I missed my proudest lifeticks! This is a hard one though because I basically chose my top three mammals, birds, etc. based off of my proudest lifeticks for each group. I guess I'll have to pick the rhino, 'amakihi, and tuatara for my tree, but that's very subject to change. ~Thylo
This list has changed quite a bit since I first posted it 2,5 years ago, so I decided to redo it (with a bunch of extra categories). All of them are species/zoos/exhibits I've seen, of course. I added a bit of explanation to the categories that are most important to me. Mammal species (captive): Cat Ba langur, Checkered elephant-shrew, Chinese pangolin In my previous edition of this topic I also had a langur, elephant shrew and pangolin but I feel like I've now "upgraded" all of those to a subjectively more special species. There's a lot of honourable mentions though, and this list would probably change every other day. Mammal species (wild): Black-shanked douc, Delacour's langur, Azuero mantled howler Not sure why, but all of these ended up being primates. I'd say I like Black-shanked and Red-shanked douc about equally, but my observation of Black-shanked douc was much better so that's what made the list. I also really wanted to include Brown-throated three-toed sloth, Moose and Burmese ferret-badger, but thinking back about it all three of these monkeys got me a lot more excited so deserve to be on the list more. Bird species (captive): Long-wattled umbrellabird, Greater bird-of-paradise, Sickle-billed vanga I'm sure it was predictable that this list would mainly be made up of cotingas and birds-of-paradise... I limited myself to one each, though, to keep things a bit more diverse. The third slot had to go to a species I never could have dreamed of seeing, so it was between the Sickle-billed vanga and the Cuckoo-roller, both at Walsrode (which coincidentally makes this list Walsrode-only). Bird species (wild): Resplendent quetzal, Bar-bellied pitta, Eurasian wryneck I don't have a favourite bird, but if I would it'd be Eurasian wryneck, which is so unique and gets bonus points for it being a species I can see in the wild in Belgium (with a bit of luck!). The other two, I felt, had to be the representatives for my two most birdy holidays to date - Resplendent quetzal was the easy winner for Panama, and while Vietnam was harder to decide for I think it has to be Bar-bellied pitta. Reptile species (captive): Bornean earless monitor, Domergue’s leaf chameleon, Olive-brown sea snake Reptile species (wild): Hawksbill sea turtle, Siamese crocodile, Banded krait Amphibian species (captive): Three-toed amphiuma, Olm, Hellbender Amphibian species (wild): Alpine newt, Sa Pa spadefoot toad, Rainforest rocket frog Fish species (captive): Manta ray sp., Black-spotted electric ray, Leafy sea dragon Fish species (wild): Smooth hammerhead, Moray eel sp., Guineafowl pufferfish Invertebrate species: Trilobite larvae sp. (wild), Vagrant emperor (wild), Chambered nautilus (captive) Zoos: Zoo Antwerpen, Burgers' Zoo, Weltvogelpark Walsrode I had originally split this off in Major and Minor zoos, but it felt weird to have 3 minor zoos in this list that I liked less than unlisted major zoos. I think Antwerp will likely be on here for the rest of my life, but perhaps the other two slots will switch - Bronx, Singapore, Night Safari, Jurong, Berlin ZG, Leipzig, Prague and even wildcards like Zlin were all serious contenders for this spot as well. Exhibits: Burgers' Bush (Burgers' zoo), World of Birds (Bronx Zoo), Open Ocean (S.E.A. Aquarium) S.E.A.'s Aquarium might be a surprise to some, given that I generally don't pay too much attention to fish, but there's something absolutely magical and humbling about standing in front of a gigantic slice of the ocean and seeing three gigantic manta rays elegantly break the vastness of the water. The Bush is the best representative I could think of for my favourite kind of zoo exhibit (large tropical halls), and World of Birds is the best representative I could think of for my second favourite kind of zoo exhibit (large bird houses). Guilty pleasures: Red-billed leiothrix, Violet turaco, Bali myna - Like most other people in this thread, all of my opinions change very often so you'd likely get another response tomorrow.
Best mammals in the wild: Colugo, Edible Dormouse, Huge Fruit Bat in the Philippines, need to check what it's actually called. Best mammals in zoos: Walrus, Baikal Seal, African Forest Elephant I'll have to think long and hard about the other groups......
I've chosen to omit some categories as they just don't interest me personally... oops Mammal species: Coquerel's sifaka, Spectacled bear, Pygmy hippo. Bird species: Scaly-sided merganser, Hyacinth macaw, Stellars sea eagle. Reptile species: Komodo dragon, Blue tree monitor, Fly river turtle. Zoos: Bristol Zoo, Exmoor Zoo, Paignton Zoo. Exhibits: World of Wings Aviary at Blackpool Zoo which was formerly Amazonia, Bear Wood at Wild Place Project, Bristol Zoos Ring-tailed and Crowned lemur walkthrough (An unusual choice maybe, but i think its a pretty exhibit). Guilty pleasure animal: Any Giraffe species, any Otter species, any Sea lion species.
