Join our zoo community

Malagasy animal species in zoos

Discussion in 'General Zoo Discussion' started by Norwegian moose, 28 Nov 2013.

  1. Zoovolunteer

    Zoovolunteer Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    4 Dec 2008
    Posts:
    362
    Location:
    Bristol,UK
    For insects, as well as the most famous Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, Gromphadorhina (of which there are at least 4 species around), there are also various Elliptorhina species and probably other genera. For phasmids, there are various Achrioptera species (if you get a chance to see one, male A.fallax especially are spectacular), and I have also seen Paractatosma hystrix. I believe some of the snails and millipedes have been exported, but I doubt there are many if any established breeding colonies of those.
     
  2. temp

    temp Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    5 Jul 2014
    Posts:
    372
    Location:
    DM
  3. Sarus Crane

    Sarus Crane Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    23 Apr 2017
    Posts:
    1,081
    Location:
    USA
    It'd be cool to see a zoo have a Malagasy themed aviary with birds like Humblot's Heron, Malagasy Pond Heron and Madagascar Crested Ibis among other known endemics with a viewing area to see an adjacent lemur exhibit.
     
    birdsandbats likes this.
  4. Kakapo

    Kakapo Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    3 Mar 2009
    Posts:
    2,581
    Location:
    Zaragoza, Spain
    Many years ago, I saw a photo of a colony of Phromnia rosea taken in a zoo. But I don't know which zoo and if it still have them.
    The silk moth Antherina suraka is pretty common in captivity, as well as Argema mittrei.
    In Koln zoo, last summer I saw the spider Viridasius fasciatus.
     
  5. Kakapo

    Kakapo Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    3 Mar 2009
    Posts:
    2,581
    Location:
    Zaragoza, Spain
    Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat???????????? Seriously??????????????????????????? :eek::eek::eek::eek: I die for fork-marked lemur and I plan to visit Paris for next year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's still here? It's in public display? It will continue here by 2019????
     
  6. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    16 May 2010
    Posts:
    14,735
    Location:
    Wilds of Northumberland
    Dassie Rat was talking about species he has seen in the past; neither species has been present since the early 1990s unfortunately.
     
  7. Kakapo

    Kakapo Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    3 Mar 2009
    Posts:
    2,581
    Location:
    Zaragoza, Spain
    Ah, that explains all! Thanks Dave :)
     
  8. Dassie rat

    Dassie rat Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    18 Jun 2011
    Posts:
    5,497
    Location:
    London, UK
    I saw the fork-marked lemur and red-tailed sportive lemur in 1988. They were in the nocturnal lemur house along with Humphrey the aye-aye. This was the first aye-aye I have ever seen (I wasn't able to visit Nosy Mangabe, even though I was promised a journey there as part of my Madagascar itinerary). There was a little gap in the glass in Humphrey's enclosure and I made finger contact with Humphrey (one of my treasured zoo experiences).
     
    Giant Eland likes this.
  9. temp

    temp Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    5 Jul 2014
    Posts:
    372
    Location:
    DM
    The moths are in the thread linked in my earlier post. In addition to the Viridasius, the tarantula Monocentropus lambertoni is freqent enough among private keepers that any zoo that really wanted it could get it. However, I suspect that few zoos would bother with this species, as it does not appear to be threatened, is quite aggressive and pretty dull in color (unlike its close relative, the Socotra Island blue baboon tarantula).

    Another group perhaps worth mentioning is the Madagascar endemic crustacean. The strikingly colored semi-terrestrial Madagapotamon humberti crab is kept by a few private keepers and a small number of Astacoides crayfish (three species) were imported to Germany a few years ago. Some of the crayfish ended up with some of the world's leading crayfish keepers, but whether they ever bred them and are still around I do not know (they are apparently quite long-lived). Anyway, if a zoo really wanted to display the crab or crayfish, the chance is there.

    A bit more on that species on page 2 in the thread in my previous post.
     
  10. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    10 Dec 2012
    Posts:
    17,723
    Location:
    fijnaart, the netherlands
    Madagascar patridge are still kept in a number of European public collections.
     
  11. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    13 Jun 2007
    Posts:
    23,397
    Location:
    New Zealand
    I've merged the two threads. There seemed little point in having two threads covering exactly the same ground, when the older one was active as recently as just over a year ago.
     
  12. Hvedekorn

    Hvedekorn Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    31 Dec 2008
    Posts:
    597
    Location:
    Skive, Denmark
    Don't forget the two native waterfowl species, Bernier's teal and Meller's duck. Especially Bernier's teals seem to be kept in a surprisingly big amount of collections in Europe even though you'd think a colorless duck is just about the world's most unassuming animal for 99.9 % of the visitors. (Though I realize they're mostly kept because they're endangered)
     
  13. Kakapo

    Kakapo Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    3 Mar 2009
    Posts:
    2,581
    Location:
    Zaragoza, Spain
    Maybe it's interesting to check this expo that I did in 2009. It's in Flickr and I'm not sure if non-Flickr members can see it or not, but I think that yes. In the list below I posted all the Madagascan native (not necessarily endemic) species that I've found by then photographed in Flickr (of course, today the list would be longer, especially in insects). Not a complete catalogue, but it would be helpful for have a reference list of species that could be exhibited in a Madagascar theme in a zoo :)

    Madagascar wildlife
     
    TheEthiopianWolf03 likes this.
  14. TheEthiopianWolf03

    TheEthiopianWolf03 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    3 May 2017
    Posts:
    723
    Location:
    United States of America

    Very interesting list. I’ve always wondered why zoos don’t house malagasy micro bats and instead opt to straw colored fruit bats. Are their any zoos that house any of the micro bats
    of Madagascar?
     
  15. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    10 Dec 2012
    Posts:
    17,723
    Location:
    fijnaart, the netherlands
  16. Jambi

    Jambi Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    23 Aug 2021
    Posts:
    341
    Location:
    UK
    Here in the UK, you can pretty much guarantee that every single zoo you find will have ring-tailed lemurs, it's easily one of if not thd most common species in zoos here. Both black-and-white and red ruffed lemurs are pretty common too. A lot of zoos also keep fossa, but they're not something you see everywhere.
     
    evilmonkey239 likes this.
  17. pipaluk

    pipaluk Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    10 Feb 2012
    Posts:
    4,585
    Location:
    England
    Fossa are not as common as they were a few years ago. Only 5 holders in the UK now- 7 zoos have stopped keeping them in the last 6 years!
     
    Mo Hassan likes this.
  18. Salt Merchant

    Salt Merchant Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    4 Sep 2020
    Posts:
    972
    Location:
    Jakarta
    Batu Secret Zoo keep five species of lemurs (Common brown, collared brown, black, ring-tailed, red ruffed, and black-and-white ruffed) and Malagasy reptiles such as the Madagascar day gecko, panther chameleon, and the Malagasy tree and ground boa. Batu Secret Zoo used to keep an fossa for a short time.
     
  19. Grant

    Grant Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    19 May 2016
    Posts:
    348
    Location:
    Chicago, USA
    Unsure if it's been mentioned, but some of the Bronx Zoo in New York's Madagascar collection:
    - Coquerel's Sifaka 3.2
    - Gray Mouse Lemur 4.2
    - Red-Ruffed Lemur 5.6
    - Ring-Tailed Lemur 5.6
    - Collared Brown Lemur 2.2
    - Fossa 0.2
    - Ring-Tailed Mongoose 1.1
    - Madagascar Giant Jumping Rat 0.1
    - Red Fody 0.0.30
    - Madagascar Turtle Dove 1.0
    - Madagascar Crested Ibis 0.1
    - Lesser Vasa Parrot 1.2
    - Madagascar Swift
    - Radiated Tortoise
    - Northern Spider Tortoise
    - Madagascar Giant Hognose Snake 0.0.4
    - Madagascar Tree Boa 1.0
    - Madagascar Ground Boa 2.1
     
    evilmonkey239 likes this.
  20. Kakapo

    Kakapo Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    3 Mar 2009
    Posts:
    2,581
    Location:
    Zaragoza, Spain

    I know this message is old, but casually a while ago I've found again the photo I mentioned, and it has been taken at Bronx zoo in 2008.
    I wonder if this atonishing species is currently displayed in any zoo of the world. It's three zillion times more exciting than a lion or an elephant for me.

    Phromnia rosea

    ..............
    Edit: After carefully cheecking, the Ficus leaves seemed fake for me, but I was unsure. I tought that the bugs would never be concentrated in a fake branch, because there is no sap flow. But then, cheking this other closer photo of the insects, Phromnia rosea I realized that these Phromnia are also fake!!! Very well done ones, but the appareance of the wings and position and features of the legs and head are clearly indicative of lifesized replicas!
     
    Last edited: 3 Mar 2022