ZooChat Cup Group C2: Denver vs Rotterdam

[CGSwans]

The topic is Europe and North America. Obviously this is the first set of matches in the group but I can’t shake the thought that, if Denver is going to make a run at qualification, this is the time to strike.

 

[Coelacanth18]

The most recent complete list for Denver we have is from 2016; I excluded any that I know have departed the collection.

North American River Otter
California Sea Lion
Harbor Seal
Grizzly Bear
White-nosed Coati
Dall Sheep
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

Cinereous Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Steller's Sea Eagle
Bald Eagle
Canada Goose
Mallard Duck
North American Wood Duck
Marbled Teal
Egyptian Vulture
Ruddy Shelduck
American White Pelican

Prairie Rattlesnake
Florida Kingsnake
Copperhead
Alabama Map Turtle
Common Cooter
Diamondback Terrapin
Florida Red-bellied Turtle
Mississippi Map Turtle
Alligator Snapping Turtle
Spotted Turtle
Eastern Glass Lizard
Everglades Rat Snake
Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake
Three-toed Box Turtle

Barking Tree Frog
Eastern Newt

Blind Cave Fish (probably from Texas)
Black Crappie
Bowfin
Dollar Sunfish
Red Breast Sunfish
Spotted Gar
Rosefin Shiner
Rosyside Dace
Southern Redbelly Dace

Giant Whip Scorpion
Possibly tarantula, depending on species

 

[TheGerenuk]

2-1 Rotterdam. Great collection in Rotterdam, but Denver does have a few interesting species.

 

[amur leopard]

The most recent complete list for Denver we have is from 2016; I excluded any that I know have departed the collection.

North American River Otter
California Sea Lion
Harbor Seal
Grizzly Bear
White-nosed Coati
Dall Sheep
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

Cinereous Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Steller's Sea Eagle
Bald Eagle
Canada Goose
Mallard Duck
North American Wood Duck
Marbled Teal
Egyptian Vulture
Ruddy Shelduck
American White Pelican

Prairie Rattlesnake
Florida Kingsnake
Copperhead
Alabama Map Turtle
Common Cooter
Diamondback Terrapin
Florida Red-bellied Turtle
Mississippi Map Turtle
Alligator Snapping Turtle
Spotted Turtle
Eastern Glass Lizard
Everglades Rat Snake
Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake
Three-toed Box Turtle

Barking Tree Frog
Eastern Newt

Blind Cave Fish (probably from Texas)
Black Crappie
Bowfin
Dollar Sunfish
Red Breast Sunfish
Spotted Gar
Rosefin Shiner
Rosyside Dace
Southern Redbelly Dace

Giant Whip Scorpion
Possibly tarantula, depending on species

To be fair to Denver, that is a good lineup. Would be interesting to see the conditions of living, but here are Rotterdam's species afaik.

Bison
Prairie dog
Polar bear
Arctic fox
Snowy owl
Northern raccoon
Swift fox
Rock squirrel
California sea lion

Puffin
Common guillemot
Black-legged kittiwake
Greater roadrunner
Burrowing owl
Common eider

Chuckwalla
Gila monster
Eastern king snake

Colorado River toad

And a few fish.

So far based on the species lists, my vote goes to Denver.

 

[vogelcommando]

Knowing Rotterdam pretty well ( and Denver not ) my vote goes to Rotterdam. Their North American area is great ( esp. IMO the Polar bear enclosure ) and the Arctic fox enclosure and also Bass Rock ( sea birds ) and the Oceanium ( large tunnel-aquarium with Atlantic fish and sea-turtles ) and the Sea of Cortez area are realy great and alos on conservation they do a lot ( some of the last Fire salamanders of Dutch orgin are kept in the Conservation center ). Also the breeding of Gila monsters is noteworth.
The breeding-colony of the Caspian pelicans and the big pond in the middle of the old zoo with lots of waterfowl and loads of sliders is always worth to watch for a while.
Because I don't know the Denver Zoo well but because the species-list is not bad I've made it a 2-1 score for Rotterdam.

 

[Coelacanth18]

Here are some photos of Rotterdam:

Polar Bear (foreground) and Bison (background)

Raccoons (photo showing that their exhibit has water for them to use)

Swift Fox

Sea Lion

Atlantic Tunnel in Oceanium

 

[Coelacanth18]

And now Denver. @Echobeast might be able to clarify if Harmony Hill is in its final form or still needs further planting and modeling before it's complete.

Harmony Hill (Brown Bears)

Sea Lions and Seals

Dall Sheep

Bighorn Sheep

 

[Chlidonias]

I gotta say, if those two lots of photos above were scrambled I wouldn't be able to say which photos were from which zoo. So looking at the species lists alone, I'm going 2-1 for Denver.

 

[Echobeast]

And now Denver. @Echobeast might be able to clarify if Harmony Hill is in its final form or still needs further planting and modeling before it's complete.

Harmony Hill (Brown Bears)

Sea Lions and Seals

Dall Sheep

Bighorn Sheep

Harmony Hill is now planted and looks better than when it first opened. I will mention that it appears that dall sheep are no longer in the collection along with river otters and Stellar’s sea eagle with the closing of Bird World.