Note: ASDM has some very outdated and at times confusing signage. Many of the species signed in some places may not be there and have been gone for years. Therefore, rather than simply going off signage as I normally do, this time I only note the species that a) I physically saw, or b) I feel relatively confident are the true inhabitants of the enclosure. Open-topped Lizard Exhibit outside entrance signed for about a dozen species of native lizard, none seen; not sure if any are present Ectotherm Building (not sorted by individual enclosures) Amphibian Exhibits: Colorado River Toad, Western Toad, Great Plains Toad, North American Green Toad, Red-spotted Toad, Canyon Treefrog, Barred Tiger Salamander (Sonoran ssp), Couch’s Spadefoot Toad, Mexican Leaf Frog (Agalychnis dacnicolor) Herp Exhibits: Banded Rock Rattlesnake, Twin-spotted Rattlesnake, Spiny-tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura spp), San Esteban Chuckwalla, Gila Monster, Arizona Black Rattlesnake, Black-tailed Rattlesnake, Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes – Sonoran ssp), Rosy Boa, Long-nosed Snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei), Milksnake, Green Rat Snake (Senticolis triaspis), Tiger Rattlesnake, Northern Boa (Boa imperator/Boa constrictor imperator), Baja California Rattlesnake, Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake, Gopher Snake, Cantil (Agkistrodon bilineatus), Mojave Rattlesnake, Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Madrean Alligator Lizard (Elgaria kingii), Arizona Mountain Kingsnake Invert Exhibits: Carolina Wolf Spider (Hogna carolinensis), Arizona Brown Spider (Loxosceles arizonica), Mexican Fireleg Tarantula (Brachypelma boehmei), Western Black Widow (Latrodectus hesperus), Arizona Black Hole / Net Web Spider (Kukulcania arizonica), Arizona Blond Tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes), Six-spotted Fishing Spider (Dolomedes triton), Giant Hairy Scorpion (Hadrurus arizonensis), Bark Scorpion (Centruroides exilicauda), Stripe-tailed Scorpion (Vaejovis spinigerus), Giant Vinegaroon (Mastigoproctus giganteus), Desert Stink Beetle (Eleodes spp), Giant Desert Centipede (Scolopendra heros), Western Short-horn Walkingstick (Parabacillus hesperus), Desert Millipede (Orthoporus ornatus), Blue Death Feigning Beetle (Asbolus verrucosus), Water Scorpion (Ranatra quadridentata), Giant Water Bug (Lethocerus medius) Aquarium Building (mostly unsorted by enclosure) Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus), Sonora Chub (Gila ditaenia), Roundtail Chub (Gila robusta), Humpback Chub (Gila cypha), Apache Trout (Oncorhynchus apache), Sergeant Major (Abudefduf saxatilis), Mexican Hogfish (Bodianus diplotaenia), Flame Cardinalfish (Apogon pseudomaculatus), Hi-hat (Pareques acuminatus), Spotted Sharpnose Puffer (Canthigaster solandri), Splendid Garden Eel (Gorgasia preclara), Spotted Garden Eel (Heteroconger hassi), Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris), Seahorse (Hippocampus spp), Brittle Star, Three-banded Butterflyfish (Chaetodon robustus), Hermit Crab (Dardanus spp), Barberfish (Johnrandallia nigrirostris) Cabo Pulmo Coral Reef Tank: Blotcheye Soldierfish (Myripristis berndti), Coral Hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus), Beaubrummel (Stegastes flavilatus), Horn Shark (Heterodontus francisci), Cortez Rainbow Wrasse (Thalassoma lucasanum), Pacific Creolefish (Paranthias colonus), Barred Flagtail (Kuhlia mugil), Convict Surgeonfish (Acanthurus triostegus), Lookdown (Selene vomer), Cortez Damselfish (Stegastes rectifraenum), Cortez Angelfish (Pomacanthus zonipectus) (Some unsigned fish were also present – for example, an unidentified moray eel) Hummingbird Aviary Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Costa’s Hummingbird, Broad-billed Hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird (Of these I saw Rufous, Broad-billed, and either Costa’s or Black-chinned. In 2021 they had Lucifer Hummingbird, which I did not see.) Walkthrough Aviary Nothing in this aviary was signed. I saw and ID’ed the following species: Gambel’s Quail, White-winged Dove, Inca Dove, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Yellow Warbler, Northern Cardinal Underground Building Nine-banded Armadillo, Arizona Blond Tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes), Merriam’s Kangaroo Rat, Vinegaroon (Mastigoproctus tohono), Western Lyre Snake (Trimorphodon biscutatus), White-throated Woodrat, Western Banded Gecko, Ringtail Standalone Exhibits near Walk-through Aviary and Wetlands Desert Tortoise (probably G. morafkai, signed as agassizii) Desert Bighorn Sheep Wetlands American Beaver North American River Otter Fish in tanks and in beaver/river otter ponds (not sorted): Longfin Dace (Agosia chrysogaster), Gila Topminnow (Poeciliopsis occidentalis), Beautiful Shiner (Cyprinella formosa), Bonytail Chub (Gila elegans), Yaqui Chub (Gila purpurea), Razorback Sucker (Xyrauchen texanus), Colorado Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius) Small Native Carnivore Area Ocelot Gray Fox Bobcat Life on the Rocks Note: this area had many enclosures, both open-topped and mesh-topped above ground and smaller tanks set into the rock wall. Most of these enclosures were signed but had no visibly live inhabitants, with some of them containing figurines or cardboard cutouts of the animals signed. I have no idea what the deal is with this area, so I’m only listing the animals I saw and feel confident were real (i.e. I saw them move or know them to be real). Elf Owl (signed but apparently empty) Striped Skunk (unseen, but someone else has photographed it recently) Mesh Aviary: signed for many native birds and a lizard, only saw many unsigned Chiricahua Leopard Frogs Greater Roadrunner, Antelope Jackrabbit Trail Coyote Collared Peccary Open-topped Lizard Exhibit: signed for Common Collared Lizard and Common Chuckwalla, saw neither Woodland/Stream Habitats Black-tailed Prairie Dog Great Blue Heron Empty vulture exhibit Burrowing Owl Row of Herp Enclosures: Black-tailed Rattlesnake, Prairie Rattlesnake, Gopher Snake (Sonoran ssp) Northern Grasshopper Mouse Harvest Ants (not sure if display had live insects or not) Ornate Box Turtle (Desert ssp) Large Mammal Path Mule Deer, White-tailed Deer (Coue’s ssp) Mexican Gray Wolf Puma American Black Bear Several smaller side enclosures, none of which appear to still be in use
The lone Elf Owl died some time ago sadly. I thought they had the Sonoran species of desert tortoise? That's what's native to Arizona. I would also imagine the Ctenosaura sp. is the same as the hybrids they have living wild on the ground. Overall seems they still have some nice species but the collection continues to dwindle... ~Thylo
You're probably right about the tortoise, though the signage says Gopherus agassizii still. I edited that listing and added that the Elf Owl habitat is empty. Not sure on the Ctenosaura; it was just signed "spiny-tailed iguana" with that Latin name. It says the species is native to Mexico, which is correct. I don't know what species have been split off of hemilopha though.
I can confirm that ASDM's Ctenosaura is Ctenosaura conspicuosa × macrolopha, the same (hybrid) species that lives on the zoo's grounds.
The following species have been kept in the Walkthrough Aviary in the past couple of years, I wouldn't be surprised if some of these are still around in there, just staying hidden: Pyrrhuloxia Hermit Thrush Black-throated Magpie-Jay Baltimore Oriole Black-headed Grosbeak Masked Bobwhite Black-crowned Night-Heron
I always imagined that the ASDM would have excellent signage! I am really surprised at how poor and confusing it is. How did you confirm it?
The Pyrrhuloxia they have are actually Pyrrhuloxia x Northern Cardinal hybrids. In 2021 I also saw Hooded Oriole, Western Tanager, and White-winged Dove
I was very surprised when I visited in 2018, too. From the sounds of things, it's worse now than it was then. The animal signage is tied in very nicely with their museum-style signage talking about the various ecosystems they're portraying. It makes for some great signage--until you go out of a species and need to either replace the whole sign, patch the sign, or leave it incorrect. Life in the Rocks was the perfect example of this when I went: only about half the habitats were stocked and fewer still signed for the species they held. Most of the smaller invertebrate and herp displays have been empty for years, as has the bat cave (though I believe it may now house some fake bats). The pond habitat with frogs that @Coelacanth18 mentioned is signed with the birds it held from when the exhibit opened. Believe me I was very confused when I could hear birds singing but find only frogs in the habitat. The birds I was hearing were wild birds calling from bushes behind the aviary. The hog-nosed skunk was still signed despite being dead for quite some years and its habitat then housing antelope-squirrel. The walkthrough aviary has a tile wall outside of it that's covered in tiles of native birds. I believe those were the original occupants of the aviary, but I'm not sure if a single species there is actually present anymore. When I went, they had temp signs inside the aviary for birds, but apparently not anymore. The hummingbird aviary just signs various species native to the area, I don't think they've actually had Black-Chinned Hummingbird. I don't think the living collection is much of a priority nowadays at the museum, the museum is. The signage is tied into their story and I don't think they're bothered much by whether it accurately represents what animals people are seeing. What kind of surprises me more than just incorrect signage is that they've apparently left the few small side aviaries dotted around empty yet still signed for birds that died years ago. These aviaries aren't really built into the museum exhibitory, but are rather side displays. I'm not sure why they'd leave them standing and signed with birds they don't have if they've no intention of using them. ~Thylo
I read the signage when I visited last year. It says that the individual was captured from the wild on the museum's grounds.
The sign says this: "This species of spiny-tailed iguana is native to Mexico but many years ago they were introduced to the Desert Museum, where they are feral on the grounds." It doesn't say the lizard itself was caught on the grounds, but it *does* claim that hemilopha is the feral species on the grounds. Where did the conspicuosa x macrolopha ID come from? It is possible the "Northern Cardinal" I saw was a Pyrrhuloxia x Northern Cardinal hybrid - in fact, my Merlin app recorded a Pyrrhuloxia when I was in there (it's often wrong so I didn't think much of it). That was the only bird I saw and wasn't able to photograph, so no way to tell now... it just looked to me like a Northern Cardinal. Cannot confirm any of those other recent birds. It's possible I missed some, but I did two slow loops around the aviary and checked in a lot of hiding places. It certainly does I have a photo of it that I'll upload when I get the chance. Also a cardboard cutout of a Western Banded Gecko. I didn't see any, but it's possible I missed them; I was running tight on time and when I didn't see any obviously up-to-date signage anywhere I immediately went to work on an "ID-by-photo" plan. Given we have locals and people visiting regularly I figured it could be remedied in post. I suppose it's also possible that native rehab birds cycle through there quickly, making comprehensive signage difficult... that's just a speculation though.
There's Northern Cardinals in there too, so it's entirely possible you did see a Northern Cardinal. Was the bird you saw male or female? If it was male you saw a Northern Cardinal, but if it was female it could have been either. Northern Cardinals and Pyrrhuloxias sound very much alike, I can't tell them apart by voice. It's entirely possible you heard one, but if you did it would have been a wild bird.
Interesting. Not sure what conclusions to draw from that... I'll just mark the captive individual as Ctenosaura spp. Don't remember. It's been a few months since I visited and I nearly forgot I even saw it at all since I don't have any photos.
Here's the original paper: https://www.researchgate.net/public...e_grounds_of_the_Arizona-Sonora_Desert_Museum
It seems strange to me that the ASDM wouldn't remove these animals from the wild entirely. They are exotic to the area and although they haven't spread beyond the immediate area that could become a case of "yet". The assumption here is that the surrounding areas are not suitable for them, but this is just supposition. Invasive species sometimes maintain small local populations for quite a long time before suddenly taking off and becoming a problem. Removing them while the number of lizards is still small and easily managed would be a much better strategy than simply hoping they don't become a problem later on.
Some updates from my recent visit: I didn't do a full signage sweep in here (visited at the end and the electronic signs change very slowly) but a couple new species I noted were Jewel Moray and Heniochus bannerfish. The latter was signed as "False Moorish Idol" and talked about how they are a good alternative to that fish because they look similar but fare better in aquarium tanks. Once again I saw Rufous, Broad-billed, and Costa's Hummingbirds. On this visit I did not see Yellow Warbler; I did see several Masked Bobwhite and Hooded Orioles, which I did not last time. I also got good views and photos of the Northern Cardinal x Pyrrhuloxia hybrids; one looks very much like a female Northern Cardinal to me, while the other one does look like a hybrid. The ringtail, tarantula, and lyre snake are gone. Now present are Mexican Spadefoot Toad (unseen) and two duplicates from the reptile room: Rosy Boa and Long-nosed Snake. There is now an enclosure for White-nosed Coati, though according to @Arizona Docent the animal is actually a South American Coati. The vulture exhibit is still empty and under renovation, as is the Great Blue Heron enclosure next to it.
Were you able to see any!? Take any photos?? When I went in 2021 they had just lost their final one, I think the day before I arrived!!
To be honest, I'm not sure. It looked like there was a fluffy lump sleeping inside the little wooden house they have in the enclosure, but with the glare/shadow and angle I wasn't able to photograph it for any kind of confirmation. It seems like they might have something in there at least, but whether it's grasshopper mouse I couldn't tell you.
