My personal 'unusual' favourite were the long-beaked echidnas at Taronga Zoo. Whilst Taronga and many other Australian zoos have short-beaked echidnas on-show, Taronga also has a pair of old long-beaked echidnas, off-show, near the nocturnal house. Does anyone know of any other long-beaked echidnas in captivity? They really are fantastic creatures and a lot larger and different in shape than their more common relatives, and it really was a privilege to see them up close, foraging around in their enclosure after dark.
Just wanted to call attention to a stunning set of spider and scorpion shots from Skansen Aquarium that Bonobo has just uploaded. Skansen Aquarium Gallery @ vs0u2086 - that's one species that's very high up my wish list!
There's been a bruijni at Moscow for many years. I saw one in the Clore pavilion in London in with fruit bats many years ago.
Indeed, just the 1.0 at Moscow Zoo. I didn't know Taronga still has two off show, i thought they had long died... Amazing creatures, high on the wish-list!
ISIS lists the Moscow one as bruijni but the Taronga ones are bartoni (the single long-beaked echidna species was of course split up several years ago)
They may have done - it was over ten years ago I tussled with them. I only mentioned it to make people jealous! Hix
i have visited taronga on a number of occasions just to see the LB echidnas. being nocturnal they have unfortunately never once showed themselves. now they are off display. i am jealous hix.
As some may know, last weekend I was dah'n Sah'f for the IZES meeting at the British Wildlife Centre. Over the weekend I did four small collections in the company of fellow enthusiasts, each of which had a standout non-ABC animal on view. http://www.zoochat.com/1092/blue-ducks-arundel-wwt-13-03-a-136492/ We begin at Arundel WWT, which if it's famous for any captive species, is famous for its New Zealand Blue Ducks (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchus). This is a species I had never seen before (Arundel's 2.1 are the only ones in Europe) and my word they're a bit special. Very odd-looking ducks with their curious bill and very loud calling. The two birds on show are the widely-publicised 'gay couple' Ben and Jerry, who have paired up to the exclusion of their female companion. The birds have become inseparable, so the centre have had to put ambitions of breeding to one side for now! http://www.zoochat.com/899/coils-yellow-lipped-sea-krait-brighton-136871/ That afternoon we battled the weekend traffic to reach Brighton SeaLife Centre, which is currently home to Yellow-lipped Sea Kraits (Laticauda colubrina). Sea snakes of any kind are very rare captive subjects, and Brighton's are in an exhibit moved lock, stock and barrel from Blackpool (where I previosuly just missed seeing them!). I didn't get the greatest of views, on the first loop just some coils in a cave; later a view of a flicking tail underwater, which at least allowed me to see the flattened tail which gives the genus its name. http://www.zoochat.com/722/european-water-shrew-british-wildlife-centre-137230/ Up bright and early the next morning for the meeting at the British Wildlife Centre. There were actually several species here that would have been new for me (including European Mole and Yellow-necked Field Mouse) but given the small and secretive nature of these species, it was never liely I would see all of them. In the end, only one of the new species for me showed itself - but it was something of a star - the European Water Shrew (Neomys fodiens). The single animal spent a good amount of time zipping back and forth around its exhibit to the delight of the small crowd of zoo enthusiasts who gathered to watch! This was my first living (true) shrew - its the biggest European species so quite a bit larger than the average shrew. I did after a couple of attempts manage something approaching a photograph! http://www.zoochat.com/722/red-bellied-macaw-tilgate-nature-centre-137774/ On the way home we called in at Tilgate Nature Centre in Crawley. The star here was another avian one - Red-bellied Macaw (Orthopsittaca manilata). I'm still not entirely sure if I've seen this species before or not - certainly my records show I've never photographed one previously. A strange looking macaw with a large amount of bare skin around the eye. A great way to end a fascinating zoological (and social!) weekend. As a final thought, I'd be intrigued to know if any fellow ABC-escapees could help with an ID for this curious crustacean at Brighton: http://www.zoochat.com/899/unidentified-crustacean-brighton-sealife-centre-13-a-136873/
its a species of slipper lobster. You may have to do a google search on them to get a specific identity
Cheers - I suspected slipper lobster at the time. Will maybe spend an afternoon on Google at some point! Fabulous beastie, in any case.
we had one in my Aquarium for years until his untimely death. Much more of an interesting animal than the regular spiny lobsters
Very interesting Maguari. I saw the blue ducks briefly last year, but I hope to revisit Arundel soon. Tilegate looks interesting: I think I've seen manilata before (like you) but I've never had a good clear view, I'm impressed that they are breeding. I've never seen a live shrew either. I've seen the new water shrew cage at Slimbridge, but the only thing moving was the water shrew food (buffalo worms I think), so you have made me jealous. Alan
here's a moult of the slipper lobster I used to have http://www.zoochat.com/399/display-moult-nz-slipper-lobster-arctites-140956/ really cool animals
I believe this is one of the very small Macaw species- like the Illigers.? I have heard that in Avicultural terms it is 'difficult'- being of a nervous disposition and with a tendency to drop dead quite easily.. Blue Ducks- you can't beat seeing these in the wild sitting on boulders on torrent rivers of North Island, New Zealand..(teeheee.. )
