If you had a zoo, what 5 species would yo definitely have?

Bearded Vulture
Keel-billed toucan
Palm Cockatoo
Major Mitchell's cockatoo
Hyacinth Macaw

 

African savanna elephants
Masai giraffes
Tufted puffins
Southern sea otters
Vampire squid

 

Polar Bear
Okapi
Snow Leopard
Ratel
Common Hippo

 

So summing up all the creatures from post #1 to post #43 here is my results

Mammals = 121
Birds = 21
Reptiles = 13
Fish = 6
Other Vertebrates = 2
Invertebrates = 3

As you can see most people here consider mammals to be the mainstay of a zoo. They totally dominated all other categories combined. As a matter of fact 13 people chose 5 mammals, I was the only person to choose 5 birds and one person chose 5 Reptiles.

 

I've 2 versions of my favorite zoo top 5 list :
First version ---> General Zoo
1 Gorilla
2 Quetzalt
3 Sungazer lizard
4 Ornate Wobbegong
5 Lord Howe Stick inseckt
Version 2 ---> Birdpark :
1 Quetzalt
2 Duivenbode's ( Brown ) lory
3 Shoebill
4 Negros fruit dove ( I would be the first to have this species on display ! )
5 Yellow-headed picathartes
( I know, no Hummingbirds, Touracos, Curassows, Birds of prey or Hornbills, all which should actually also have a place in my birdpark ! )

 

Okay I assumed you would have 5 birds
Then I google imaged Quetzalt and got everything from xxx image to a dinosaur looking bird?
.?

 

I meant the Resplendent Quetzal, the national bird of Guatamala and in my eyes the most beautifull bird in the world. None are kept in Europe at the moment and the last one died at Walsrode Birdpark where I took care of them ( at that moment 1 male and 2 females ). So far I have however never seen Quetzals working in the xxx-rated industry !!

 

Just like TLD and gentle lemur, I'm going to restrict myself to species held in my country and that I have seen before;
1. Spotted Hyena
2. Tiger (ssp. yet to be decided)
3. Western Gorilla
4. Fossa
5. Clouded Leopard

 

King Cheetah
Sunda Clouded Leopard
Bornean Bay Cat
Marbled Cat
Malayan Leopard (melanistic, which they virtually all are anyway)

 

1) Pacarana
2) Sumatran Rhinoceros
3) Electric blue gecko
4) Sungazer
5) Crested guinea fowl

 

Snow leopard
African elephant
Koala
Komodo dragon
Malayan tapir

 

When I was a wee tyke that's how I was introduced to the species (and I forget exactly how), and it still feels wrong to not include the 'Royal' appellation.

The proletariat can have their Sumatran tigers!

That's a fascinating bit of etymology. If you can find the source, please let me know. I would like to read that book.

 

Quite a difficult proposition, but I have managed to narrow it down to just five species (and their positions in my fantasy zoo):

1. Sunda otter civet (probably in the small mammal house)
2. Banded linsang (in an area dedicated to small carnivores)
3. Chinese dhole (in a section dedicated to predators from the European Pleistocene)
4. Russian desman (in an area dedicated to European wetlands)
5. Dracula ant (in an entirely conservation-themed zone)

10 animals that closely missed out on the top 5 included black-shouldered opossum, Indochinese golden cat, South American social spider, blue whale catfish, Darjeeling woodpecker, Caribbean torpedo ray, Calabar angwantibo, Asiatic black bear, painted bat and Malabar giant squirrel.

 

1) Marbled Cat
2) Banded Linsang
3) Asiatic Cheetah
4) Arabian Leopard
5) Sulawesi Palm Civet

I would have added Saola, Andean Mountain Cats or similar species, however I prefer species that would live a little longer in captivity.

 

1) Chimpanzee
2) Lear's macaw
3) Maleo
4) West Indian manatee
5) Gharial

 

1.Aardvark
2.Pangolin
3.Firefly
4.Shoebill
5.Elephant seal

 

Santa Catarina Guiena Pig
Zapata Rail
Malabar Civet
Coxen's Fig Parrot
Iriomote Cat

Animals that closely missed out: Night Parrot, Hanian Gymnure, Dingagat Gymnure, Dingagat Bushy-Tailed Cloud Rat, Red-Crested Tree Rat, Pygmy Tarsier, Christmas Island Shrew, Attenborough's Long-Beaked Echidna, Cuban Solenodon, Hispolonian Solenodon, Moustached Kingfisher and the Telefoim Cuscus.

All mainly for conservation reasons. All of these animals I believe have a high risk of going extinct, so I would give them a chance of survival in my zoo.

 

Anything but meerkats and domestic animals.

Other than that I would go for:
1. Any crocodian species
2. Giraffe
3. Rhinoceros Hornbill
4. Malayan Tiger
5. Monkfish

 

African penguin
Ethiopian wolf
Black rhinoceros
Conqerel's sifaka
Nile crocodile

I have a soft spot for African animals.