While I don’t see short-beaked echidnas dominating zoos left and right like red pandas, I do hope that these breeding successes will raise the interest of other zoos towards keeping echidnas. I also hope that with the increase of holders the echidna could get more recognition as a “basic” Oceanian animal by the average visitor. Not the mention their hedgehog-like round and spiky physique could fascinate people who are already into hedgehogs, which could help with the demand for them and their recognition by the public. So I am thankful that these breeding results exist.
Duisburg's animals came from Diergaarde Blijdorp and given they never bred, but kept the species continually for decades, I wouldn't be surprised if their echidna, the remaining now at Duisburg, were imported for their Notogea exposition in the 1970s... Maybe someone with ZIMS access could check their background...
Just did some digging around in my past correspondence, in the hope that I could find the conversation where I discussed the matter of Bruce's age and origins with someone able to access ZIMS and where the subject of other imports around the same time came up, and the information I was given was as follows:
All the Australian animals remaining in Europe are wild-caught, barring the aforementioned Frankfurt female, who was born to a wild-caught pair which were originally imported by Koln before going to Saarbrucken. They arrived into European collections as a single big import in 1973 comprising animals caught in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne - so despite what ZTL says, all the Australian echidna in Europe are pure nominate, not merely the last remaining individual at Planckendael. Of the surviving animals from the import, the Planckendael animal and Bruce at Paignton were both adults at the time of import, whilst the others (Duisburg, Frankfurt male) were juveniles.
As a sidenote, this also means that Paignton and Planckendael have the oldest Short-beaked Echidnas ever recorded - and even the younger animals (Frankfurt female excepted) have exceeded the prior lifespan record for the species, set by an animal which died at Prague Zoo at the age of 48 about twenty years ago.
Just did some digging around in my past correspondence, in the hope that I could find the conversation where I discussed the matter of Bruce's age and origins with someone able to access ZIMS and where the subject of other imports around the same time came up, and the information I was given was as follows:
All the Australian animals remaining in Europe are wild-caught, barring the aforementioned Frankfurt female, who was born to a wild-caught pair which were originally imported by Koln before going to Saarbrucken. They arrived into European collections as a single big import in 1973 comprising animals caught in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne - so despite what ZTL says, all the Australian echidna in Europe are pure nominate, not merely the last remaining individual at Planckendael. Of the surviving animals from the import, the Planckendael animal and Bruce at Paignton were both adults at the time of import, whilst the others (Duisburg, Frankfurt male) were juveniles.
As a sidenote, this also means that Paignton and Planckendael have the oldest Short-beaked Echidnas ever recorded - and even the younger animals (Frankfurt female excepted) have exceeded the prior lifespan record for the species, set by an animal which died at Prague Zoo at the age of 48 about twenty years ago.
Thanks for digging this up , it is fascinating to read. While Zootierliste contains a lot of information, it has a lot of blanks too and I was hoping this thread would enliven the memories and notes of some people so more of such information could become publicly available.
As a sidenote, this also means that Paignton and Planckendael have the oldest Short-beaked Echidnas ever recorded - and even the younger animals (Frankfurt female excepted) have exceeded the prior lifespan record for the species, set by an animal which died at Prague Zoo at the age of 48 about twenty years ago.
I appreciate, obviously, that for this thread, you're primarily interested in echidnas in Europe. However it's interesting to note Weigl (2005) lists a short-beaked echidna in San Diego, that was stillalive in January 2005, after 48 years 5 months at the zoo. Do you know when this individual died? It could possibly have exceeded the lifespan record set by the Prague specimen.
I appreciate, obviously, that for this thread, you're primarily interested in echidnas in Europe. However it's interesting to note Weigl (2005) lists a short-beaked echidna in San Diego, that was stillalive in January 2005, after 48 years 5 months at the zoo. Do you know when this individual died? It could possibly have exceeded the lifespan record set by the Prague specimen.
I don't know offhand, but I've made enquiries with a ZIMS contact so I'll hopefully be able to provide an answer one way or another soon. At some point I would like to do a thread updating some of the information presented in the Weigl volume for animals still living at the time of publication, though obviously I'd be limited by my own knowledge, resources and the resources of those I am in contact with.
I've now received confirmation that the San Diego animal died at the very ripe old age of 58 years 3 months in 2012 - a date that suggests a minor error in the Weigl book, as it doesn't fully tally with the age/date presented within and I'm informed that no other echidna in San Diego history got close to that age, so it cannot refer to a different animal.
This does of course mean that Bruce and the Planckendael animal both have another five years to go before they have a shot at the "longest-lived Short-beaked Echidna ever" title
Number of zoos kept (current and former during the holding period):
A 1 zoo
B 2-5 zoos
C 6-10 zoos
D >10 zoos
Time period kept:
1 < 1 year
2 1-5 years
3 6-10 years
4 11-20 years
5 > 20 years
* Species successfully bred
♱ Dead end (in case of species gained)
↑ Species gaining popularity (in case of species gained)
Opossums - Didelphidae (126 species) # Species kept 1-1-2000: 2
# Species kept currently: 4 (+2)
# Species gained: 7
# Species lost: 5
As the numbers show this is a group of which only few species are kept long term. Only a single species, the grey short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica), has been kept throughout the whole 21st century in European zoos. The number of holders of this species has changed widely throughout the years but has somewhat rebounded in recent years.
@HOMIN96 One of the latest Plzen Zoo acquisitions: the northern black-eared opossum
Species gained
Derby’s woolly opossum - Caluromys derbianus A2
This species has been kept behind the scenes in Best Zoo, the Netherlands, since 2018, but has not bred. While quickly down to a single animal, new individuals were acquired around 2022.
Northern black-eared opossum - Didelphis marsupialis B3*
The European population this century has consisted (mostly?) of confiscated animals. A single animal was kept in Zoo Halle, Germany, in 2009-2011. And in 2021 Zoo Plzen received a mother with four offspring from Biotropica, France. Since 2022 Zoo Sofia has been an additional holder.
Virginia opossum - Didelphis virginiana D2*
While present in private hands in Europe and being quite common in North American zoos, this is an uncommon species in zoos. Around 2009-2012 multiple zoos kept this species, but it quickly disappeared again. Since 2018 multiple zoos have started keeping the only North American representative of this family again.
@Sicarius A Bare-tailed woolly opossum behind the scenes at Best Zoo
Species gained and lost
Brazilian white-eared opossum - Didelphis albiventris C2*
A large opossum that was kept around 2012-2016 in six different zoos and was bred at least in Zoo Olomouc and in Bizar Zoo, Netherlands. Despite breeding, the species did not establish any stable population.
Southern black-eared opossum - Didelphis aurita B2*
A single female was confiscated and arrived in Diergaarde Blijdorp in 2005/6, where it gave birth to 4 young. All five animals were sent to the Papiliorama in Kerzers, Switzerland, where they were kept for an unknown amount of time, but probably just for a few years.
Linnaeus mouse opossum - Marmosa murina A2
Zoo Frankfurt imported seven individuals of this species in 2018. But as there was no breeding, the final animal of this short-lived species died in 2020.
Grey four-eyed opossum - Philander opossum B3
This species was kept in Zoo Plzen 2008-2012, in Papiliorama in Kerzers, Switzerland, 2018-2021/2 and in Barleylands Farm Park, UK, 2021-2022.
@RatioTile grey four-eyed opossums pop up from time to time, but never long. Trying to see them is like playing whack-a-mole. The picture is from a US institution
Species lost
Bare-tailed woolly opossum - Caluromys philander A3*
This species was in recent decades only kept in Zoo Krefeld, Germany. A pregnant female was acquired from France in 1998, but no partner animal could be sourced. The final animal passed away in 2006.
@Giant Eland The only opossum to be kept in 2000 that is now lost: the bare-tailed woolly opossum, picture from the US
Progress 2/22 orders completed
2/106 families completed
3 species present in 2000
5 species present in 2023
7 species gained since 2000
5 species lost since 2000
Worth noting that this animal - from all the photographs I have seen, and subsequent information - appears to have not been a Common Opossum at all; rather, I strongly suspect it was a Virginia Opossum of the same Central American subspecies as the one which popped up briefly at the Smithsonian National Zoo a few years back, and which was also initially identified as a Common.
A rather wider range of responses than I expected - and I certainly didn't expect anyone to think around one-third of all extant mammal species are present in European collections today!
I was certainly one of the ones in the 'uncertain' bucket, I treated the survey and this thread (and the one on animals we have lost) as a learning opportunity can't know everything all the time and there might be things I am expert on I'd imagine people are fairly idiotic not to know, but learning is what closes the gap.
Talking of, I should really get back on the horse with that never know, maybe this thread will encourage anyone who *does* have old photographs taken in European collections of species which are no longer around to upload them - or reupload them, as the case may be given the fact we lost a LOT of images in the Great Purge.
Annoying thing is, I know some of the most interesting/useful images were uploaded by members who are no longer active - and even know who those members were in some cases, as the photographs are still online elsewhere, for instance on the ZTL entries for the taxa in question.
While both are North American fur balls with sharp teeth, raccoons are actually active and kind of cuddly and have a lot of name recognition. Opossums would probably rank as one of the most boring zoo inhabitants for the general public.... There was one Virginia opossum, Heidi in Zoo Leipzig, that achieved a short moment of fame, but that was only because she was cross-eyed, so looked even more as a weirdo than a regular possum:
While both are North American fur balls with sharp teeth, raccoons are actually active and kind of cuddly and have a lot of name recognition. Opossums would probably rank as one of the most boring zoo inhabitants for the general public....
To be fair, for the last few years opossums have been getting more famous in the internet amongst younger people. This is probably because of the perception that opossums as misunderstood and also because they have a silly defensive/hissing face that looks like a scream. This comes at the cost of possums getting less limelight since some people don’t bother to refer opossums with an O .
Of course I wouldn’t expect zoos to bring in more Virginia opossums just to appease late Millennials and Zoomers. I just wanted to point out that the perception towards opossums is changing and some people will love them even if they don’t do much.
DASYUROMORPHS - DASYUROMORPHIA 77 species across 2 extant families
4 species kept this century (5%)
An exclusively Australian order that includes two monotypic families, one of which extinct, that haven’t been kept in recent times in Europe: the numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) and the extinct thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus). The third family in this order contains 76 species which are mostly small carnivorous marsupials that look like if someone has crossed a shrew with a mongoose. In Europe it is mostly the larger species that have been kept this century.
Dasyurids - Dasyuridae (76 species) # Species kept 1-1-2000: 1
# Species kept currently: 3 (+2)
# Species gained: 3
# Species lost: 1
Of the four species in this family that have been kept this century, only the kowari (Dasyuroides byrnei) has been present throughout the century. This seems to be the only Australian native mammal absent in Australian zoos, but present in Europe. Despite it's listing as vulnerable it has always been a rather uncommon species. Three species have subsequently been imported, of which the one imported last, has been lost already. This is another family with short lifespans and large litters, so continuous breeding is important as one otherwise quickly ends up with a geriatric population.
@HOMIN96 A dasyurid family reunion is now a bit more of an occasion then it was in 2000 when kowari were the only family members present in Europe
Species gained
Eastern quoll - Dasyurus viverinnus C4*
The European population of this species is fully dependent on the breeding of Zoo Leipzig. Leipzig imported 3.3 animals from Melbourne in 2011 and 3.3 animals from Trowunna in 2019. The past 12 years over 100 eastern quoll were successfully raised here. Offspring has been sent to a dozen other zoos, of which only a few ever managed to breed. But none have been able to sustain frequent enough breeding to create their own population. Only Frankfurt has come somewhat close, but is also dependent on offspring from Leipzig.
@Therabu Instead of a lion factory Zoo Leipzig now runs an eastern quoll factory, though that is a far lesser business model these days
Tasmanian devil - Sarcophilus harrisii C4*
The most well-known member of this order and one of the most famous marsupials of them all. This is a (rare?) example where it is advantageous to be married to an Australian. Prince Frederik, the crown prince of Denmark married a native Tasmanian in 2004. In 2005 a very special wedding gift arrived in the form of 4 Tasmanian devils to the Copenhagen Zoo, the first to be held in Europe since their disappearance roughly 10 years prior. These animals did not breed and the last 2 individuals passed away in 2012. The same year 4 new animals arrived from Australia and these animals did breed. This puts Copenhagen in the unique position of being the only non-Australian zoo to be allowed to breed this species until now. Other zoos have since received animals that are past reproductive age or single-sex groups. Despite regular breeding in Copenhagen the European population was aging, so in 2023 21 new animals arrived from Australia. Given their special fame and endangered status there are enough zoos that want to keep this species, despite the husbandry challenges.
Species gained and lost
Spotted-tailed quoll - Dasyurus maculatus A2
Hamerton Zoo imported 2.2 animals, also known as tiger quoll, from Darlings Downs Zoo in Australia in 2018. But as there was no breeding, the final geriatric animal passed away in 2022.
@WhistlingKite24 Hello Goodbye! The appearance of spotted-tailed quolls in Europe was a brief one.
Progress 3/22 orders completed
3/106 families completed
4 species present in 2000
8 species present in 2023
10 species gained since 2000
6 species lost since 2000
Sustainable population of any echidnas is great. Even if Australian and Tasmanian subspecies are likely more suitable to climate of Europe.
Super-interesting thread! Talking about Australia made me also curious, how the popularity of animals changes geographically? Australian animals have been always difficult to obtain, and zoos are dominated by species from Asia and Africa. In a finer scale, I suspect West and Central African animals lose popularity and South African and Madagascar animals are becoming more common. It would be interesting to see a more detailed analysis.
Sustainable population of any echidnas is great. Even if Australian and Tasmanian subspecies are likely more suitable to climate of Europe.
Super-interesting thread! Talking about Australia made me also curious, how the popularity of animals changes geographically? Australian animals have been always difficult to obtain, and zoos are dominated by species from Asia and Africa. In a finer scale, I suspect West and Central African animals lose popularity and South African and Madagascar animals are becoming more common. It would be interesting to see a more detailed analysis.
I have some analysis planned at the end of the mammal section, which will indeed cover geographic changes. There are 3 countries whose mammals are noticeably more common now compared to 23 years ago. I haven't dived deep in the data yet, but in terms of decline I haven't seen a clear trend yet.
, it is fascinating to read. While Zootierliste contains a lot of information, it has a lot of blanks too and I was hoping this thread would enliven the memories and notes of some people so more of such information could become publicly available.
