Mary
Well-Known Member
Zoo de Granby: March 4, 2024Also at Zoo Atlanta:
66.) Hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus)
67.) Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus)
Zoo de Granby: March 4, 2024Also at Zoo Atlanta:
66.) Hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus)
A revisit to the Bronx brought some more species outVisited another small nature center today to miss my 4th Eastern Screech Owl this year; however, I still got an additional species.
Flat Rock Brook Nature Center 2.20
24) American Kestrel (Flaco sparverius)
Brookfield Zoo Chicago, 02/10/2024:After looking back through some video footage I took at the aquarium, I realized I never counted a few sharks...
Birch Aquarium at The Scripps, 01/05/2024:
Selachimorpha
39. Gray smoothhound (Mustelus californicus)
40. Pacific angelshark (Squatina californica)
41. Brown-banded bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium punctatum)
Lincoln Park Zoo, 03/11/2024Brookfield Zoo Chicago, 03/10/2024:
Felidae
42. Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis)
43: Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia)
44. Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
Canidae
45. Bat-eared Fox (Otocyon megalotis)
46. African Painted Dog (Lycaon pictus)
Selachimorpha
47. Epaulette Shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum)
Tulsa Zoo (March 11, 2024)Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium (January 26, 2024)
22. American black bear (Ursus americanus)
23. Barn owl (Tyto alba)
24. American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
25. Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius)
26. Zebra shark (Stegostoma tigrinum)
27. Blacknose shark (Carcharhinus acronotus)
28. Nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum)
29. Epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum)
Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium (February 3, 2024)
30. White-spotted bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium plagiosum)
31. Swell shark (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum)
32. Fennec fox (Vulpes zerda)
33. Bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis)
34. African wild dog (Lycaon pictus)
35. Sand cat (Felis margarita)
36. Leopard (Panthera pardus)
Philadelphia Zoo: March 11, 2024Zoo de Granby: March 4, 2024
67.) Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus)
The Greater Phoenix Metro is truly 'A Tale of Two Zoos'... And an aquariumToday was a very successful repeat visit to the San Diego Zoo! I was finally able to see two of the most elusive mammals at the park, both of which I have only seen one other time in my many visits over the past year.
San Diego Zoo (Santa Diego, CA) - 27 February, 2024:
Canidae:
85. Maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)
Ursidae:
86. Sun bear (Helarctos malayanus)
Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary - February 2 2024
20. Red Fox Vulpes vulpes
21. Gray Fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus
Northeastern Wisconsin Zoo and Adventure Park - March 22 2024Sorry for the absence during a busy time of updates. Just wanted to let everyone know that scores have been tabulated up to this point (including the post you just made @Kudu21).
A couple errors to address:
You counted 12. twice in your first post, so you are at 22 and your next update should start at 23.
While arguably these are legitimate species, IUCN has been slow on all the croc reclassification that has happened in the last decade or two and does not recognize these. For West African Crocodile, there is also the fact that a research paper found a large portion of "niloticus" in US zoos are actually suchus, so there's no clear distinction between the two in captivity here anyway.
I'll still count the Hall's as New Guinea Crocodile (novaeguineae), but I'm gonna lump your suchus under your earlier niloticus. This will put you at 76.
Same rule applies for anyone else going forward also. Dwarf Croc is another species that should be counted as a single type, not multiple.
I get this, but would also argue that consistently doing 2 tours a month would constitute a regular schedule in terms of consistency, just maybe not the most frequent one. It's really not a big deal either way, though. Not trying to give you a hard time or anything!"Any severely limited opening or private collections don't count for this challenge. Facilities that do regularly scheduled public tours are acceptable."
Center for Animal Research & Education only offers 2 tours a month, which seems pretty limited to me...
I visited last fall and made a species list - Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation Species List/Review (9/23/23) [Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation]. It's a guided tour, and free roaming is not allowed. Everything in that post was visible during the tour, or at least had signed enclosures along the tour route. I know of just two species that are kept that weren't part of the tour: maned wolf and jungle cat. I had actually reached out to the facility prior to visiting back then, and they confirmed to me that jungle cat would be on the tour route, so I'm not sure if it was and I missed it, or if it was temporarily off exhibit or moved altogether between that communication and my visit, or my tour route diverged, or what. Either way, I'm not sure if either of these species would even be visible during the open house anyway, but if they were and it does in fact seem like the jungle cat isn't supposed to be on the normal tour route I'd of course have no problem leaving them off assuming the facility otherwise passes muster (and I'll hopefully be able to pick up maned wolf later this year anyway).Carson Springs sounds potentially more reasonable, but my question would be whether you can see animals during this open house event that you wouldn't during the regular walking tours? It says you can roam around the facility on your own during the open house, I can't tell if that's the case for the regular weekend tours. Maybe someone who has been to Carson Springs can clarify?
Queens Zoo 3.30A revisit to the Bronx brought some more species out
Bronx Zoo 3.10
25) Dhole (Cuon alpinus)
26) Lion (Panthera leo)
27) White-Faced Scops Owl (Ptilopsis leucotis)
28) African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus)
29) Pygmy Falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus)
Phoenix Zoo - 3/242024 – new year, new challenge, same game.
With zoos playing such a big role these days in wildlife conservation and educating the public about the natural world, I decided this year’s challenge would focus on a group of animals that are instrumental to the proper functioning of every ecosystem. Sometimes they are cute and cuddly, sometimes they are alien and feared… but each one is an equally vital piece of the puzzle, and so will equally count for this year’s challenge: Apex Predators.
So what counts as an “apex predator”? Broadly, they are carnivores at the top of their food chain; for the sake of simplicity in this challenge, though, I have based eligible species on a handful of groups that are comprised largely or primarily of apex predators – so it’s not the most exact lineup, but it will be easy to remember I hope. This will also be a multiclass challenge, so we’re breaking out of the taxonomic mold yet again. Here is what can be counted this year:
MAMMALS
Felidae (cats)
Canidae (dogs and foxes)
Ursidae (bears)
Hyaenidae (hyenas)
An additional species you can count is Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox), the apex predator of Madagascar. Also: as an exception to the IUCN taxonomy and domestic rules (mentioned in the rules further down), Dingo/New Guinea Singing Dog can be counted this year as a single species, Canis familiaris.
BIRDS
Any and all raptors! Taxonomically that will be:
Accipitriformes (hawks, eagles, Old World vultures, secretarybird, etc.)
Cathartiformes (New World vultures)
Falconiformes (falcons)
Strigiformes (owls)
An additional species that will count is Red-legged Seriema (Cariama cristata), a cousin to the extinct terror birds.
REPTILES
Any and all crocodilians (Order Crocodilia). Also, Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) – which will now have counted for 3 North America challenges in a row. You go, Komodo!
FISHES
As the apex predators of the oceans, we will also count sharks (clade Selachimorpha).
Before we get to the rules, a quick shoutout to @Shorts for providing us the genesis and template of these games.
The Rules
1. You have to actually see the animal, even if just for a second.
2. Photographic proof is not required; your word is your bond.
3. All entries must be in a numbered list and include the following: the species you’re counting, the day you saw it and the zoo you saw it at.
4. All animals must be seen in captivity in North America (Canada, the United States, or Mexico); in a public zoological collection (no farms, expos, pet stores, private or exclusive facilities); and via normal public access during normal public opening hours (no behind-the-scenes or VIP tours, exclusive events, etc.).
5. Report your progress on this thread as you go along; do not leave all your updates until the last minute. If you post several months’ worth of updates in the final days of December, I reserve the right to not count them. This is to ensure fairness and transparency for everyone.
6. The taxonomy source we will be using is IUCN. Our unit is species, not subspecies.
7. Hybrid animals and domestic animals do not count unless an exception is made.
8. Violating the rules or participating in unsportsmanlike conduct is grounds for disqualification from this year’s competition and/or from future North America challenges.
9. The winner will be whoever sees the most apex predator species between January 1 and December 31, 2024.
The deadline system from this past year is still in place, though I’ve extended the deadline by a month:
There is no official deadline to join; however, anyone who joins the game after May 31 can only count eligible species from their two most recent zoo visits.
And with that, the challenge begins tomorrow… who’s ready to find some predators?
4/6/24
Carson Springs Wildlife
81. Leopard (Panthera pardus)
82. Siberia Lynx (Lynx lynx)
83. Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus)
84. Rusty Spotted Cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus)
85. Jungle Cat (Felis chaus)
86. Caracal (Caracal caracal)
87. Geofferys Cat (Leopardus geoffroyi)
88. Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena)
89. Black-backed Jackal (Lupulella mesomelas)
90. Bat-eared Fox (Otocyon megalotis)
91. Spectacled Owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata)
Also, I didn't count them because they weren't owned by CSW, the bird show had a Lesser yellow-headed Vulture and Augur Buzzard