A Guide to the Rarities of Europe

Great list! Just an error that I've noticed, likely due to a lack of recent updates:

They no longer have Hokkaido Squirrel.

 

I noticed that Zurich was not included in Switzerland, do you have a reason as to why?

 

It’s just in the following post, quoted above .

 

Boy do I feel dumb

 

And here is the UK - Part 2:

ZSL Whipsnade

One of England's top zoos for sure, Whipsnade also has a nice collection, although its rarity list is predominantly comprised of pupfishes and toothcarps and perhaps not the megafauna that one might associate with the zoo. The vast majority of Whipsnade's rarities therefore can be found in the aquarium, where ZSL tends to keep their endangered fish collection now that London's aquarium is no more.

Mammals: Francois' leaf monkey, Sri Lankan sloth bear.

Birds: Brolga, Northern rockhopper penguin, Southern sulawesi hornbill.

Fish: Acigol killifish, Arabian toothcarp, Boxer pupfish, Checkered pupfish, Common driftwood catfish, Dusky narrow hatchetfish, Flagtail butterfly tetra, Lipstick leporinus, Mangrove rivulus, Mezquital pupfish, Monterrey pupfish, Orangespot metynnis, Ornate pim catfish, Polka-dot splitfin, Potosi pupfish, Sainthouse's killifish, Salda killifish, Spotted royal pleco, Y-bar leporinus, Yellow-colored dwarf flagcichlid.

In summary, 25 rarities, of which 8 are bolded and a further 8 are underlined.

Eccleshall: Northern redbelly turtle, Yellow-spotted monitor.

Ellesmere Port: Wagler's temple pitviper, Bumble bee toad, Morelet's tree frog, Azure parrotfish, Chola guitarfish, Rock hind, Schoolmaster snapper.

Eynsford: Barbary falcon, Crowned hawk-eagle.

Fairseat: Black-tailed marmoset, Asian yellow pond turtle, Bavay's giant gecko, Lichenose leaf-tailed gecko, Gray tree frog, Wallace's flying fox.

Farnham (Birdworld): Bank cormorant, British red-billed chough, Emin's turaco, Golden-shouldered parrot, Greated necklaced laughingthrush, South Mexican white-throated magpie jay, Spectacled eider.

Frilford: Pale chanting goshawk.

Friskney: Bronze-winged parrot, Rueppell's parrot, Yellow-faced amazon.

Hagley: Aplomado falcon.

Hamerton Zoo

In my opinion, the best collection of rarities in the UK (though not the largest), and by far the best Australian collection on the continent. Hamerton is brimming with species you can find nowhere else on the continent, from the only representative of the ringtail possum family in Europe to two subspecies of Aardwolf to Tiger quolls to Squirrel gliders... the list goes on. The bird line-up isn't too shabby either, with Johnstone's cassowary and Barking owl being the two big rarities among them. Truly the UK's crowning jewel when it comes to rarities.

Mammals: Black-backed jackal, Central white-handed gibbon, Common brushtail possum, Common wombat, Eastern aardwolf, Eastern ring-tailed possum, Fat sand rat, Greater grison, Kerr's long-nosed potoroo, Malayan tiger, Oncilla, Ringtail, Rufous rat kangaroo, Southern aardwolf, Spinifex hopping mouse, Spotted-tail quoll, Squirrel glider, Tasmanian brushtail possum, White-bearded masked palm civet.

Birds: Australian brushturkey, Barking owl, British jay, Eastern red-tailed black cockatoo, Johnstone's cassowary.

Reptiles: Gillen's pygmy mulga, Marbled southern gecko, Thai bamboo ratsnake.

Fish: Barramundi, Chequered rainbowfish, Common eel-tail catfish, Delicate blue-eye, Obbes' catfish, Ornate rainbowfish, Primitive archerfish.

In summary, 34 rarities, of which 15 are bolded and a further 4 are underlined.
Just also a mention to the 19 mammal rarities, of which 7 are bolded and 3 are underlined.

Hastings: Angelshark, Yellow teardrop butterflyfish.

Paradise Park

A really nice bird collection, with rarities such as the Collared falconet and Moussier's redstart.

Birds: African chaffinch, Azure tit, British red-billed chough, Brown lory, Collared falconet, Indian tawny eagle, Moussier's redstart, Orange-headed thrush, Pesquet's parrot, Red-headed bunting, Southern purple-crested turaco, Thick-billed parrot, Venezuelan parakeet, Yellowish-streaked lory.

In summary, 14 rarities, of which 3 are bolded and a further 2 are underlined.

Heckmondwike: Pegu red squirrel.

Helmsley: African hawk eagle, Wahlberg's eagle.

Heythrop: Nelson's kingsnake, Osage copperhead.

Honeybourne: Golden jackal, Pardine genet, Virginia opossum, Gariau forest dragon.

Houghton Hall: Taiwan sika deer, Indian sambar.

Huby: Rusty-barred owl.

The Deep: Antarctic gentoo penguin, Lake Zacapu garter snake, Cigar wrasse, Green sawfish, Messmate pipefish, Tasselled wobbegong, Whitebarred wrasse.

Ilfracombe: Swainson's hawk.

Kessingland: African barn owl.

Kielder: European merlin, Greater kestrel, Pale chanting goshawk, Pariah kite.

Kington: Black-banded owl, Rusty-barred owl.

Kirby Wiske: East African tawny eagle.

Kirkleatham: African barn owl, Mindanao rufous hornbill, Pearl-spotted owlet, Sri Lankan junglefowl, Sunda scops owl, Tambourine dove, White-throated orange-headed ground thrush.

Kirkley Hall: Red bamboo snake, Amazonia horned frog, Clown tree frog, Vermiculated tree frog, Dusky jawfish, Molly, Orangeback fairy wrasse.

Knutsford: African harrier hawk, North African tawny eagle, Northern raven.

Lakeside: Arctic char, Boulenger's pricklenape.

Lancaster: Checkered gartersnake, Nelson's kingsnake, Leopard fringe-fingered lizard, Red-sided curly-tailed lizard.

Leeds Tropical World: Lesser Egyptian jerboa, African yellow white eye, White-throated orange-headed ground thrush, Shortnose boxfish, Tailspot corydoras.

Leeds Harewood: Buffy fish owl, Indian ring-necked parakeet, Lear's macaw.

Linton: White-collared brown lemur, Eastern red-tailed black cockatoo, Pale-billed aracari, Plush-crested jay.

Battersea Park Children's Zoo: Fea' tree frog.

London Horniman: Starck's demoiselle.

London Hounslow: Eastern kingsnake.

Kew Gardens: Copper headstander.

London SeaLife: European smelt, Honeycomb moray, Japanese pricklenape,Mangrove whipray, White grouper, White grunt.

London Zoo

Probably the best-known zoo on Earth, and one with among the most history of them all, London may have fallen from its status as the best (or one of the best) in the world, but it retains a lovely collection in places. Its reptile house in particular continues to house numerous rarities, along with the nocturnal area of the rainforest house. Despite not being the beast it once was, London remains a quality zoo and worth visiting, if only to appreciate the history and collection.

Mammals: Common water-rat, Grey slender loris, Northern narrow-striped mongoose, Potto.

Birds: African harrier hawk, Collared trogon, Scarlet-chested sunbird, Splendid sunbird, Southern sulawesi hornbill, Ultramarine grosbeak.

Reptiles: Amazon Basin emerald tree boa, Big-headed turtle, Central American bushmaster, Ethiopian mountain adder, Fiji short-crested iguana, Round Island skink.

Amphibians: Cayenne caecilian, Chapa bug-eyed frog, Common midwife toad, Congo caecilian, Iberian midwife toad, Lake Oku clawed frog, Sardinian brook salamander.

Fish: Blackbelly tilapia, Bluestriped dottyback, Bluestriped angelfish, Hawaiian squirrelfish, Midnight angelfish, Monterrey platyfish, Staghorn damselfish, Striped barombi mbo cichlid, Striped dottyback.

In summary, 32 rarities, of which 5 are bolded and a further 4 are underlined.

Next up, either Spain or the next part of the UK.

 

I would have mentionned White-collared brown lemur (Eulemur cinereiceps) at Linton as well

 

Thanks a lot for the correction, edited now .

 

@amur leopard,

Blue Planet Aquarium doesn't hold (as of my visit in June this year) Wagler's temple pitviper, Bumble bee toad, Morelet's tree frog, and Azure parrotfish any more. However the Chola guitarfish and Schoolmaster snapper are present but with only one individual seen of both species

Ponderosa zoo doesn't hold (as of my visit in June this year) the Pegu red squirrel

Hope this helps

 

We seem to have lost many of our cool squirrel species in the UK over the last few years... Such a shame.

 

Thanks for the corrections Dave - can’t edit the posts now though but I’m sure those reading the thread will take note.

 

Spain

A Coruna: Angelshark, East Atlantic red gurnard, Japanese bullhead shark, Sea lamprey.

Almeria Acuario: Long barbel goatfish.

Almeria: Saharan barbary sheep.

Almunecar: Razor-billed curassow, Western black lory.

Asguedas: Syrian brown bear, African harrier hawk, Yellow-legged gull.

Benalmadena: Macaroni penguin, Orange-legged leaf frog, Smooth helmeted iguana.

Benidorm Mundomar: Egyptian plover, Western corella.

Benidorm Terra Natura

A nice rattlesnake collection in particular, along with a few nice dove rarities, in particular the unique in Europe White-tipped dove.

Mammals: Guianan brown capuchin.

Birds: Eared dove, White-tipped dove, White-winged dove.

Reptiles: Carolina pygmy rattlesnake, Field's viper, Green vine snake, Keeled slug-eating snake, Horned adder, Leafnose snake, Long-nosed tree snake, Mexican black-tailed rattlesnake, Northwest Neotropical rattlesnake, Tamaulipan rock rattlesnake.

Amphibians: Rococo toad.

In summary, 15 rarities, of which 1 is bolded and 1 is underlined.

Biescas: Pyrenean chamois.

Cabarceno: Basilisk rattlesnake, Cane-brake rattlesnake, Black-necked spitting cobra, Dog-toothed cat snake, Horseshoe whip snake, Nubian spitting cobra, Ring-necked spitting cobra, Timor python, Timber rattlesnake.

Calahora: Band-bellied owl, Spanish raven.

Cangas de Onis: Band-bellied owl, Iberian badger.

Castellar: Sykes' monkey.

Cordoba: Iberian lynx, Iberian magpie.

El Escorial: Western Spanish ibex.

Elche: Angolan giraffe, Southeastern girdled lizard.

Estepona: Angolan giraffe, Iberian lynx, Australian ibis, Speckled kingsnake.

Fuengirola: Iberian mongoose, Western blue duiker, Collared kingfisher, Eastern grey-winged trumpeter, Little pied cormorant, Spot-billed pelican, Henkel's giant gecko.

Gijon: Brassy trevally, Giant trevally, Iberian emerald lizard, Undulated moray, Purple chromis.

Granada: Barking deer, Blue grey tanager, Asian giant toad, Cowtail whipray, Jenkins' whipray, Yellowcheek.

Guadalajara: Western Spanish ibex, Barbary partridge, Iberian grey partridge.

Guillena: Iberian jay, Spanish raven. Spotless starling.

Hinojosa: Southern African vervet monkey.

Jerez: Iberian lynx, Saharan barbary sheep, Audouin's gull, Caspian gull, Collared pratincole, Common gull-billed tern, Diademed amazon, Eurasian osprey, Grand eclectus parrot, Slender-billed gull.

La Puebla del Rio

A collection apparently specialising in shorebirds in particular, with some lovely rarities, not least the only Bar-tailed godwits, Whiskered terns and Red knots in captivity in Europe. It appears to predominantly house shorebirds that occur on the continent.

Birds: Audouin's gull, Bar-tailed godwit, Brambling, Calandra lark, Collared pratincole, Common-gull-billed tern, Crested lark, Curlew sandpiper, Dunlin, Greater snow goose, Iberian jay, Kentish plover, Mediterranean gull, Northern black-bellied whistling duck, Northern little ringed plover, Red knot, Red-knobbed coot, Ruddy turnstone, Slender-billed gull, Spanish raven, Spotless starling, Western black redstart, Whimbrel, Whiskered tern.

In summary, 24 rarities, of which 3 are bolded and a further 6 are underlined.

Madrid Atlantis: Bali catshark, Orange-dotted tuskfish, Whitespotted boxfish.

Madrid Safari: Black lechwe, D'Albert's python, Four-lined girdled lizard, Magellanic horned owl, Mali spiny-tailed lizard, Painted belly leaf frog, Scarlet-fronted parakeet, Timor python.

Madrid Faunia

Probably one of the more interesting and quirky collections in mainland Spain, Faunia holds some real oddities. A brace of night monkeys, cock of the rocks, brocket deer and a lovely handful of rare penguin species are just some of the animals that form part of the collection.

Mammals: Barking deer, Brown brocket deer, Hoffmann's two-toed sloth, Humboldt's night monkey, Nancy Ma's night monkey, Lesser Egyptian jerboa, Southern collared peccary.

Birds: Adelie penguin, African grey-headed gull, Andean cock-of-the-rock, Chestnut-eared aracari, Chinstrap penguin, Western rockhopper penguin, Yellow-legged gull.

Reptiles: Black-lined toadhead turtle, Mangrove pitviper, Mexican pygmy rattlesnake, Southwestern speckled rattlesnake.

Fish: Bucktooth tetra, Sulphur damsel, Violet goby.

In summary, 21 rarities, of which 3 are bolded and a further 5 are underlined.

Zoo Aquarium de Madrid

Perhaps with a less eclectic and smaller rarities list than the other zoo it shares its city with, Madrid Zoo still has a fair few nice rarities, not least the Iberian lynx or Sumatran elephants.

Mammals: Eastern Mueller's gibbon, Iberian lynx, South-East Spanish ibex, Sumatran elephant.

Birds: Western corella.

Reptiles: Bavay's giant gecko, Dusky pygmy rattlesnake, Wagler's temple pitviper, Western barred spitting cobra.

Amphibians: Painted belly leaf frog.

Fish: Abudjubbe's wrasse, Bali catshark, Doubletooth soldierfish, Great blue spotted mudskipper, Mummichog, Orange-dotted tuskfish, Reticulated puffer, Slender snipefish.

In summary, 18 rarities, of which 4 are bolded and a further 3 are underlined.

Murcia: Iberian lynx, Libyan barbary sheep, Yellow-legged gull.

Outeiro de Rei: Bronze-tailed peacock-pheasant, Erckel's francolin, Greater prairie chicken, Malay crestless fireback, Malayan peacock pheasant, Sri Lankan junglefowl, Sulawesi ground dove.

Outeiro de Rei Zoo: Western Spanish ibex.

Oviedo: Perez's frog, Plantain squirrel.

Penaguilla: Atlas barbary sheep.

Pravia: Montagu's harrier, Plush-crested jay.

Santa Pola: Baillon's wrasse, Brown ray, Doderlein wrasse, Leerfish, Mediterranean starry ray, Rusty blenny, Spiny butterfly ray, Whiskered sole.

Part 2 should be coming soon.

 

And the rest of Spain:

Santillana del Mar

A really curious collection, with a fair few local rarities but also some nice exotic bird species to accompany it's nice European collection. Highlights include the African golden-breasted bunting and a handful of rare finch species. It is also the only place in Europe where one can see two different whydah species.

Mammals: Iberian badger, South-East Spanish ibex, Western Spanish ibex.

Birds: African golden-breasted bunting, Black and white munia, Chestnut munia (NS), Chinese grosbeak, Eastern paradise whydah, Hildebrandt's francolin, Pin-tailed whydah, Red-billed starling, Red-headed finch, Ruddy ground dove, Spanish raven.

Zoo Koki: Audouin's gull, Barbary partridge, Black-winged kite, Philby's partridge, Sri Lankan junglefowl.

Sevilla: Andulasian barbel, Blue-barred parrotfish, Devil firefish, Eastern Atlantic red gurnard, Leerfish, Mummichog, Purplemouth moray, Senegalese sole, White grunt, White-spotted spinefoot.

Tabernas (Oasys Mini Hollywood)

If anyone has visited this place, I would love to hear your thoughts on the exhibits and the zoo as a whole. One thing is for sure - this place has some really interesting species. The only Rueppell's foxes and Blanford's foxes in Europe (the latter coming from the Arabian Wildlife Centre iirc), along with Swift foxes and Nancy Ma's night monkeys. Add to that a nice herp collection and it makes for a truly unique series of species.

Mammals: Blanford's fox, Nancy Ma's night monkey, Rueppell's sand fox, Swift fox, Syrian brown bear.

Birds: Costa Rica mealy amazon, Western plantain eater.

Reptiles: Cape dwarf gecko, Eastern sand boa, Frog-eyed sand gecko, Iraqi spiny tailed lizard, Mount Kenya three-horned chameleon, Pacific giant gecko, Steppe agama, Tree runner.

Amphibians: Betsileo Madagascar frog.

In summary, 16 rarities, of which 3 are bolded and a further 2 are underlined.

Valencia Bioparc: Black-backed jackal, Ethiopian klipspringer, Spotted-necked otter, Thomson's gazelle, Stoen partridge, Madagascar rain frog, Deep water hap.

L'Oceanografic

Widely considered one of, if not the best of, Europe's aquariums, L'Oceanografic is an architectural delight as well as a natural one. The collection almost seems like a side-show when placed next to the amazing buildings in which they are housed. I should also mention the Beluga whales, which, while they didn't make it on the rarity list due to the large number of collections holding them in Russia, are unique in Western Europe.

Birds: Collared pratincole, Common murre, Kentish plover, Northern little ringed plover, Red-knobbed coot, Tufted puffin.

Amphibians: Perez's frog.

Fish: African striped grunt, Angular roughshark, Arabian picassofish, Banded butterflyfish, Bay of Bengal hogfish, Black perch, Blacksmith chromis, Black surgeonfish, Blue runner, Blue stingray, Bluebanded goby, Bonefish, Brown-marbled grouper, Bull ray, C-O sole, Checkered puffer, Common silver-biddy, Dotted moray, Double whiptail, European barracuda, Exquisite wrasse, Fivestripe wrasse, Freshwater sawfish, Giant sunfish, Grass puffer, Gray snapper, Green sunfish, Halfmoon, Iberian spined loach, Largescale blackfish, Lined butterflyfish, Long-barbel goatfish, Longfin yellowtail, Lusitanian cownose ray, Marbled stingray, Puddingwife wrasse, Rainbow seaperch, Rock wrasse, Round fantail stingray, Saddled brown rockfish, Senorita wrasse, Sixbar wrasse, Spanish grunt, Spanish toothcarp, Spotband butterflyfish, Swellshark, Tasselled wobbegong, Threespot damselfish, Tiger moray, Valencia toothcarp, Western scorpionfish, White grunt, White mullet, White-barred boxfish, Yellowtail demoiselle.

In summary, 62 rarities, of which 20 are bolded and a further 15 are underlined.

Vigo: Bibron's thick-toed gecko, Cook's tree boa, Gran Canaria giant lizard, Malagasy blonde hognose snake.

Zaragoza Aquarium

Another fairly large fish collection, highlighting the proximity of the Iberian peninsula to the ocean and seas and contrasting heavily with for example Czechia or Austria, whose landlocked position reflects in the species variety in their collections and even in Germany, a country with some yet limited exposure to the seas given the short coastline.

Fish: Apollo sharkminnow, Bayad, Black bullhead, Black wolffish, Blacktail catfish, Brilliant rasbora, Chinese phoenix barb, Ebro barbel, Ebro nase, Grandider's Malagasy cichlid, Humpback pufferfish, Indochinese needlefish, Mayan cichlid, Oriental weatherloach, Red-striped rainbowfish, Silver distichodus, Slobbering catfish, Trahira, Zig-zag eel.

In total, 19 rarities, of which 7 are bolded and a further 5 are underlined.

Barcelona Aquarium

Another big aquarium, which I enjoyed visiting a few years back, though didn't find it to be anything special, certainly not compared to Valencia's. Still, good collection.

Fish: African striped grunt, Angular roughshark, Barred thicklip, Bucktooth tetra, Giant goby, Lantern toby, Mediterranean starry ray, Mottled grouper, Pearl toby, Pilotfish, Red drum, Red-striped cardinalfish, Red-tailed freshwater barracuda, Redspotted hawkfish, Ringneck blenny, Spotted seabass, Threespot damselfish, Yellow-headed goby.

In summary, 18 rarities, of which 5 are bolded and a further 4 are underlined.

Barcelona Zoo

A fairly large ABC collection, but nevertheless some nice rarities to go with it, including some unique forms of aforementioned ABC species (Amazon jaguar, Masai ostrich, Black-faced impala) and some more diminutive rarities: Lesser grey shrikes, Spanish asps and Montseny brook salamanders.

Mammals: Amazon jaguar, Black-faced impala, Libyan barbary sheep.

Birds: Blue-breasted kingfisher, Blue-streaked lory, Collared kingfisher, Lesser grey shrike, Masai ostrich, Mexican white-fronted amazon, Western plaintain eater.

Reptiles: Asian yellow pond turtle, East Indian box turtle, Incised wood turtle, Malayan box turtle, Spanish asp viper, Western Montpellier snake.

Amphibians: Mediterranean tree frog, Montseny brook salamander, Perez's frog.

Fish: Spanish toothcarp.

In summary, 20 rarities, of which 4 are bolded and a further 4 are underlined.

Barcelona Cosmocaixa: Cook's tree boa, Snow pleco.

Cangas de Onis: Iberian badger, Band-bellied owl.

Empuriabrava: Painted bunting, Western black lory, Yellow-mantled widowbird.

Moja: Painted firetail.

Mollo: Pyrenean chamois, South-east Spanish ibex.

Galdar: Amazon Basin emerald tree boa, Central American bushmaster.

Las Palmas Aquarium

Another large aquarium - unsurprising given its location on the Balearic Islands, an area of the world which previously relied on fishing for its economy.

Amphibians: Fringed leaf frog.

Fish: Barred hogfish, Bermuda sea chub, Black piranha, Bluefish, Brown moray, Bull ray, Dotted moray, Fusca drum, Giant freshwater stingray, Green neon, Highfin glass perchlet, Humpback unicornfish, Island grouper, Longfin yellowtail, Madeira rockfish, Masked puffer, Pink dentex, Putitor mahseer, Roughtail stingray, Round fantail stingray, Spiny butterfly ray, Starck's demoiselle, Sunset butterflyfish, Tiger moray, White trevally, Whitespotted boxfish, Yellowmouth barracuda.

In summary, 28 rarities, of which 5 are bolded and a further 6 are underlined.

Maspalomas: Southern talapoin, Eastern grey-cheeked hornbill, Gang-gang cockatoo, Massena's lorikeet, Northern festive amazon, Pesquet's parrot, Red-fan parrot, Red-spectacled amazon, Red-winged parrot, White-eared parakeet.

Brena Alta: Lowe's monkey, Canary Islands raven, Red-breasted lory.

Puerto del Carmen: White-tailed hawk.

Palma Aquarium

Yet another aquarium on a Spanish archipelago. Don't really know what to write on this one but if you're reading all this, well done, impressive commitment.

Fish: Bandtooth conger, Bicoloured dottyback, Bull ray, Carpet-red blenny, Dark-striped squirrelfish, European barracuda, Florida pompano, Geometric moray, Maldive anemonefish, Scalloped hammerhead shark, Southern maori wrasse, Spiny butterfly ray, Whip-fin wrasse, White-barred boxfish, Yellowfin angelfish.

In summary, 15 rarities, of which 6 are bolded and a further 4 are underlined.

Santa Eugenia: Barred cuckoo dove, Red-knobbed imperial pigeon, South African yellow-billed duck.

Los Cristianos Las Aguilas: Gray gibbon, Ambon red lory, Blue-streaked lory, Chimango caracara, Red-fan parrot.

Los Cristianos Monkey Park: Allen's swamp monkey, Lowe's monkey, Red-mantled saddle-back tamarin, Sykes' monkey, Indian silverbill, Red pileated finch, Banded spiny-tailed lizard, Eyed dabb lizard.

And that is it for Spain! For Loro Parque, just go to page 9. On the home strait now, only got one more installment - the last part of the UK - to go.

 

I couldn't agree more. To be honest small mammals in general have decreased in species diversity over the years.

 

Nice to read that there are some brocket deer left in Europe.

 

Only one female left.

 

Barcelona has Red-rumped Putty-nosed guenon, they are the only holder according to ztl

 

Not sure about how I must interpret this for a collection that is entirely freshwater.

 

It might be short, but beautiful, urging you to return. #meerweh

 

Good point, my bad. My general point does still stand though, but admittedly not in relation to Zaragoza.