Honorable Mention: Minnesota Zoo

Nile Hippos:
The Best - Gulf Breeze Zoo (for the Hippos)
Number 2 - Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay (for the visitor)
Number 3 - Homossassa Springs (I can’t help but think a Hippo in a natural river exposed to the presence of other animals inhabiting the same body of water…isn’t a pretty engaged animal…other the ground portion of the exhibit is rather small).
Honorable Mention - Denver Zoo (the inside exhibit is 100% function over form, but the outside exhibit is large and well proportioned between land and water).
To Be Noted - Calgary Zoo (a very nice pool inside the “tropical house”, I did not note the outside except that it appeared to maybe just be a yard? I guess if the Hippos have access to both during summer months…feeding on the yard…resting in the pool…the zoo might recreate the lifestyle of the animals in the wild as it relates to their use of land and water environments?).

American Alligators (not counting Florida):
The Best - Henry Doorly Zoo (an indoor exhibit).
Number 2 - North Carolina Zoo (an outdoor exhibit that was unoccupied, it appeared, during my early November visit).
North Carolina Zoo and Henry Doorly Zoo probably rotate between The Best and Number 2 seasonally.

Number 3 - Brookfield Zoo (Alligators are in The Marsh building…but here I am actually referencing the African Dwarf Crocodile Exhibit in the Central African Rainforest building as being exceptional).

Polar Bears:
The Best - North Carolina Zoo
Number 2 - Brookfield Zoo
Number 3 - Alaska Zoo / Pittsburgh Zoo (I’d give it too Alaska only because the animal can spend most of the winter walking on natural snow…otherwise the exhibits are functionally and aesthetically similar).

Bald Eagles:
The Best - Alaska Zoo (I am giving the win to the home team…the birds do not have access to a body of water…but otherwise this exhibit is superb).
Number 2 - Wildlife Safari Park (a nice aviary encompassing trees and a pond).
Number 3 - Tampa Zoo (In some ways the Florida equivalent to Alaska’s exhibit).

 

[Pleistohorse]

American (Plains) Bison:
The Best - Brookfield Zoo (I’m going with this exhibit because of the historical value of the American Bison being exhibited in an urban zoo…and exhibited well).
Number 2 - Wildlife Safari Park (operated by the Henry Doorly Zoo…this facility displays a large herd of Bison in a natural rolling prairie / river bottom environment).
Number 3 - North Carolina Zoo (this exhibit is outstanding as well with the animals displayed in Appalachian Piedmont Meadow alongside Elk).

American (Wood) Bison are housed at three of the facilities I visited this year. The Alaska Wildlife Conservation has a breeding herd Wood Bison. The Large Animal Research Station had a group of juvenile animals slated to be released in the Wood Bison recovery area of western Alaska. Wood Bison are also held by the Calgary Zoo and I believe normally on view in the Canadian Wilds (most of which were undergoing renovations during my visit). I did not visit the Yukon Wildlife Preserve due to weather and time issues. I will this summer and a revisit to Calgary may be on hand as well. I imagine in the end. Calgary will be holding fast at Number 3, while the AWCC and the YWP battle it out for The Best and Number 2.

 

[Pleistohorse]

Tropical Forest Exhibit:
The Best - Henry Doorly Zoo
Number 2 - Brookfield Zoo (multiple tropical houses at this zoo…here I’m thinking specifically of the Central African Forest building and it’s ingenious method of displaying an Okapi. The animal is obscured behind a slated barrier that obscures the view of the shy mammal in the same many undergrowth brush and branches might in the wild).
Number 3 - Edmonton Zoo (in many ways a zoo of the future…it appears that they have plains for their “tropic” building that will be pretty cool if completed).
Honorable Mention - Miami Zoo’s Wings of Asia and Amazon and Beyond are both outdoors and outstanding (I’d characterize the general environment of the Miami area as sub-tropical savanna…but the planting and grounds keeping around these two exhibits give off that forest vibe). I’d also mention Brevard Zoo’s Rainforest Revealed (also outside). And as stated previously the entirety of the Tallahassee Museum, the Homossassa Springs State Wildlife Park, the Oatland Island Wildife Center, and even Charles Towne Landing State Park are each fine examples of small zoos located in humid, subtropical North American forests.

 

[Pleistohorse]

One of the great joys of a Roadtrip is spotting wildlife along the way. I did very little night driving, so roadside Raccons, Opossums, and Skunks were no shows. The time of year ruled out bears…although I did this summer spot at least eight individual Brown Bears and three American Black Bears.

I was surprised not to spot any Stone Sheep…but it makes sense I guess that in the boreal winter they would move up to the wind-blown peaks rather than risk bogging down in deeper snow and making themselves vulnerable to Wolves (which I did spot..first sighting for me in about 12 years). I was disappointed but less shocked not to observe any Elk. The Ibex Valley herd west of Whitehorse was a now show and other areas they are present were passed through in the night. Near the B.C. / Yukon border I saw another Elk warning sign and spotted near after Horses in a fenced pasture and some darker animals up on a hillside. With a large truck right behind me and the road shoulder obscured by snow so that attempting to pull to the edge of the road would be unwise…I had to do my best to identify them. I’m a certain they were Moose..four of them up near the top amongst the brushy shrubs. So, disappointing…no Elk. An Elk sighting would have completed the full roster of Deer Species (not subspecies or regional variants). I spotted Moose in Alaska and B.C. Caribou in B.C. (and Alaska the day I flew out). I spotted Whitetails in Florida, Virginia, Ohio, Minnesota, Colorado, Montana, and Alberta…along with roadkilled deer from Florida all the way into B.C. I spotted Mule Deer in Colorado, Montana, and Alberta. So…four of the five species native to the United States and Canada.

Here is the list of Mammals I saw along my drive from Florida to Alaska. In parenthesis you also find the number of animals spotted in Alaska in the weeks up to my visit. Please note that I did include domestic animals. Easy to determine. The Alberta and Montana Bison were “farmed” animals. The Elk were farmed. The Horses were domestic with the exception of 25 feral animals in Yukon and about six in Wyoming (based on the type of fencing and the remoteness of where I sighted them). In my notes I have these sightings broken down by state and province…but here will just list the totals.

The Raccoons and Opossums were roadkilled animals included just to document their presence. The Cottontail is not identified at the species level, but was most likely an Eastern Cottontail. The Eastern Mole is only confirmed by the fresh push-up mounds in my brother’s backyard every morning and by the fact that only the Eastern Mole is present in his areas. A few small bats were observed too, but I could not tell you what species…my guess would be just a guess.

list continues below

 

[Pleistohorse]

Change of Plans…let’s break it down by state and province:

Mammals ~

Florida:
Manatee - 6
Opossum - 3
Eastern Mole - 1
Small Bat - 3 (sp?)
Nine-banded Armadillo - 1
Grey Squirrel - 42
Fox Squirrel - 1
Cattle - 768
Whitetail Deer - 9
Horse - 79
Raccoon - 4
Coyote - 1
Feral Cat - 3

Georgia:
Grey Squirrel - 19
Feral Hog - 2
Feral Cat - 1

South Carolina:
Opossum - 1
Nine-banded Armadillo - 5
Grey Squirrel - 7
Cattle - 56
Horse - 8
Raccoon - 1
Dog - 4
Feral Cat - 5

North Carolina:
Opossum - 1
Grey Squirrel - 3
Cattle - 33
Whitetail Deer - 1
Horse - 4

Virginia:
Grey Squirrel - 4
Eastern Chipmunk - 1
Cattle - 726
Goat - 55
Sheep - 12
Whitetail Deer - 5
Feral Cat - 1

Pennsylvania:
House Mouse - 4
Cattle - 34
Whitetail Deer - 1
Horse - 2
Raccoon - 1

Ohio:
Whitetail Deer - 6

Illinois:
Cattle - 12
Horse - 1

Wisconsin:
Whitetail Deer - 1

Minnesota:
Grey Squirrel - 4
White-footed Mouse - 1
Cattle - 170
Sheep - 45
Whitetail Deer - 19
Horse - 24

Iowa:
Cattle - 168
Whitetail Deer - 3
Llama - 1
Horse - 8

Nebraska:
Fox Squirrel - 7
House Mouse - 5
Cattle - 2170
Whitetail Deer - 12
Horse - 16
Coyote - 1

Colorado:
Cottontail Rabbit - 1
Fox Squirrel - 19
Black-tailed Prairie Dog - 22
Cattle - 1803
Plains Bison - 106
Mule Deer - 6
Whitetail Deer - 49
Llama - 1
Horse - 69

Wyoming:
Fox Squirrel - 2
Cattle - 2196
Goat - 60
Sheep - 132
Mule Deer - 2
Whitetail Deer - 2
Pronghorn - 126
Horse - 143
Ass - 2

Montana:
North American Porcupine - 1
Bison (farmed) - 40
Cattle - 3236
Goat - 30
Sheep - 151
Mule Deer - 31
Whitetail Deer - 16
Pronghorn - 77
Horse - 56
Striped Skunk - 1
Red Fox - 1

Alberta:
Grey Squirrel - 3
Bison (farmed) - 53
Cattle - 1076
Sheep - 13
Mule Deer - 11
Whitetail Deer - 10
Elk (farmed) - 45
Dog - 4
Coyote - 2
Grey Wolf - 1

British Columbia:
Wood Bison - 89
Cattle - 179
Moose - 5
Caribou - 2
Horse - 27
Coyote - 1
Feral Cat - 1

Yukon:
Horse - 25

Alaska:
Southbound ~
Moose - 9
Caribou - 8
Red Fox - 5
Arctic Fox - 1

Northbound ~
Moose - 2

 

[birdsandbats]

Wow that's cold.

It's not that bad as long as it isn't windy. I've visited zoos in similar temperatures.

-38? I don't mind cold at all, love it if it isn't windy, but that's pretty darn cold.

Yeah, if it's not windy -38 doesn't feel that cold. Just wear a coat (or 3 ).

I'm surprised zoos would even be open in temperatures like that.

I'm more surprised when they close at those temperatures, assuming they're zoos that stay open in the winter.

I'll admit I'm a total wimp when it comes to the cold, but even if I wasn't, there is no way visiting a zoo in negative 38 degrees is a good idea. I don't even think it's reasonable to visit in negative temperatures in general. Why would you do that to yourself?

How regularly does it get that cold in the winter in your part of the country? Winters may be milder where I am, in the Northeast. Here a winter day with temps below -30 would be seen as extreme and unusual, which may cause zoos to react to it differently.

I’ve been to the Alaska Zoo in temps in the -20F range. I did experience (in much milder conditions the joy of visiting Pittsburg Zoo, Brookfield Zoo, Montana Zoo, Minnesota Zoo, and Edmonton Zoo on chilly, frigid, or snowy days. Lighter crowds and more active animals.

A few (usually 2-3) days every winter in my area.

Thinking about this discussion - it's -33 degrees where I live right now and I saw someone walking his dog through my neighborhood while wearing shorts.

 

[Pleistohorse]

Ha! It’s only cold if you let it.

 

[Pleistohorse]

It’s been about a month and I’ve gotten almost nowhere with my reviews and statistics….about to post a bunch of Brevard Zoo pictures. The Christmas/New Years Holiday took up a lot of time and of course work happens…the Roadtrip has been on hold for several weeks. I plan to head south along the Chugach Mountains and Turnagain Arm and Pass enroute to stops along Prince William Sound, Resurrection Bay, and finally Kachemak Bay at Homer, Alaska on the 21st. Between now and then…family business leaves me flying to Connecticut via Washington and Texas. So…I’m turning the engine back on and will again document my sightings and visits.

I visited Alaska Zoo again last week, so I’ll add that to the trip. Next week I’ll get the AWCC and the ASLC as well. The page museum in Homer also has a small aquarium if I remember correctly.

In Connecticut, I’m hoping to visit the West Hartford Cabela’s and the Mystic Aquarium at a minimum. Maybe the Zoo in Forest Park and the Beardsley Zoo. And possibly, although unlikely, the Stone Zoo.

This morning between Wasilla and Anchorage, I spotted two Moose feeding on small tree tips along the south side of the Eagle River.

Add two Moose to the total…

Safe flying everyone…especially me.

@snowleopard , do not fret! I have your zoo guides and maps from the Florida to Alaska leg of the trip. A lot of places are going electronic…even the Alaska Zoo! Not a trend I’m in love with. But I’ll grab what I can during my visit and in recompense for the delay…I’m going to include my collection (which is sitting in a folder in my office for nostalgia…if not hoarding…purposes) of European Zoo guides from my time in Belgium back in the early 00’s. I also believe there will be a Frankfurt Zoo English Language guide from the early 1990’s (when the US Army still had a full Corps garrisoned near the city) and a couple guides from a few US Zoos (maybe Wildlife Safari and Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch…Safari parks seem to be sticking with paper maps still…)

 

[TinoPup]

100% go to Stone over Forest Park.

 

[Pleistohorse]

Ah….New England. Six days…0 Zoos better luck this summer. My nieces and I made a list and mapped out a route and after my eldest niece’s wedding…the little ones and I will hit as many of New England’s Zoo’s as possible.

I visited…briefly…four New England states. Here is a summary of the wildlife (including pastured livestock) I saw.

Connecticut:
Mourning Dove
Rock Dove
Black-capped Chickadee
American Crow
European Starling
Northern Cardinal
English Sparrow
Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Red-tailed Hawk
Coyote
Eastern Grey Squirrel
Northern Raccoon
Feral/House/Alley/Domestic Cat
Horse
Ass
Goat

Massachusetts
American Crow
European Starling
Rock Pigeon
Red-tailed Hawk

New Hampshire
Common Loon
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Bufflehead
Canada Goose
Belted Kingfisher
American Crow

Maine
American Crow

 

[Pleistohorse]

And then at last: Kachemak Bay….

On the drive down to Homer we counted five Moose, scores of Eagles and Ravens and several Black-billed Magpies. Once in Homer we spotted two more Moose and saw three more on the drive back to Anchorage.

Along the shores of Kachemak Bay we spotted Common Loons, Short-billed and Glaucous-winged Gulls, Grey-crowned Rosy-finches, Black-billed Magpies, Ravens, Bald Eagles, hundreds of American Crows, and several unidentified Sea-ducks. We also spotted six Northern Sea Otters and five domestic Horses.

And I completed my journey…the road portion of which began in Pensacola Florida, along the Gulf Coast to Marco Island, eastward to Homestead and then north and west to the Matanuska Valley. Short detours within Alaska and an unexpected journey back to New England later…I departed the MatSu and drove south along the coast and through the mountains on the west side of the Cook Inlet…down to Kachemak Bay.

 

[Pleistohorse]

From where Sunrises and Mermaids make Memories…Dear and True.

 

[Pleistohorse]

 

[Pleistohorse]

Just an update. Late January after getting from Connecticut I drove down to Kachemak Bay in Homer, Alaska. Yesterday I left my house and picked up the Knik-Goose Bay Road and headed east and south to the Parks Highway, the Glenn and finally the Seward Highway. My final destination was Resurrection Bay in Seward Alaska. I visited the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center on the way down. If a few hours I’ll visit the Alaska SeaLife Center and tonight I’ll visit the Alaska Zoo for the last night of their annual Zoo Lights.

From the Settler’s Bay Lodge to Lowell Point in Seward was about 181 miles.

I saw the following wild animals:

Moose - 1
Sea Otter - 1
Harbor Seal - 7
Common Merganser - 8
Black-billed Magpie - 15
Glaucous-winged Gull - 4
Barrow’s Goldeneye - 5
Common Raven - 79
European Starling - 33
Rock Dove - 6
Bald Eagle - 3

At the AWCC I noted the following species on display:

Elk - 22
Caribou - 14
Wood Bison - 25
Sitka Blacktail Deer - 2
Muskox - 14
Canada Lynx - 1
North American Porcupine - 3
Red Fox - 1
Grey Wolf - 4
Coyote - 2
Great Horned Owl - 1
Bald Eagle - 1

It was an incredibly cold day. Bright, sunny, windy, and frigid.

I’m still tabulating the data and going though photos. I believe that all that’s left is Denver (zoo and museum), Minnesota Zoo, and Henry Doorly Zoo. I may have a few from Miami and Jacksonville left to post.

I’m the end I’d like to post a trip report documented every species observed (wild, pastured domestic, and wild) during the period I’ve been documenting (July last summer when I started inventories in Alaska until tomorrow). I’ll have a separate inventory covering natural history specimens exhibited at museums, visitor centers, sporting goods stores, and public businesses…this comes out of an effort begun last summer to document every species (live or specimen) on view on the Alaska Road System.

But I think when I pull back into my driveway on Monday evening…this trip is done. After that it’ll just be data. I will probably Hot Take the facilities visited during this time. I’ll be taken another trip in late May covering the facilities in Alaska and Yukon that I missed before they closed or reduced hours during the winter season.

Thank you!

 

[Pleistohorse]

I’m tallying up the numbers of species seen and numbers of individual animals observed in the wild and at facilities I visited between Florida and Alaska. It’ll be fairly accurate with only some birds and herps either documented or miscounted.

One aspect that might be a bit unorthodox grew out of an attempt last summer to document (as much as possible) every species of animal which could be observed exhibited live or as a natural history specimen in facilities along the Alaska Road system.

On my drive north and through my state, I noted specimens located in zoos, natural history museums, visitor centers, hotel’s & restaurants, and sporting good stores. Some sporting goods stores display high quality taxidermy and replicas of many species. Usually a sporting goods store focuses on local species and of course, being the nature of their business.

During the last year I visited 22 and catalogued the collections found in each of them (three lists have been lost and I’ll need to visit those Kenai stores again.

The other 13 Alaska stores have been catalogued and 98 different species (and significantly diverged subspecies) of mammal can be observed in those stores…so as an example of what I hope will be an interesting final product…here are the 20 most commonly displayed species in Alaska’s sporting goods stores (minus 3) and number of individual specimens Eventually this list will be combined with all natural history specimens and fallowing that, with the live animals for a grand total of species observed.

Here you are:
1. Caribou - 65
2. Dall Sheep - 60
3. Moose - 47
4. Brown Bear - 34
5. Grey Wolf - 29
6. Black Bear - 28
7. Wapiti - 26
7 (tied). Sitka Blacktail Deer - 26
8. Mountain Goat - 22
9. Muskox - 20
10. Bison - 19

So that’s my project as I review and analyze the data collected for final trip report.

 

[Pleistohorse]

I have been thumbing through my notebooks and transferring data to spread sheets. So far I’ve only tallied the mammals…more on that in a bit.

One of the last posts here regarding the actual road travel itself was an update on my drive down to Seward from Wasilla. Well, here is an update on my drive back from Seward and for my time there, my visit to the Alaska SeaLife Center and my drive back north.

At the SeaLife Center I saw on exhibit (or research and recovery pools visible to the public) the following mammals and birds:

Common Murre - 28
Steller Eider - 27
Common Eider - 11
Red-legged Kittiwake - 10
Horned Puffin - 10
King Eider - 6
Pigeon Guillemot - 5
Rhinoceros Auklet - 3
Spectacled Eider - 2
Harlequin Duck - 2
Steller Sea Lion - 2
Ringed Seal - 1
Spotted Seal - 1
Harbor Seal - 1

An employee at the center discussed Ice Seals with me for a bit and let me know that had two more Spotted Seals and three Ringed Seals (or vice-versa) behind the scenes for research. She also said they had one Northern Fur Seal under rehabilitation.

On a quick side note (disregarding the wild animals you might see) a zoo trip starting a the Muskox Farm and Reindeer Farms in Palmer…about 10 miles apart…50 minutes down to the Alaska Zoo…another 45 down to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center…and the 1.5 hours beyond that to the SeaLife Center presents a visitor with quite a collection of Boreal and High-altitude animals (mostly mammals…mostly Caribou honestly…and several birds). Add the Anchorage Museum and half a dozen pet stores for some commonly kept Herps, Rodents, and maybe a few Ferrets and a bird or two.

Not too shabby.

Now while in Seward my second day…between Monroe Street and Lowell Point…I saw the following birds and mammals (including my drive back to Wasilla that afternoon):

Common Merganser - 74
Barrow’s Goldeneye - 12
Pelagic Cormorants - 24
Rock Doves - 4
Common Loons - 2
Glaucous-winged Gulls - 8
Black-legged Kittiwakes - 9
Double-Creasted Cormorants - 2
Harlequin Duck - 1
Black-billed Magpie - 1
Northwestern (American) Crows - 28
Common Ravens - 5
Bald Eagles - 3
Belted Kingfisher - 1
Steller Sea Lions - 2
Harbor Seal - 1
Sea Otter - 1
Moose - 5

That’s it for the “road” trip. From here on it’ll be the zoo data from the 29 zoos and 3 aquariums I visited (I’ll leave out the pet stores, sporting good store’s live game fish tanks…although Bass Pro Shops Palm Bay also has Alligators and Feral Hogs…and Star, Anchorage’s Downtown Pet Reindeer).

Next Up:

Analysis of the ABC’s…Zoo Animals as Children’s Book subjects and how prevalent they were in 2022. Do zoos gravitate towards them and its it really a zoo if they just aren’t there? Mammals only: Parrots, Alligators, Snakes and Tortoises will have to wait….for now let’s call it Lions and Tigers and Bears…oh…and Zebras and Monkeys and Great Apes as well!

 

[Pleistohorse]

I’ve posted the last of my Denver Zoo pictures. It is kind of cool seeing so many of Denver’s Tropical and Subtropical species out enjoying the low 50’s weather and lingering piles of snow last November. Three takeaways from Denver:

1: Surprisingly few native Colorado species - Brown Bear (regionally extinct), Northern Raccoon, Bald Eagle, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat (Note the Holocene Population was introduced by Humans), North American Porcupine, a couple species of reptile and that is about it. Theoretically you could argue the Pzewalski’s Horse is part of an extirpated population and like the Brown Bear and Mountain Goat (directly reintroduced) is native. Argued less convincingly for the Lion. Notable absences in my mind: Prairie Dogs, Elk, Bison, Black Bears, Wolves, and Cougars. Maybe Jaguars (at least one record from the 1800’s), Pronghorn, and Beavers. Mustangs (domestic horse) too maybe. Although I would not be surprised if the hoofstock focus changes due to phase-out planning or just “extinction” within the zoo population…a lot of those North American species will likely fill the gaps. That said, locals and visitors, can just as easily visit (for free) the Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR a few miles away and see Whitetail and Mule Deer, Prairie Dogs and Bison.

2. Pretty notable hoofstock collection. Regarding carnivores: Cheetahs are a pretty glaring omission.

3. Very closely resembles a “classic” city zoo…reminds me very much of European Zoos.

 

[TinoPup]

They had cheetahs until a few years ago. A big loss, IMO.