Nocturnal House - Dream Animal Collection

What about Spotted Cuscus? On photos it looks like sure visitor favorite, like a koala or meerkat. I am not sure whether it looks so cuddly in life, though.

 

I also don't know why potoos (South American night-birds) are not kept in zoos. Also, thick-knees and stone curlews are nocturnal. The only night exhibit for the latter I know of is in Alphen Avifauna.

 

Good nocturnal house? Consider this based on Khao Din's layout.

Australian Temperate Forest
potoroo & brushtail

New Guinea Tropics
cuscus & short nosed echidna

Philippines
cloud rat & mouse deer

Madagascar
jumping rat & aye aye

African Rainforest
brush tailed porcupine & potto & tree hyrax

East Africa
springhare & bushbaby

Amazonia
paca & kinkajou

Others:
Genet
Bulldog rat (aquaterrarium)
Flying squirrel
Streaked tenrec
Slender loris
Cuvier's dwarf caiman (aquaterrarium)
Kiwi
Seba's fruit bat
Tawny frogmouth
Giant gecko
Edible dormouse
Jerboa
Gila monster

 

Great topic

- Kakapo
- greater spotted kiwi
- little spotted kiwi
- kiore
- quoll
- numbat
- Wetapunga
- clouded leopard
- javan leopard
- NZ bush roach
- pygmy mountain possum
- Night parrot
- bandicoot
- owl monkey
- from experience crocodilians are awesome at night
- australian water rat

Just some of the animals I could think of off the top of my head

 

- Sunda, Chinese and Philippine Pangolins
- Horsfeild's Tarsier
- Bengal loris
- Moonrat
- Colugo
- Royal antelope
- Sumatran Striped Rabbit
- All species of kiwi
- Marbled cat (nocturnal and sometimes crepuscular)
- Any mouse lemur
- Madagascan fruit bat
- European beaver
- Owston's palm civet
- Sulawesi palm civet
- Binturong
- Kit fox
- Spiny mouse
- Javan Leopard (would have an outdoor large exhibit with a smaller dark indoor exhibit in the nocturnal house)
- Siberian flying squirrel
- Sportive lemur

 

-Kakapo
-Night Parrot*
-Night Monkey*
-Platypus*
-Julia Creek Dunnart
-Fat-Tailed Dunnart
-All Kiwi Species
-Both Solenodons*
-Marbled Velvet Gecko
-Sumatran Striped Rabbit*
-All Cuscus Species*
-Greater Glider
-Yellow-Glider
-Squirrel Glider
-All Geckos Native To New Zealand
-Sugar Glider
-All The Potoroo Species
-All The Quoll Species*
-Frog-Eyed Gecko
-Olm
-All Tenrec Species
-All Three Long-Beaked Echidna Species*
-Namib web footed gecko
-Both Underwoodisaurus Species
-All Nepurus Species
-Carphocatylus laevis
-All Four Rhacodactylus
-Greater Bamboo Lemur*
-Malagasy Giant Rat
-Banded Lingsang*
-Spotted Linsang*
-Masked Palm Civet*
-Fanaloka*
-Asian Palm Civet*
-Marbled Cat*
-Potoo*
-Tawny Frogmouth*
-Powerful Owl*
-Barn Owl*
-All Three Sooty Owls*
-Boobook Owl*
-Morepork*
-Narrow-Striped Mongoose*
-White-Tailed Mongoose
-Common Palm Civet*
-Clouded Leopard*
-All Bandicoot Species
-All Possum Species*
-Both Leaf-Tailed Gecko Species

* means they have access to an outdoor enclosure.

 

Just by the way Numbats aren't nocturnal.

 

How would that work with the day-night cycles of the animals? Thinking about it, I have seen some exhibits with darkened indoor enclosures and outdoor enclosures, though I can't think of any fully nocturnal houses with outdoor enclosures. Am I correct in thinking that this would not work?

 

Plzen's yellow mongoose and jackal exhibits are like this. They have outdoor access, but their indoor exhibit is dark by day and light by night. In theory it'd work if the indoor exhibit is darkened 24/7 as in that case it'd just function as an underground "burrow" in the wild, but this way (unless they are allowed outside at night, which I doubt as plzen has harsh winters) it means they're in a lit up enclosure all day and night, which can't be good for their biological rythm...

 

Because the animals are nocturnal, they hide most of the day anyway. Meaning the animals with access to outside enclosures can only go outside in the daytime, as the exits will be locked. The animals in the inside enclosure during the day is supposed to represent them being in shelter, while their outside enclosure is supposed to represent her it's odd of shelter.

 

My animal ideas would include
1.Clouded leopards
2.West African Dwarf Crocodiles
3.Oncilla
4.Honey Badger or ratel
5.Margay
6.Barn owl
7.Aye Aye
8.Ocelot
9.Hedgehogs
10.Fruit bats

 

Fantastic idea for a thread, I'll put my ideas forward later today!

 

Here's my ideas for a huge nocturnal house!! I'd be looking at potentially 2-2.5 acres in size.

New Guinea short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus lawesii)
Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)
Eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus)
Kowari (Dasyuroides byrnei)
Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)
Greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis)
Common spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus maculatus)
Common striped possum (Dactylopsila trivirgata)
Common wombat (Vombatus ursinus hirsutus)
Queensland koala (Phascolarctos cinereus adustus)
White-striped dorcopsis (Dorcopsis hageni)
Lowland streaked tenrec (Hemicenteles semispinosus)
Black-and-rufous elephant shrew (Rhynchocyon petersi)
Common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus)
Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus)
Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)
Goodman's mouse lemur (Microcebus lehilahytsara)
Fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus medius)
Pygmy slow loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus)
Moholi bushbaby (Galago moholi)
Sulawesi tarsier (Tarsius tarsier)
Spix's night monkey (Aotus vociferans)
Giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus)
Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla)
Javan pangolin (Manis javanica)
Red-and-white giant flying squirrel (Petaurista alborufus castaneus)
Brazilian porcupine (Coendou prehensilis)
Rock cavy (Kerodon rupestris)
Naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber)
Turkish spiny mouse (Acomys cilicicus)
Northern Luzon giant cloud rat (Phloeomys pallidus)
Panay bushy-tailed cloud rat (Crateromys heaneyi)
Southern Luzon giant cloud rat (Phloeomys cumingi)
Indochinese binturong (Arctictis binturong albifrons)
Owston's palm civet (Chrotogale owstoni)
Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox)
Eastern aardwolf (Proteles cristata septentrionalis)
Fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus)
Sri Lankan rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus phillipsi)
Indochinese clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa nebulosa)
Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas)
Fennec fox (Vulpes zerda)
Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus)
Aardvark (Orycteropus afer)
Philippine mouse deer (Tragulus nigricans)

Northern brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli)
Bush thick-knee (Burhinus grallarius)
Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)
Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus)
Philippine scops owl (Otus megalotis)
Pel's fishing owl (Scotopelia peli)
Tawny frogmouth (Podargus strigoides)

Alligator snapping turtle* (Macrochelys temminckii)
Madagascar dwarf chameleon (Brookesia minima)
New Caledonian giant day gecko (Rhacodactylus leachianus)
Prehensile-tailed skink (Corucia zebrata)
Arafura filesnake (Acrochordus arafurae)
Reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus)
Central American bushmaster (Lachesis stenophrys)
Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis)
American alligator* (Alligator mississipiensis)
Cuvier's dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus)
Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)

Gaboon caecilian (Geotrypetes seraphini)
Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus)
Olm (Proteus anguinus)
Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)
Lemur leaf frog (Agalychnis lemur)
Mountain chicken (Leptodactylus fallax)

Alligator gar* (Atractosteus spatula)
Mexican blind cave fish (Astyanax jordani)
Goonch catfish (Bagarius yarrelli)
Flashlight fish (Anomalops katoptron)
Fire eel (Mastacembelus erythrotaenia)
Red lionfish (Pterois volitans)

Atlantic sea nettle (Chrysaora quinquecirrha)
Montserrat tarantula (Cyrtopholis femoralis)
Coconut crab (Birgus latro)
Madagascar hissing cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa)
Mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus)

The species marked with a * share an exhibit.

 

So decided the house is to be 3 acres in size. Here are the sections/which species are on and which are offshow:

EURASIA
Chinese pangolin - Off
Red-and-white giant flying squirrel - Both
Turkish spiny mouse - On
Sri Lankan rusty-spotted cat - Both
Eurasian woodcock - On
Gharial - On
Chinese giant salamander - On
Olm - Off
Goonch catfish - On

SOUTHEAST ASIA
Pygmy slow loris - On
Sulawesi tarsier - Off
Javan pangolin - Both
Northern Luzon giant cloud rat - On
Panay bushy-tailed cloud rat - On
Southern Luzon giant cloud rat - Both
Indochinese binturong - On
Owston's palm civet - Both
Fishing cat - On
Indochinese clouded leopard - Both
Javan leopard - Both
Philippine mouse deer - Both
Philippine scops owl - On
Reticulated python - On
Siamese crocodile - On
Fire eel - On

AUSTRALASIA
New Guinea short-beaked echidna - On
Platypus - On
Eastern quoll - Both
Kowari - Both
Tasmanian devil - On
Greater bilby - On
Common spotted cuscus - On
Common striped possum - On
Common wombat - On
Queensland koala - On
White-striped dorcopsis - Both
Northern brown kiwi - Both
Bush thick-knee - On
Kakapo - Off
Tawny frogmouth - On
New Caledonian giant day gecko - On
Prehensile-tailed skink - On
Arafura filesnake - Off
Coconut crab - On

MADAGASCAR
Lowland streaked tenrec - Both
Aye-aye - On
Goodman's mouse lemur - Both
Fat-tailed dwarf lemur - Off
Fossa - On
Madagascar dwarf chameleon - Both
Madagascar hissing cockroach - On

AFRICA
Black-and-rufous elephant shrew - On
Egyptian fruit bat - On
Moholi bushbaby - On
Naked mole rat - On
Eastern aardwolf - Both
Fennec fox - On
Aardvark - On
Pel's fishing owl - On
Gaboon caecilian - Off

AMERICAS
Common vampire bat - On
Spix's night monkey - Both
Giant armadillo - On
Brazilian porcupine - On
Rock cavy - Off
Ringtail - Both
Alligator snapping turtle/American alligator/Alligator gar - On
Central American bushmaster - Both
Cuvier's dwarf caiman - On
Axolotl - On
Lemur leaf frog - Both
Mountain chicken - Both
Mexican blind cave fish - On
Montserrat tarantula - Both

OCEANS
Flashlight fish - On
Red lionfish - On
Atlantic sea nettle - Both
Mimic octopus - On

So 49 onshow, 9 offshow and 23 with individuals both onshow and offshow

 

@ShonenJake13 in my experience Queensland Koala, Bush Thick-nees, Axolotols and Prehensile-tailed skinks do not do well in a nocturnal house and are better exhibited in an outdoor enclosure (Queensland Koala and Bush Thick-nees) while some would do better in a reptile house (Axolotol and Prehensile-tailed Skink).

 

I presume that the Schrödinger's cats will also be simultaneously on and off-show (but of course no-one must see them or their wave functions would collapse)

 

As koalas are active at night and, like with most nocturnal houses, the house would work on a reverse daylight programme, they should be fine.
Bush thick-knees I've seen do very well in nocturnal houses and, again, are well suited to being nocturnal like their cousin the stone curlew.
From what I've axolotls are more active in a darkened tank.
And from personal experience working with them I can tell you prehensile tailed skinks prefer nocturnal/crepuscular exhibits to daytime ones

 

One bird that could be added to this list is Bourke's Parakeet. These are technically crepuscular, but I know from speaking to people who keep them that they will happily feed by bright moonlight as well. Since Night Parrot is obviously impossible, Bourke's is the nearest you could realistically get - quite easily in fact as they are one of the commoner Australian parakeets in aviculture.