What is currently your favorite *blank*?

Note these change for me almost daily as I’m discovering new animals and rediscovering old ones.

animal? Spot Necked Otter

...mammal? Spot Necked Otter
...cat? Flat Headed Cat
...canid? Bat Eared Fox
...bear? Sun Bear
...hyena? Brown Hyena
...pinniped? Australian Sea Lion
...ungulate (not including cetaceans)? Zebra Duiker
...cetacean? Hourglass Dolphin
...bat? Kitt’s Hog Nosed Bat
...rodent or lagomorph?
...primate? Yellow Breasted Capuchin
...xenarthran? Maned Sloth
...marsupial or monotreme? Grey Dorcopsis

....bird? None
...ratite? Elegant Crested Tinamou
...bird of prey? NZ Falcon
...penguin? Chinstrap Penguin
...parrot? Blue bellied parrot
...passerine? Bay Breasted Warbler
...waterfowl? African Pygmy Goose

...reptile? None
...lizard? Collared Forest Gecko
...snake? Arizona Black Rattlesnake
...crocodilian? Gharial
...turtle or tortoise? Golden Coin Turtle

...amphibian? None
...frog or toad? Yellow Flecked Grass Frog
...salamander or newt? Palmate Newt

...fish? None
...bony fish? Sulphur Molly
...cartilaginous fish? Peacock Stingaree

...invertebrate? None
...insect? Hawthorne Shield Bug
...arachnid? Starry Night Peacock Spider
...mollusk? Australian Giant Cuttlefish
...crustacean? Blue Swimmer Crab
 
Now, for living forms, three possible lists; seen in the wild, captive only, or not (yet) seen.
Invertebrate - wild - Medicinal leech, found on a field course 55 years ago! Captive - some displays of tube anemones are simply mesmerising. To be seen - no doubt, and top of the list, Peripatus; the only significant phylum I have not seen alive.
Mollusc - Wild - Calma glaucoides; how can you not love an animal whose food is so nutritious that it doesn’t need an anus! Captive - Melibe, super freaky plankton feeder. To be seen - Flamboyant Cuttlefish.
Insect - wild, Giraffe-necked Weevil. Captive - Leaf insects. To be seen - wetas.
Arachnid - wild - Whip Scorpions in the Darien Gap. Captive - Water Spider. To be seen, Ladybird Spider.
Crustacean - Wild - Masked Crab. Captive- Giant Isopoda. To be seen - Coconut Crab.
 
Fish
Bony - seen, Lumpsucker found guarding eggs in a tidal pool. Captive - Sea horses. To be seen - Sea Dragons.
Cartilaginous - wild - Basking Shark. Captive - Bonnethead . To be seen, Manta.
 
Amphibians- a wild Caecilian. Frogs or Toads - wild - Natterjack toad, such an evocative call. Captive - Horned Toad. To be seen - Hairy Frog. Salamanders - Wild - Fire Salamander. Captive - Giant Salamander. To be seen- any Bolitoglossid; how can you not love Oedipus rex ( even if it has been moved to a different genus!)
Reptiles - Tuatara in the wild ( thanks Chester for captive views). Tortoises- wild, Galapagos Giant. Captive - Pig-nosed Turtle. To be seen - Leatherback. Lizards - wild - Parsons Chameleon, Captive - Komodo Dragon, to be seen - Leaf-tailed Gecko (bad miss in Madagascar). Snakes - wild, Adder, as I have seen males fighting! Captive - Gaboon Viper; probably as close as I want to get with its camouflage! To be seen - Leaf-nosed Snake. Crocodilians- wild - American Crocodile; amazing to watch one actually playing with the spray from a hosepipe in Florida! Captive - Tomistoma in the Smithsonian. To be seen - Gavial (if I saw it in the Smithsonian then it didn’t make an impression).
 
Mammals. In the wild, Sunda Colugo. Captive- pangolin. To be seen - Marsupial Mole.
Cat - wild, Iberian Lynx. Captive - Snow Leopard. To be seen - Asian Golden Cat. Canid - wild , African Hunting Dog, seen hunting wildebeest in Botswana. Captive- Maned Wolf. To be seen - Dhole. Bear, Wild, no contest, I have only seen Brown on a rubbish tip in Romania! Captive- Polar. Think that I have seen all 8 species. Hyena - wild , only seen Spotted. Captive- Aardwolf, to be seen - Brown (I think). Pinniped - wild, Southern Elephant Seal. Captive, can’t think except Californian Sea Lion. To be seen- Walrus (if I ever saw it in Harderwijk it did not make an impression). Ungulate - wild - very difficult, today my answer will be White Rhino. Captive - Saiga (Highland wildlife park many years ago). To be seen - Sumatran Rhino (worst miss of my life; once they arrived in Kent I thought they would get established and I had all the time I needed). Cetaceans - Wild Humpback Whales breaching off the coast of Madagascar. Cannot recall seeing anything other than Bottle-nosed Dolphins in Captivity, and I have seen those in the wild. To be seen - Narwhal. Bats - wild Horseshoe Bats in Japan. Captive - Rodriguez Fruit Bat. To be seen - Hammerhead Bat. Rodents - wild, difficult choice between Beaver, Capybara, Mara, Viscacha, but today I am going to pick Bornean Pygmy Squirrel for sheer cuteness. Captive - Madagascar Jumping Rat. To be seen - Maned Rat. Primate - Mountain Gorilla; to spend an hour in their company is just a privilege. Captive - Aye-aye. To be seen - Tarsier, hopefully my planned trip to Sulawesi can happen next year. Xenarthran. Wild - Bradypus sloth. Captive- Giant Armadillo. To be seen - Pygmy Anteater; I’ve seen signs in several zoos, but not the inhabitants! Marsupials/Monotremes. Wild - Platypus. Captive- Bilby. To be seen (realistically) - Numbat.
 
And finally Birds. Wild - Shoebill, even though while watching it I got distracted by Lesser Jacana and Striped Crake! Captive - Seriema (I know, it’s common where it’s common!). To be seen - Kagu. Ratite - wild - Southern Cassowary. Captive - Kiwi. To be seen - other Cassowaries. Bird of Prey - wild; it May be heresy, but I am going to pick Lammergeier over Harpy Eagle, but then the eagle was only a chick! Captive - nothing is coming to mind here. To be seen - Steller’s Sea Eagle. Owls- wild, sorry Snowy, Ural, Hawk and Long-whispered Owlet, but Great Grey has you all beaten for charisma. To be seen - Pel’s Fishing Owl please. Hummingbird - wild Marvellous Spatuletail; if it’s good enough for David Attenborough then it’ll do me! Penguin Wild - King, Captive - Rockhopper, to be seen - Yellow -eyed. Parrot - Wild - Scarlet Macaw, just beating Palm Cockatoo. Captive- Hyacinth Macaw. To be seen - Kakapo. Wildfowl - wild Torrent Duck. Captive - Scaly -sided Merganser. To be seen - Blue Duck. Passerine, wild - Either Picarthartes, I have seen both! Honourable mentions to Bornean Bristlehead and King of Saxony Bird of Paradise. Captive - Superb Lyrebird. To be seen - Rail-Babbler for its weirdness just ahead of Wilson’s Bird of Paradise, maybe next year (they were both planned for this summer).
 
What is currently your favorite...

...animal? Blue whale

...mammal? Blue whale
...cat? Bornean bay cat
...canid? Crab-eating fox
...bear? Asiatic black bear
...hyena? Spotted hyena
...pinniped? Subantarctic fur seal
...ungulate (not including cetaceans)? Indian rhinoceros
...cetacean? Blue whale
...bat? No clue
...rodent or lagomorph? Again, no clue.
...primate? Tarsiers
...xenarthran? Giant anteater
...marsupial or monotreme? Platypus

....bird? Great Indian hornbill
...ratite? Northern cassowary
...bird of prey? Andean condor
...penguin? Gentoo penguin
...parrot? Pesquet's parrot
...passerine? No clue
...waterfowl? Comb duck

...reptile? Saltwater crocodile
...lizard? Lesser Antillean iguana
...snake? No clue
...crocodilian? Saltwater crocodile
...turtle or tortoise? Pig-nosed turtle

...amphibian? Great crested newt
...frog or toad? No clue
...salamander or newt? Great crested newt

...fish? Giant oceanic manta ray
...bony fish? Giant snakehead
...cartilaginous fish? Giant oceanic manta ray

...invertebrate? Spiny lobsters
...insect? Goliath beetles
...arachnid? Scorpions
...mollusk? Striped pyjama squid
...crustacean? Spiny lobsters

...extinct animal? Basilosaurus
...extinct Cenozoic animal? Basilosaurus
...Mesozoic animal? Spinosaurus
...Paleozoic animal? No clue

It's okay if you don't have an answer for all of them. It's also okay if one matches multiple categories. (For example, for me okapi would go under favorite animal, favorite mammal, and favorite ungulate.) Also I obviously did not include every extant animal group. Finally, I am aware similar threads exist but to my knowledge there isn't one yet that tackles so many groups in one go.
 
I'll have a go.

...animal? Gerenuk

...mammal? Gerenuk
...cat? Jaguar
...canid? African wild dog
...bear? Polar bear
...hyena? Spotted hyena
...pinniped? Walrus
...ungulate (not including cetaceans)? Gerenuk
...cetacean? Orca
...bat? Common vampire bat
...rodent or lagomorph? Capybara
...primate? Coquerel's sifaka
...xenarthran? Giant anteater
...marsupial or monotreme? Platypus

....bird? Toco toucan
...ratite? Southern cassowary
...bird of prey? Secretary bird
...penguin? Emperor penguin
...parrot? Spix's macaw
...passerine? Andean cock-of-the-rock
...waterfowl? Hawaiian goose

...reptile? Saltwater crocodile
...lizard? Komodo dragon
...snake? Black mamba
...crocodilian? Saltwater crocodile
...turtle or tortoise? Green sea turtle

...amphibian? Chinese giant salamander
...frog or toad? Red-eyed tree frog
...salamander or newt? Chinese giant salamander

...fish? Whale shark
...bony fish? Ocean sunfish
...cartilaginous fish? Whale shark

...invertebrate? Giant Pacific octopus
...insect? Hercules beetle
...arachnid? Emperor scorpion
...mollusk? Giant Pacific octopus
...crustacean? Coconut crab

...extinct animal? Stegosaurus
...extinct Cenozoic animal? Doedicurus
...Mesozoic animal? Stegosaurus
...Paleozoic animal? Dimetrodon
 
Fish: The Mexican blind cave fish fascinates me most.

Bony fish : Probably the electric eel because of how strange it is.

Cartilaginous fish: Peacock-eye Stingaree without a doubt.

Insect: The orchid mantis , what a gorgeous little predator it is.

Arachnid: A bit cliché maybe but I think the Mexican red knee tarantula or perhaps the Brazilian black tarantula or pedregal tarantula ( a sentimental connection to this species).

Mollusk: I think the nautilus is hypnotically beautiful.

Crustacean: I think the Mexican dwarf crayfish.
 
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Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
Fish: The Mexican blind cave fish fascinates me most.

Bony fish : Probably the electric eel because of how strange it is.

Cartilaginous fish: Peacock-eye Stingaree without a doubt.

Insect: The orchid mantis , what a gorgeous little predator it is.

Arachnid: A bit cliché maybe but I think the Mexican red knee tarantula or perhaps the Brazilian black tarantula or pedregal tarantula ( a sentimental connection to this species).

Mollusk: I think the nautilus is hypnotically beautiful.

Crustacean: I think the Mexican dwarf crayfish.
Click to expand...
I've currently keeps the Mexican Blind Cave Tetra and have kept the dwarf crayfish in the past.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
How easy is it to keep this species ? how are you finding it ?

I've never personally thought of keeping them as pets (and never will) but I do find them absolutely fascinating.
Click to expand...
I got the dwarf crayfish at a local pet store that seems to specialize in finding odd stuff. I found them very easy to keep and got along well with fish in a community tank. The cave tetras are even easier to keep, and are actually quite common in pet stores in the US.
 
birdsandbats said:
I got the dwarf crayfish at a local pet store that seems to specialize in finding odd stuff. I found them very easy to keep and got along well with fish in a community tank. The cave tetras are even easier to keep, and are actually quite common in pet stores in the US.
Click to expand...

How long did the dwarf crayfish live for ? Also, how many cave tetras do you keep ?
 
Extinct animal: This is such a very hard question to answer so I'll reply with favourites of different taxa.

Bird: Either the Cuban or glaucous macaw as the thought that these beautiful birds are no longer with us (except as dessicated specimens in museum draws) is really quite haunting for me.

Mammal: Probably the lesser bilby as seeing a taxidermy specimen of this species at the Tring natural history museum really moved me. I think I am perhaps just too familiar with the story of the thylacine and its extinction so learning about Macrotis leucura was moving as I did not know about it before this visit.

Reptile: Probably the Christmas Island forest skink. I think skinks are very endearing reptiles and the thought of these lizards being eaten to extinction by feral cats and other invasive species is quite nauseating. I also remember reading in the news when the species was declared extinct by the IUCN.

Amphibian: The golden toad without a doubt. I remember reading about its extinction as a child and feeling somehow very moved that it was no longer around.



 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
Extinct animal: This is such a very hard question to answer so I'll reply with favourites of different taxa.

Bird: Either the Cuban or glaucous macaw as the thought that these beautiful birds are no longer with us (except as dessicated specimens in museum draws) is really quite haunting for me.

Mammal: Probably the lesser bilby as seeing a taxidermy specimen of this species at the Tring natural history museum really moved me. I think I am perhaps just too familiar with the story of the thylacine and its extinction so learning about Macrotis leucura was moving as I did not know about it before this visit.

Reptile: Probably the Christmas Island forest skink. I think skinks are very endearing reptiles and the thought of these lizards being eaten to extinction by feral cats and other invasive species is quite nauseating. I also remember reading in the news when the species was declared extinct by the IUCN.

Amphibian: The golden toad without a doubt. I remember reading about its extinction as a child and feeling somehow very moved that it was no longer around.
Click to expand...

For birds it's probably one of the extinct ratites for me. The idea that we could still have elephant birds or moas (along with the Haast's Eagle) had it not been for human expansion hurts me. CT natives are another interest of mine. Carolina Parakeet in particular is one I'd love to still have around.

Additional mammal options are any of the odd elephant taxa we almost undoubtedly would still have today had it not been for the extensive overhunting of populations at the end of the last ice age and in the years following. Balearic Islands Cave Goat, West Indes shrews...

For amphibian I think the Rabb's Fringe-Limbed Treefrog takes it for me. I was in the middle of writing a paper about some of the most endangered animals when the last one died. I'd always dreamed of going to see him...

~Thylo
 
ThylacineAlive said:
For birds it's probably one of the extinct ratites for me. The idea that we could still have elephant birds or moas (along with the Haast's Eagle) had it not been for human expansion hurts me.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean, there is something about the fact that these gigantic birds that could probably disembowell and kill a human with a single kick are no longer around. It gives me the feels too tbh.

ThylacineAlive said:
For amphibian I think the Rabb's Fringe-Limbed Treefrog takes it for me. I was in the middle of writing a paper about some of the most endangered animals when the last one died. I'd always dreamed of going to see him...
Click to expand...

Yes, I remember the death of this little guy / extinction of this species too. I imagine that for those who saw him alive it must have been quite haunting / eerie to see him in the flesh knowing that he was the last one.
 
...animal? Eastern Lowland gorilla

...mammal? Eastern Lowland Gorilla
...cat? African Lion
...canid? Dhole/Grey Wolf/African Wild dogs (tied)
...bear? Grizzly Bear
...hyena? Spotted Hyena
...pinniped? Leopard Seal
...ungulate (not including cetaceans)? Okapi/Sable Antelope/Bongo (tied)
...cetacean? Orca
...bat? Vampire Bat
...rodent or lagomorph? Eastern cottontail
...primate? Eastern Lowland Gorilla
...xenarthran? Giant Anteater
...marsupial or monotreme? Red Kangaroo

....bird? Red Tailed Hawk
...ratite? Emu
...bird of prey? Red Tailed Hawk
...penguin? African/Emperor Penguin (tied)
...parrot? Red Tailed macaw
...passerine? Blue Jay
...waterfowl? Not sure

...reptile? Salt water Crocodile
...lizard? Komodo Dragon
...snake? Black Mamba
...crocodilian? Salt Water Crocodile
...turtle or tortoise? Aldabra Giant tortoise

...extinct animal? Tyrannosaurus Rex
...extinct Cenozoic animal? Columbian Mammoth
...Mesozoic animal? Tyrannosaurus Rex
...Paleozoic animal? Don't know to many so I can't say
 
...animal?: that's a tough one chief

...mammal? that's a tough one chief
...cat?: fishing cat
...canid?: bat-eared fox
...bear?: Sloth bear
...hyena?: aardwolf
...pinniped?: californian sea lion
...ungulate (not including cetaceans)?
...cetacean?: Commerson's dolphin
...bat?: Egyptian rousette
...rodent or lagomorph? that's a tough one chief
...primate?: Garnett's Bushbaby
...xenarthran?: Southern three banded armadillo
...marsupial or monotreme?: Common brush-tail possum

....bird?: there's alot to choose from, but I've been into red-legged seriama lately
...ratite?: emu
...bird of prey?: crested caracara
...penguin?: Cape
...parrot?: Sun conure
...passerine?: black-throated magpie jay
...waterfowl?:Great white pelican

...reptile?: that's a tough one chief
...lizard?: frill-necked lizard
...snake?: Sinaloan milk-snake
...crocodilian?: American alligator
...turtle or tortoise?: Common snapping turtle

...amphibian?: that's a tough one chief
...frog or toad?: African bullfrog
...salamander or newt?: Fire-belly newt

...fish?: Marbled lungfish
...bony fish?: Queensland lungfisk
...cartilaginous fish? Nurse shark

...invertebrate? that's a tough one chief
...insect?: Hercules beetle
...arachnid?: New-world tarantulas and emperor scorpion
...mollusk?: African giant land snail
...crustacean?: Coconut crab

...extinct animal?: that's a tough one chief
...extinct Cenozoic animal?: that's a tough one chief
...Mesozoic animal?: Parasaurolophus
...Paleozoic animal?: Anomalocaris
 

...animal? Asian Elephant

...mammal? Asian Elephant
...cat? African Lion
...canid? Maned Wolf
...bear? Sun Bear
...hyena? Spotted Hyena
...pinniped? New Zealand Fur Seal
...ungulate (not including cetaceans)? Asian Elephant
...cetacean? Killer Whale!
...bat? A bat that I never encounter
...rodent or lagomorph? Naked Mole Rat
...primate? Western Lowland Gorilla
...xenarthran? Giant Anteater
...marsupial or monotreme? Koala

....bird? Kiwi
...ratite? Cassowary
...bird of prey? Wedge Tailed Eagle
...penguin? Little Penguin
...parrot? Grey Parrot
...passerine? Superb Lyrebird
...waterfowl? Black Swan

...reptile? Komodo Dragon
...lizard? Komodo Dragon
...snake? Anaconda
...crocodilian? Saltwater Crocodile
...turtle or tortoise? Giant Tortoise

...amphibian? Baw Baw Frog
...frog or toad? Baw Baw Frog
...salamander or newt? Axolotls

...fish? Betta
...bony fish? Betta
...cartilaginous fish? Great White Shark

...invertebrate? Red Back Spider
...insect? Monarch Butterfly
...arachnid? Red Back Spider
...mollusk? Garden Snail
...crustacean? Blue Crab

...extinct animal? Thylacine
...extinct Cenozoic animal? Sabre Toothed Tiger
...Mesozoic animal? Diplodocus
...Paleozoic animal? Hmmmm...marine reptiles?
 
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