Hi Zoochatters. What would be, the most exotic rodent/s except squirrels, that zoos world-wide currently hold, or rodents that in general, are most wanted by zoos - except squirrels.You can add other options to the poll via comments. Or what is the most exotic rodent that you have saw at a zoo. Of course, shrews are not rodents, so they don't count.
Think there are a load of other species which are more charismatic, think for example about Clouded rats, pacarana, paca / mountain paca, springhaas, plain and mountain vischacha, fat-tailed gerbil, several hutia-species and so on !
To be honest, I don't know for rodents, as for other zoo animals, I was even not aware of most of these species, untill now. Google imaged them, they look beautifull. Hutia from the Carribean Islands - very exotic.
Difficult, if not impossible, to stabilish a measure for "more or less exotic". First of all, what would you consider "exotic"? In the most true sense, exotic would be any species that is not native of certain area. But I guess that you mean instead the one with most strange/distintive appareance, and maybe united to the rarity in zoos. Combinging both factors I believe that I would say pacarana (Dinomys branickii) (I think none kept outisde it's native range despite it's atonishing appareance and being relatively easy to keep) or maned rat (Lophiomys imhausi), one of my most favourite rodents. Big-headed mole rats (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus) also would be a good candidate. Not sure if any individual of the two last species are actually kept at any zoo, Pacaranas are kept at least in a zoo in Peru. All the species you purpose in the poll are more or less frequent in captivity, overall mara, or, instead, are rarely kept but too similar to more commonly kept ones (wild chinchilla, Javan porcupine). Naked mole rats also could be included in the poll, they're really "strange" both in appareance as in biology (they're eusocial like honeybees and ants), but actually maybe too commonly keept in zoos.
It depends which species, for examples, for the European lovers, Prevost's or Asian giant red squirrel are considered very exotic.
I would say the most exotic-looking rodent is the naked mole rat. I like cururos, which I have only seen in 2 zoos. I would choose the most exotic rodent as any that is the only member of its family. I have never seen a captive mountain beaver or Laotian rock rat, so I shall have to choose pacaranas or (surprise, surprise) dassie rats.
I almost said "Exotic is the opposite of native. Except when talking about female dancers" but then I realised that exotic dancers were usually not local and danced in an unusual way, or a dance native to where they from (like belly dancing or a tango). In Star Trek exotic dancers often have green skin. Exotic Dancers should not be confused with Erotic Dancers, which often dance in a similar fashion but with less clothes. And less actual dancing. (Or so I've heard) Hix
