Living fossils exposition

The Biochron of Emmen used to be some kind of "living fossils exposition". The aquarium section contained paddlefish among others. The Carboniferous forest with arthropods and amphibians of the early years was later replaced by an exhibit with horseshoe crabs (degenkrab). The nocturnal section contained opossums in the early years and tree shews and mouse lemurs in later years.

The first part of Leipzig's Gondwanaland is already mentioned.

Sydney Aquarium has "Jurassic Seas" with hagfish, Queensland lungfish and axolotls, among others.

 

Talking about Gondwanaland, that of Leipzig is full of species that have nothing to do with Gondwanaland (not that that I doesn't like the concept, it's great). On the field of mammals, it is dominated by Boreoeutheria, which are as the name implies northern mammals. Southeast Asia was never part of Gondwanaland (India was). To be correct, only monotremes, marsupials (although originated in North America, their main radiation was on the southern continents), xenarthrans and afrotheres are "allowed". Only species from two of these groups are actually kept in Gondwanaland (although two species of afrotheres are kept elsewhere in the zoo).

Sea Life Sydney keeps nautilus as well in "Jurassic Seas", also a nice living fossil.

@Canihelpyou? I guess non-Dutch probably doesn't know which species you mean, but I like "dough crab"

 

, but I like "dough crab"[/QUOTE]
Haha yes thats the first thing that came to mind. Im not familiar with boreoeutheria, so could you explain that? Nautilis is also a great adition that would be a bit more obtainable than others.

 

Sure. As you probably know are there three main groups of mammals today: monotremes ("egg-laying mammals"), marsupials and placental mammals.

Based on molecular science / genetics, the placental mammals are split in to Xenarthra (sloths, anteaters, armadillos), Afrotheria (elephants, hyraxes, manatees and dugongs, aardvarks, elephant shrews, golden moles and tenreks) and Boreoeutheria (all other living placental mammals).

Boreoeutheria consits of two groups: Euarchontaglires and Laurasiatheria. The first name is a composition of Archonta (primates, tree shrews and flying lemurs) and Glires (rodents and hares). The other group is a very diverse one, with both the smallest (bumblee bat and Etruscan shrew) and the largest mammal (blue whale), consisting of true insectivores, carnivores, pangolins, bats, whales, even- and odd-toed ungulates.

 

I would like to see a monito del monte, which may represent an Australian marsupial that reached South America via Antarctica.

 

Underwater World had a temporary exhibit called "Jurassic Seas" which had nautilus, mudskippers, Epaulette sharks, lionfish and red coris wrasse. There were other species as well but I just cannot recall which.

 

I get most of them, but why that wrasse species? It doesnt look prehistoric at all. Is it because of its family or something?

 

It's the opposite: australidelphids evolved in South America with the first species known from the Paleocene and reached Australia via Antarctica later on the Paleocene or earliest Eocene. However, as the monito del monte is considered the most basal, it would certainly fit in a living fossil display.

 

Only the wrasse? All except the nautilus are very posterior to Jurassic... it's just fulfilled with random animals

 

That of Sydney Aquarium is also called "Jurassic", although "Evolution Sea" or something like that would be more appropriate displaying in following aquaria the evolutionary line from cnidarians (sea anemones) to amniotes (file snake), including mud skippers (fishes that live on land, although in fact a side way in vertebrate evolution). Because of Steven Spielberg "Jurassic Sea" is more appealing, whether it's correct or not.

 

Thanks AWP. I hadn't heard this before. The Microbiotheriidae is rather a confusing family.