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Top Three!

Discussion in 'General Zoo Discussion' started by Fresco3, 1 Jul 2017.

  1. Philipine eagle

    Philipine eagle Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    4 Jan 2008
    Posts:
    459
    Location:
    Belgium
    Mammals: Eastern lowland gorilla (Antwerp), Amazon river dolphin (Duisburg), aye aye (London)
    Birds: Philipine monkey-eating eagle (Planckendael), grey-necked rockfowl (Bronx), sicklebilled vanga (Walsrode)
    Reptiles: Gharial (Prague), tuatara (Berlin), Jameson mamba,
    Amphibians: Japanese giant salamander (Duisburg), Montserrat mountain chicken (Antwerp), Luristan newt (Antwerp)
    Inverts: giant spider crab
    Fish: common shovelnose ray,
    Zoos: Bronx, Leipzig, Berlin
    Exhibits: Congo Gorilla Forest (Bronx), Burgers' Desert (Burgers), Masoala rainforest (Zurich)
    Guilty Pleasure: all curassow, all guenons, all small cats
    Life ticks: black grouse (High Fenns Belgium), wolf (Georgia, Caucasus),
    Buildings: Antelopehouse (Berlin Zoo), World of birds (Bronx), Egyptian temple (Antwerp)
     
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  2. pipaluk

    pipaluk Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    10 Feb 2012
    Posts:
    4,585
    Location:
    England
    My choices are all animals I have seen and aren't chosen based on rarity ( mainly anyway)

    Mammals

    Polar Bear, Snow Leopard, Okapi

    ( others considered were Malayan Tapir, Indian Rhino, Common Hippo, Ratel, Golden Cat, Striped hyaena)

    The others were much harder:

    Birds
    Cassowary, Rockhopper Penguin, Ground Hornbill

    Reptiles
    Tuatara, Gharial, American Alligator

    Amphibians
    Giant Salamander

    Fish
    Arapaima, Puffer Fish, Electric Eel

    Invertebrates

    Don't really pay much attention to them but Blue Ringed Octopus at Weymouth Sealife a few years ago

    Exhibits
    Polar bear - Yorkshire Wildlife Park
    Brown Bear - Whipsnade
    Common Hippo - Zoo Berlin

    Zoos
    Tierpark Berlin, Zoo Berlin, Chester

    Best life ticks
    Fanaloka, Little Penguin, Hecks Macaque, Black footed cat

    Most people on here will have seen those, but may be a while before anyone sees them onshow in a European zoo again
     
  3. animal_expert01

    animal_expert01 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    13 Sep 2015
    Posts:
    918
    Location:
    QLD Australia
    Mammals: Numbat, Spotted Cuscus and Attenbrough's Long-Beaked Echidna.
    Birds: Kagu, Kakapo and Night Parrot.
    Reptiles: Thorny Devil, Tentacled Snake and Saltwater Crocodile.
    Amphibians: Holy Crucifix Toad, Southern Corroberre Frog and Northern Corroboree Frog.
    Fish: Long-Nosed Hawkfish, Spotted Eagle Ray and Epaulette Sharks.
    Invertebrates: Lava Snail, Giant Scholopendra and Mantis Shrimp.
    Zoos: David Fleay Wildlife Park, Singapore Night Safari and Singapore River Safari.
    Proudest Life Ticks: Platypus, Leopard Seal and Crescent Nailtail Wallaby.
    Guilty Pleasures: Ringtail Lemurs, Tigers and Red-Necked Wallabies.
     
  4. Luke da Zoo nerd

    Luke da Zoo nerd Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    29 Oct 2019
    Posts:
    448
    Location:
    Minneapolis
    Mammal: Flat headed cat Risso's dolphin Calabar angwantibo
    Bird: Sulu hornbill Secretary bird Violet-backed starling
    Reptile: Mugger crocodile Green basilisk Geometric tortoise
    Amphibian: Enstina newt Purple frog Whipping frog
    Fish: Frilled shark Bicolor angelfish Gurnard lionfish
    Zoos: Omaha Minnesota Cincinnati
    Exhibits: Dolphin dome, International orangutan center Kingdoms of the night
    Guilty pleasure animals: King penguin Sumatran tiger Chinese crocodile lizard
     
  5. Jogy

    Jogy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    23 Jul 2019
    Posts:
    114
    Location:
    Germany
    Only animals / exhibits / zoos I've seen:

    Mammal species (not based on rarity - for those see lifeticks): Giant panda; Polar bear; Snow leopard

    Bird species: Harpy eagle; Shoebill; Bearded vulture

    Reptile species: Salt water crocodile; Komodo dragon; Gharial

    Fish (all wildlife): Whale shark, Manta ray, Hammerhead sharks

    Zoos: Pairi Daiza, San Diego (Zoo & Safari Park), Berlin (Zoo and Tierpark)

    Exhibits: African and Asian plains (San Diego Zoo Safari Park); Gondwanaland (Leipzig); The Last Frontier (Pairi Daiza)

    Guilty pleasure animals: Meerkats, Ring Tailed Lemurs, Giant Pandas

    Proudest Lifeticks: Sumatran Rhino (San Diego Zoo), Northern White Rhino (San Diego Zoo Safari Park), Platypus (Sydney)
     
  6. Ursus

    Ursus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    25 Mar 2018
    Posts:
    540
    Location:
    Europe
    All choices are based on zoos, experiences and animals I've seen in person
    Mammal species: Southern white rhinoceros, Eastern black rhinoceros, Indian rhinoceros (I have a thing for rhinos)
    Bird species: Great blue turaco, Northern gannet, Phillipine duck
    Reptile species: Zoutpansberg girdled lizard, William's dwarf gecko, Mangrove snake
    Amphibian Species: Red-eyed tree frog, Lake Pátzcuaro salamander, Kaiser's spotted newt
    Invertebrates: Partula snails, Phryganistria heusii yentuensis, Bullseye pistol shrimp (Alpheus soror)
    Fish: Scalloped hammerhead shark, Sandtiger shark, Pyramid butterflyfish
    Zoos: Burgers' Zoo, Rotterdam Zoo, Avifauna
    Exhibits: Burgers' Desert (Burgers' Zoo), Pandasia (Ouwehands Dierenpark), Snavelrijk (Dierenpark Amersfoort)
    Guilty pleasure animals: Pygmy goats (domestics in general), Gila monster, Plains zebras
    Proudest Lifeticks: Baby the river dolphin, Spotted cuscus, Sandtiger shark
     
  7. ThylacineAlive

    ThylacineAlive Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    20 Oct 2012
    Posts:
    10,699
    Location:
    Connecticut, U.S.A.
    You have a few species on here that are probably in my top 10 species to see in their respective groups! Are the slippery frogs on-exhibit at Brookfield now?

    Same here, I imagine the main difference is that they're likely Extinct in the Wild so an actual endangered species.

    ~Thylo
     
  8. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    13 Jun 2007
    Posts:
    23,400
    Location:
    New Zealand
    Reading this back, I'm going to make a few small changes.

    Mammal species (captive): Long-beaked Echidna at Taronga Zoo; Sunda Pangolin at Singapore Night Safari; Beluga at Beijing Aquarium

    Here I'm going to take out Sunda Pangolin because I have recently seen that in the wild (so I'm moving it to the category below). Thinking of cool mammals I've seen to replace it, I considered Marbled Cat at Taiping Zoo but that's just a cat. I settled on Pigmy Hog at the Nameri Breeding Centre in Assam because probably even fewer Zoochatters have seen one of those than have seen a Marbled Cat.

    Mammal species (wild): Red Panda in China; Yunnan Snub-nosed Monkey in China; Tibetan Wolf in India

    I need to place Sunda Pangolin in this category (seen in Singapore a couple of months ago). I can't take out Red Panda because that is just a species which is amazing to have seen. If I went back in time and said to child-me "you will go see Red Pandas in the wild", child-me would have replied "watchoo talkin' about Willis?" (because that's how we talked back then). And Tibetan Wolf was one of the most memorable mammal sightings I've had. So the Yunnan Snub-nosed Monkey has to get shuffled out to make room for the pangolin.

    Bird species (captive): Australian Owlet-nightjar at Moonlit Sanctuary; Picathartes at Frankfurt Zoo; Blue-rumped Parrot at Dusit Zoo

    Removing Blue-rumped Parrot because I've seen it in a few places now, and replacing it with Philippine Eagle at Jurong Bird Park.

    Bird species (wild): Crested Ibis in China; Rock Wren in New Zealand; Ibisbill in India

    Here I decided Indian Skimmer was too cool not to include... not sure which of the above three to remove though. Crested Ibis was supposed to be extinct by the time I grew up but it isn't. Rock Wren is my favourite NZ bird. Ibisbill is just so difficult to see. Closing my eyes and stabbing at the screen, Rock Wren gets removed.
     
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  9. ThylacineAlive

    ThylacineAlive Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    20 Oct 2012
    Posts:
    10,699
    Location:
    Connecticut, U.S.A.
    I had to spend a long time on this but I think I've settled on my answers:

    Top Three Mammals: Sumatran Rhinoceros, pangolin, Amazon River Dolphin
    Top Three Birds: California Condor, Hawai'i 'Amakihi, Rufous-Fronted Laughingthrush
    Top Three Reptiles: Tuatara, Bornean Earless Monitor, Arakan Forest Turtle
    Top Three Amphibians: Kihansi Spray Toad, Fleischmann's Glass Frog, Puerto Rican Crested Toad
    Top Three Invertebrates: Lord Howe Stick Insect, Bigfin Reef Squid, any of the nine Partula snails I've seen
    Top Three Fishes: Whale Shark, Scalloped Hammerhead, either of the two Manta I've seen
    Top Three Major Zoos: Bronx Zoo, Chester Zoo, Prague Zoo
    Top Three Minor Zoos: Highland Wildlife Park, Tennessee Aquarium, Nashville Zoo
    Top Three Exhibits: Afrykarium (Wroclaw Zoo), Desert Dome (Omaha), Ocean Voyager (Georgia Aquarium)
    Guilty Pleasure Animals*: African Bush Elephant, Barred Owl, American Alligator

    *I considered typical ABC zoo animals for this.

    ~Thylo
     
  10. drill

    drill Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    26 Feb 2017
    Posts:
    1,566
    Location:
    Norfolk, Va
    Don't see how TN Aquarium is "minor."
    Top Three Mammals: Royal antelope, Soemmerring's gazelle, Black duiker
    Top Three Birds: Golden-headed quetzal, Harpy eagle, Kagu
    Top Three Reptiles: New Guinea crocodile, Tuatara, Southeastern five-lined skink
    Top Three Invertebrates- Black widow, Golden orb weaver, Blue morpho
    Top Three Fishes: Whale shark, Lemon shark, Manta ray
    Top Three Major Zoos: Bronx Zoo, Columbus Zoo, St. Louis Zoo
    Top Three Minor Zoos: NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, Toledo Zoo, Virginia Zoo
    Top Three Exhibits: World of Birds, North America at Columbus Zoo, St. Louis's herpetarium.
    Guilty Pleasure: Meerkat, Snowy owl, Asian elephant
     
  11. drill

    drill Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    26 Feb 2017
    Posts:
    1,566
    Location:
    Norfolk, Va
    Arizona Docent just had a heart attack.
     
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  12. ThylacineAlive

    ThylacineAlive Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    20 Oct 2012
    Posts:
    10,699
    Location:
    Connecticut, U.S.A.
    Because I wanted to include it on the list somehow :p

    ~Thylo
     
  13. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    16 May 2010
    Posts:
    14,735
    Location:
    Wilds of Northumberland
    His own fault for refusing to visit South Asian collections because they don't fit his standards of luxury :p
     
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  14. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    19 Oct 2018
    Posts:
    1,790
    Location:
    California, United States
    Mammals: Aardvark, Okapi, Western lowland gorilla
    Birds: King vulture, Shoebill, Southern cassowary
    Reptiles: Indian gharial, King cobra, Komodo dragon
    Amphibians: Don't really have any except maybe glass frog
    Invertebrates: Chambered nautilus, Giant pacific octopus, Japanese spider crab
    Fishes: Alligator gar, Great white shark, Ocean sunfish,
    Aquariums/Zoos: Monterey Bay Aquarium; San Diego Zoo; Sacramento Zoo (I'm very bias)
    Exhibits: Africa Rocks (San Diego Zoo); Okapi Forest (Sacramento Zoo); Open Ocean (Monterey Bay Aquarium)
    Guilty pleasure animals: Elephants, Giraffes, Gorillas
    Proudest Lifeticks: Flapjack octopus, Great white shark; Okapi (I just like them a lot)
     
    Last edited: 17 Dec 2019
  15. ShonenJake13

    ShonenJake13 Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    18 Mar 2014
    Posts:
    2,484
    Location:
    London
    I think I need to post an update for me, given my first time posting in this thread was quite a few years ago and my views have changed a substantial amount!

    Top Three Mammals: Bonobo, Babirusa, Aye-aye
    Top Three Birds: Shoebill, Pesquet's parrot, Javan green magpie
    Top Three Reptiles: Tuatara, Ploughshare tortoise, Gharial
    Top Three Amphibians: Chinese giant salamander, Titicaca water frog, Cameroon slippery frog
    Top Three Invertebrates: Regal jumping spider, Lord Howe Island stick insect, Peacock mantis shrimp
    Top Three Fishes: Scalloped hammerhead shark, Splitfin flashlightfish, Electric eel
    Top Three Major Zoos: Chester Zoo, Prague Zoo, Burgers' Zoo
    Top Three Minor Zoos: Hamerton Zoo, Zie-ZOO, Walsrode Weltvogelpark
    Top Three Exhibits: Indonesian Pavilion (Prague Zoo), Mangrove (Burgers' Zoo), Oceanium (Blijdorp)
    Guilty Pleasure Animals: Chimpanzee, Budgerigar, Royal python
     
  16. lintworm

    lintworm Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    27 Oct 2008
    Posts:
    5,498
    Location:
    Europe
    Difficult choices, species here are often not the rarest, but ones I am happiest of/thought I would never see them.

    Mammal species (captive):
    Proboscis monkey (Apenheul & Singapore), Northern white rhino (Ol Pejeta), Saiga (Cologne)

    Mammal species (wild): Kipunji (Tanzania), Sunda pangolin (Singapore), Indri (Madagascar)

    Bird species (captive): Spix' macaw (Pairi Daiza & Jurong), Shoebill (Pairi Daiza, Wuppertal, Frankfurt, Walsrode, Zuerich, Prague, Jurong), Capuchin bird (Zlin, Walsrode, Veldhoven)

    Bird species (wild): Sickle-billed vanga (Madagascar), Torrent duck (Chile), Wallcreeper (Bulgaria)

    Reptile species (captive): Mangshan pit viper (Lausanne & Prague), Indian gharial (Prague, Singapore & Berlin), Perentie (Zurich)

    Reptile species (wild): King cobra (Singapore), Uroplatus sikorae (Madagascar), Tuatara (New Zealand)

    Amphibian Species: Chinese/Japanese giant salamander (many places), Great crested salamander (Netherlands, completing the set of all 21 wild terrestrial herp species in the NL), Peacock tree frog (Tanzania)

    Invertebrates: Gulella spec. (Madagascar), Violet copper (Germany), Madagascar moon moth (Madagascar)

    Fish (captive): Atlantic hagfish (Two Oceans Aquarium), Ocean sunfish (Lisbon), Manta ray (SEA Singapore)

    Fish (wild): Sevengill shark (New Zealand), European salmon (Netherlands), Moray eel spec. (Croatia)

    Zoos: Zoo Zurich, Burgers' Zoo, Tiergarten Schonbrunn

    Minor zoos: Zoo Helsinki, Tierpark Bern, Alpenzoo Innsbruck

    Exhibits: Bird house in Vienna, Coral reef tank Burgers' Zoo & Masoala hall Zurich

    Guilty pleasure animals: Meerkat!

    It feels unfair to leave Elephant seals, 3 Kiwi species, Rock wren, Mountain nyala, Euopean souslik and so many others of the list, so tomorrow this list would probably look different...
     
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  17. Luke da Zoo nerd

    Luke da Zoo nerd Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    29 Oct 2019
    Posts:
    448
    Location:
    Minneapolis
    Part 2! Mammal: Gray mouse lemur-Zebra duiker-Black-footed Cat
    Bird: Lesser bird-of-paradise-Northern bald ibis-Temmick's tragopan
    Reptile- Samar cobra-Saltwater crocodile-Cave-dwelling rat snake
    Amphibian: Emperor newt-African clawed frog-Indian bullfrog
    Fish-Gold-spotted snake eel-Arapaima-Tripodfish
    Invertebrate: Skeleton shrimp-Lesser octopus- Venus's girdle
    Guilty pleasure animals: Meerkat-Queen angelfish-American bullfrog
     
  18. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    19 Oct 2018
    Posts:
    1,790
    Location:
    California, United States
    Having thought about it -
    Amphibians: Axolotls, Glass frogs, Red-eyed tree frogs
     
  19. JigerofLemuria

    JigerofLemuria Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    28 Jan 2016
    Posts:
    689
    Location:
    Barcelona
    Mammal species:
    - Killer whale (cetaceans in general)
    - Clouded leopard
    - Orang-utan (all species)

    Bird species:
    - Yellow-eyed penguin (penguins in general)
    - Cassowary
    - Rhinoceros hornbill

    Reptile species:
    - Gharial (crocodilians in general)
    - Heloderma (all species and subspecies)
    - Tuatara

    Amphibians:
    - Giant salamanders (all species and subspecies)
    - Phyllomedusa (all species and subspecies)
    - Ambystoma (all species and subspecies)

    Invertebrates:
    - Pacific giant octopus
    - Emperor scorpion
    - Velvet worms (all species and subspecies)

    Fish:
    - Sturgeons (all species and subspecies)
    - Scalloped hammerhead shark
    - Sawfish (all species and subspecies)

    Zoos:
    - Prague Zoo
    - Bronx Zoo
    - Whipsnade Zoo

    Exhibits:
    - Congo Gorilla Forest (Bronx Zoo)
    - La Selva (Faunia)
    - Feline and Reptile Pavilion (Prague Zoo)

    Guilty pleasure animals:
    - Ring-tailed lemur
    - Red-necked wallaby
    - Asian small clawed otter

    Proudest Lifeticks:
    - Sunda pangolin (Singapore Night Safari)
    - Leopard seal (Taronga Zoo)
    - Emperor penguin (Wellington Zoo, The Nest)
     
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  20. Stefan Verhoeven

    Stefan Verhoeven Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    5 Aug 2018
    Posts:
    172
    Location:
    The Netherlands
    The list is only about animals held in captivity that I have seen myself

    Mammal species:

    - Phillips dik-dik
    - Black and rufous elephant shrew
    - Aardvark

    Bird species:
    - Flame bowerbird
    - Andean flamingo
    - Lear's macaw

    Reptile species:
    - Geoemyda spengleri
    - Agkistrodon contortrix
    - Phelsuma quadriocellata

    Amphibians:
    - Ameerega bilinguis
    - Andrias davidianus
    - Pipa pipa

    Invertebrates:
    - Cambarellus patzcuarensis
    - Phyllorhiza punctata
    - Acromyrmex coronatus

    Fish:
    - Austrolebias nigripinnis
    - Diodon hystrix
    - Doryichthys martensii

    Zoos:
    - Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation
    - Cabárceno Natural Park
    - Beekse Bergen

    Exhibits:
    - Burgers Bush (Burgers Zoo)
    - Monsoon forest (Chester Zoo)
    - La Réserve des Hippopotames (Beauval zoo)

    Guilty pleasure animals:
    - Pygmy marmoset
    - Flamingo
    - Asian small clawed otter

    Proudest Lifeticks:
    - Giant ibis
    - Beira
    - Spix macaw