What are the most beautiful ungulate species in your opinion ?

Definitely nyala. One of my favorite ungulates purely because they have them at the Bronx Zoo, but also because of their beautiful coloration.

 

Thank you for your reply @marmolady !

So some of these have already been mentioned in other lists so I'll focus on two African species in your list that haven't yet been mentioned.

The bongo is a gorgeous species indeed and I love the colours of that rich red contrasted with the cream stripes, spiraled horns and the overall larger size of the animal, they are very handsome species indeed.

The red-flanked duiker is also quite a striking little antelope with that chestnut coloured fur although I have to say that it does resemble many of the muntjacs and other duiker species to me.

Have you seen these species in the wild or in zoos ?

 

The males are quite impressive animals but I think this is part of what the problem is in terms of their conservation (though it could be argued by some that trophy hunting does benefit their conservation) as they are hunted for this reason.

I've seen the markhor in captivity in Mexico and I believe also in a zoo in Europe somewhere but I can't remember where this was.

 

Thank you for your reply @Luca Bronzi !

So some of these have been mentioned in other lists so I'll focus on one of the species you've mentioned that hasn't so far.

What do you like about the reticulated giraffe ? Is it the colouration ? Is it the strange evolutionary history of the giraffe ?

Is this giraffe kept frequently in zoos in Italy ?

Thank you for your reply @TheGerenuk !

I would have thought the gerenuk would have been on your list somewhere considering your username

Some of these species have also appeared on other lists so I'll focus on just one of these species, the Javan banteng.

This is a very interesting species in terms of its strange conservation situation and it is also quite a strikingly beautiful species with that sexual dimorphism reflected in the different colouration of the males and females (which I find more beautiful than the males).

What do you like about this species in particular ? Is it common in zoos in Canada?

 

Thank you for your comments on my list.

It's interesting that you mention the superficial similarities between the stripes on a zebra duiker and those on a thylacine. I agree with you, they look very alike.

If you've not seen the discussion on this topic on the Thylacine Museum website, you might find the link below of interest.

The Thylacine Museum - Biology: Anatomy: Mistaken Identity

 

No problem Tim, it was an interesting list for sure.

I'm familiar with the Thylacine Museum website but I haven't seen that discussion so I'll read that topic with interest as it is something that always comes to mind when I think of the zebra duiker.

 

Thank you for your comment @Pleistohorse !

So I'll focus on a couple of these that haven't appeared on other lists.

The wapiti is a very majestic looking animal, I agree, particularly the males with those huge antlers.

I imagine that given your location in Alaska, you would have often seen this species in the wild ?

Do you have any personal stories about these animals within the area you live ?

 

Thank you for elaborating on this more @CheeseChameleon2007 !

Very interesting to read more about your views on these species.

I do agree with you that there is something very prehistoric / primeval looking about the Sumatran rhino and I also agree with you that there is something quite powerful about them in general. The recent photographs and videos of the species by the National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore for example really highlight this in my opinion.

For me this mostly relates to their ever worsening conservation status / situation.I feel a profound sense of guilt regarding this species for what has occurred historically and that more isn't being done for their conservation while we continue to focus on the African rhinos (total travesty in my opinion).

 

It's mainly the colour and pattern of the stripes that really fascinate me. They aren't particularly rare in Italy as far as I know, in my hometown zoo there is a male (along with a hybrid).

 

I totally agree regarding the beauty of the colouration and horns of the oryx, they are stunning ungulates indeed. For me my favourite species would have to be the scimitar horned oryx.

This due to both its beauty in terms of colouration and also because I have read quite a bit about its conservation status and the circumstances surrounding its extinction in the wild.

 

Yeah, it is sad. Virtually pretty much all rhino species need our help, (some more than others of course), and its sad to see this species treated like its corn that you can just pick from a field and sell. When I was younger I was so dedicated to this species I always asked my mom every week if the Sumatran rhino was still alive. Of course, I was exaggerating a bit but I didn't know much about the conservation of the species when I was younger. I distinctly remember looking at the Sumatran rhino animal fact card, and I used to think the red question mark meant that they might be extinct, but I soon learned that that wasn't so. I love the look of the
Sumatran rhino because the animal cards that I had were realistic drawings of the animals, not pictures. But the artist who drew the animal I think captured the aw of the animal, especially with the lush rainforest jungle background of the picture. I feel a lot more sympathetic for these animals than some other people do, as when I see a picture of the animal at a zoo the beauty I feel is lost from the creature, as it isn't from its natural home land. I don't know if you feel this way, but taking a look at 2 different pictures from the internet, the Rhinos shown in a jungle setting feels like its beauty is a lot more amazing than it is in compared from a picture in a zoo.



Now, I really have to work on my dream zoo as I want some of it to come out today, so Im gonna go work on that.

 

Thanks for the comment @Ebirah766 !

They do have beautiful colouration I agree.

I think that when this species is kept in mixed sex pairs at zoos this makes them even more striking due to the sexual dimorphism.

 

Thanks for sharing those thoughts and pictures @CheeseChameleon2007 !

It is great to hear that you have always felt moved by the plight of the Sumatran rhino from a young age.

It is very encouraging to be reminded that the younger generations feel this need to do more for these endangered species keenly.

 

Yeah, I think its pretty spectacular a lot of empathy for animals in general comes from a simple animal card deck. A lot can be done purely from visuals of pictures, and as you have mentioned on "Whats your favorite David Attenborough documentary" you definitely prefer the older ones in general, and well I think the visuals are super good in the New documentary's, I have grown to enjoy the older ones more, as those are the ones that I watched as a kid. I always felt like I was in the wilderness of these animals, especially when it was night out. I got so divulged in the world of these animals, that gave me my passion, and hopefully someday my job as caring for animals. The love didn't really come from going to the zoo, or being with my pets, it has always came from the wonder of looking at a simple picture, just giving me the aw-inspiring spectacle which is planet earth. I feel like there is no greater thing in the universe, than our planet. People often argue about if we need to explore the oceans more, or space. And My answer has always been oceans, or really habitat in the world. Just watching these marvels of our planet getting destroyed in front of out eyes, makes me embarrassingly cry. I feel like all that wonder and childhood that I had pondered on was just wiped from my memory. But we have to press on, and A large part of my love for animals is making sure that more children across the world feel the same way as I did when I saw a simple picture, just caring and loving for our planet.
Just something to think about.

 

Interesting reply and I think it does highlight how important media is to hit the conservationist message home to audiences.

I also agree with you about the total futility of space exploration and the pressing need to "tend our garden" here on our planet earth rather than looking towards other planets.

 

Exactly. I mean, in my opinion, who wants to venture towards barren blackness, when you can walk through the snow-covered alpine forests and venture to the colorful coral reefs. Space isn't anything that I think about often, as I feel like we should be focusing more on this marvelous planet where wildlife needs us.

 

Well I suppose that all I can say on this development is that I hope those local reports / sightings do reflect the reality and that the species is still extant. Fingers crossed.

 

I have no idea actually.

Space is interesting to me in an abstract sense but I would never make a good astronomer as I am far more interested in our planet and life on earth.

 

I have no Idea either. I suppose its because space was always something that we anticipated through humans settlement on this planet, as most people always wanted to venture to the moon and such. But to me its just rock, and more of space has been explored than our oceans. We discover countless numbers of animals brand new to science every day, where astronauts waited years to venture to the moon. Whats the wonder in that?

 

Well it is a very interesting page on that website for sure Tim and thanks for sharing it.

However, the information is relating to how to identify between the two animals skins (they really do look uncannily alike) and not really why both of these animals have these markings.

Do you know of any theories that could explain this ?

The only one I can think of is "Thayers Law" / countershading and that these stripes may serve (and have served in the case of the thylacine) as some kind of camouflage for escaping predators in the case of the duiker and stalking prey in the case of the thylacine.