Mixed species exhibit ideas:

I know both the pike and gar are typically hyper-aggressive toward anything that encroaches on their territory... albeit they are both also carnivorous. I'd say remove both and you should be good.

I am gonna use this as a question myself... are Muskellunge held in captivity?

 

Brook Trout won't work because it needs cooler water than the other species. Otherwise this mix would work.

Yes. They're common in many state fish hatcheries in the US, present in the private trade in small numbers, and I've personally been to 3 zoos keeping them (ZTL lists 5 total holders).

 

Sydney Aquarium keeps Spotted Gar with archerfish, lungfish, Freshwater Longtom and probably more that I am forgetting in their "Jurassic Seas" tank.

 

Can Hyacinth Macaw, Blue-Billed Curassow, and a single species of smaller bird like Venezuelan Troupial, Crested Oropendola, or Yellow-Rumped Cacique work?

 

Perhaps spotted gar is a less aggressive species than alligator or Florida gar, both of which I am more familiar with

 

Can other birds be mixed successfully with red-crowned cranes? Specifically, I'm thinking about some waterfowl, black-faced spoonbill, Japanese quail, and azure-winged magpies, although I'm assuming the latter is probably a no?

 

In my experience the magpies would predate the quail eggs/chick's

 

If the cranes didn’t get there first!

 

So what I'm hearing is I should do cranes with spoonbills and waterfowl in one aviary (specifically I'm thinking Baer's pochard, falcated teal, Baikal teal), and the magpies with non-breeding quails in a second, is probably ideal?

 

Hopefully you don't intend to breed any of those ducks with the cranes present.

 

Would Rose-Ringed Parakeet, Nutmeg Mannikin and Red-Throated Parrot-Finch be ok in a large butterfly house or would they perhaps feast on the butterflies?

 

Rose-Ringed Parakeets will chew on buds/flowers of bushes/trees planted in that hall over time so I would not include them. The other two species should be ok, I would just observe them during chick rearing when they might look for additional protein. Tip - Bengalese finches are proven to not harm (larger) butterflies so they a safe bet.

 

Melbourne tried having the parrot finches in their butterfly house, but they ate them. I would not go with that species.

 

Would these species work for a Sumatran rainforest themed, glass-fronted, diorama-style aviary?
1.1 Great Argus
1.1 Cotton Pygmy Goose
2.3 Emerald Dove
2.2 Pied Imperial Pigeon
1.1 Asian Fairy Bluebird
1.2 Bali Mynah
0.2 Asian Forest Tortoise

 

I see no reason this wouldn't work.

 

A mix of sizes was specifically requested in the post I replied to, so that is what I provided. It is not necessarily a hard and fast rule that these mixes work better --they just provide more visual interest to the exhibit. That said, sometimes having species of different sizes can work better because they are not in direct competition with each other and are sometimes less likely to see each other as rivals. Wildebeest, lesser kudu, and impala is a mix that has been successfully before. Wildebeest are known aggressors towards offspring of other animals, though, so you would have to consider their management if you wanted to breed any of the other species.

Springbok usually do fine with other animals, they just tend to be quite fractious in smaller spaces. The males are ones that are notorious for trying to fight above their weight class, though, so that is just something to keep in mind. Both of these are also true for Grant's gazelles. Somali wild asses have the same general tendencies of other Equids, so they do not always do very well in mixes unless there is a lot of space. I certainly would not want to be breeding any other animals with them. In my experience, though, they due tend to have better temperaments than zebras. They're my preferred Equid by a mile. Fringe-eared oryx are probably the most mild-mannered of the oryx taxa along with the scimitar-horneds, so you can get away with more with them than gemsbok or Arabians. That said, they are also more flighty than the other oryx and require more space.

Both species of lechwe generally do fine with other species. The biggest issue is that the Niles, specifically, are highly fractious.

This would be a gamble. With enough space, this might work, but it also could very easily go south. The presence of females does not automatically decrease the probability for aggression. Once these animals get to sexual maturity, they will start to spar and fight whether there are females present or not. Yes, the presence of females will increase fighting, but it will happen either way. Bachelor herds are really tricky to get right, and even then, they usually still have an expiration date. They seem to work best if the animals are either born from the same herd or to a lesser extent if the animals are introduced to each other at a young and similar age. It is very hard to introduce adult males to each other with no prior familiarity with each other. It is also very difficult to reintegrate a male into a bachelor herd after he has been with a breeding herd. He will then most often have little tolerance for the other males

Bontebok seem to do very poorly in mixed-species exhibits to the point that I do not think it is worth trying -- especially given how valuable they are. They are aggressive, unpredictable, and territorial.

Cape buffalo are an interesting one because while they are known for being very aggressive and territorial, they are not usually instigators. They very much keep to themselves unless provoked, but if they feel threatened, especially if they have calves, the whole herd will act together against the threat. They are fiercely protective of each other. They do not usually go out of their way to be aggressive towards other animals in the way that bontebok or sable or wildebeest sometimes do. Most other animals seem to know that when the buffalo are present the buffalo are in charge, and the other animals give way to them. The key is absolutely space. The other animals need to have space to keep away from the buffalo, and the buffalo need space so that they do not feel threatened or trapped. With that, I would say no to the bontebok But perhaps to the gazelles if there is enough space.

 

I came up with these a few days ago, but I'm a bit unsure about them.

1. White-faced capuchin, red-faced spider monkey, gray squirrel monkey, giant anteater
2. Golden-headed lion tamarin, tamandua
3. Baird's tapir, capybara, two-toed sloth (more about tapir and sloth, capybara goes well with each, I think)
4. Okapi, red river hog, black-and-white colobus
5. West Indian manatee, alligator snapping turtle
6. Atlantic puffin, Inca tern, pied avocet, common eider
7. Matschie's tree kangaroo, kiwi, kookaburra, palm cockatoo
8. Lion-tailed macaque, babirusa
9. Olive baboon, aardvark
10. Great Indian hornbill, hoopoe, Murray river turtle
11. Caribbean flamingo, scarlet macaw, blue-and-gold macaw, keel-bellied toucan, scarlet ibis, roseate spoonbill, white stork, intermediate egret, green-winged teal, red-footed tortoise

I'm probably crazy, I guess I just want to know if there's any remote chance.

 

All three monkey species have been mixed with other monkeys before, but usually not two others. I suggest dropping one of the species. Anteaters should be fine in this mix.

These should all work just fine

These should technically work, but the question is as to why you would want to mix them. Tapirs require a lot of space, while sloths don't move much and need relatively dense climbing structures that tapirs wouldn't be able to navigate well.
Same for the manatee/snapping turtle mix. Manatees require very large tanks and a snapping turtle would only sit in one corner of said tank, meaning visitors would essentially never see it. You'd be much better off with a slider or map turtle

These I don't think would work.
River hogs dig a lot, which would mean the ground would be too unstable for the Okapis to walk comfortably. Both of them should work fine with Colobuses though.
A kiwi wouldn't fare well with a larger mammal that will take the opportunity to eat eggs or even birds if they're too slow.
Olive baboons are almost guaranteed to tear an Aardvark apart. Quite violently.

The turtles are a bit odd in here, but technically won't cause any issue. Mix 11 is basically a description of the Crimson wetlands in Bird Paradise Singapore, so it should work fine.

 

I had forgotten how horrifying baboons could be for some reason.

 

Would a mix of two toed sloth, hyacinth macaw, and red footed tortoise work?