ZooChat Challenge Europe 2023

Hello all!

Hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year!

In the words of David Bowie, you may notice some ch-ch-ch-ch-changes. I have been handed the reigns of the European challenges by ShonenJake13, and I would like to start by thanking him for the wonderful challenges of the past two years. With additional thanks to KevinVar and Vision who started the European challenge and also to Shorts who was the founding father of all ZooChat challenges.

Now! Onto this year's challenge theme:

"Mainland Asia"

Much like the 2019 UK Challenge, this year’s challenge will be on a species from a geographical region, focusing this time on mainland Asia. This will be defined as any species found in the following countries:

Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Peninsular Malaysia, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Türkiye (Turkey), Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Yemen

Species that are endemic to islands surrounding Asia (such as Japan, Taiwan, East Malaysia, Sri Lanka, etc.) will not count for this challenge, having previously been included in the 2019 European challenge on island endemics. All mammals, birds, herps, fish*, and invertebrates* found in the above countries count towards totals.

*However, only the first 25 fish and invertebrates species seen can be included in the total to avoid people with greater access to places such as aquariums and butterfly farms getting too large of an advantage in the challenge.

To avoid too much fuss around taxonomy, the challenge will be at the species level (so for example, an ‘African’ lion can be counted as an Asiatic lion under Panthera leo). Much like in previous years, IUCN will be used as a reference.

And a change in rules for this year's challenge;

Domestics: Unlike previous years domestic forms of species will not count, so no Bactrian camels sadly!

And here are the usual rules, with credits to Shorts for coming up with them:

1. You have to see the animal, even if just for a second. You don't score if you visit a collection but don't see the animal (harsh, but fair);
2. Proof via photographs is not required, your word is your bond;
3. You have to see the animal via normal public access (i.e. not including zookeeper for the day or photography days behind the scenes) during normal public opening hours (i.e. no scoring because you know the keeper and can get access before/after hours). Basically, the species has to be seen as Joe Public would.
4. Only collections located in what is geographically Europe will count in this challenge (including Iceland, the UK, Ireland, and the Mediterranean islands, but excluding Georgia, Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey to avoid conflicts about what is and isn't 'Europe.').
5. Report/update your progress on this thread as you go along;
6. The winner will be deemed to be the person(s) who has the highest total by 31st December 2023;
7. My decision on any questions is final, but I am open to discussion and debate on any specific points.
8. Any bullying/unsportsmanlike conduct directed towards myself or other players is grounds for immediate disqualification from the challenge, and barring from future Europe challenges.

Best of luck to all who compete, should hopefully be some large totals this year!

Ready. Set. GO!

 

Wonderful idea! I look forward to kicking it off with a zoo trip tomorrow! Cheers

 

Ooh this will be fun, will get started tomorrow also!

 

Great Idea for a Challenge. Happy Zoo Year 2023.

 

Sounds good to me (although the camel bit makes me sad, as the camels at my local zoo are so sweet). I'll definitely need to double-check the maps on the information signs, just to make absolutely sure I'm not mistakenly picking an island species.

 

I've decided on a trip to Colchester tomorrow! It should get me started with a decent set of species (if I see all that are applicable).

 

Looking forward to participating in this! Happy new year ZooChat!

 

@MagpieGoose i have another Question. Can you count Invasives?

 

I'm going to lean towards no invasive species, native species only

 

This is the first time i'll compete in one of these, i'd like to thank @MagpieGoose for the clear rules. I do have a couple questions regarding sea animals however;
Do animals that live along the coast of these countries count, or do they have to inhabit inland water? And would the caspian and other related 'seas' count as inland water?
Do animals that barely come to land count? i.e. crabs, sea turtles, sea snakes etc.

 

First zoo of the year, Colchester Zoo (01/01/2023)

1. Rosy barb, Pethia conchonius
2. Archer fish, Toxotes sp.
3. Tinfoil barb, Barbonymus schwanenfeldii
4. Bornean Orangutan
5. Bony headed toad, Ingerophrynus galeatus
6. Common roach, Rutilus rutilus
7. Crested wood partridge, Rollulus rouloul
8. Amur leopard
9. Spiny turtle, Heosemys spinosa
10. Pileated gibbon
11. Red panda
12. Smooth coated otter
13. Amur tiger
14. Great grey owl
15. Lion tailed macaque
16. Wreathed hornbill
17. Grey wolf
18. Burmese python
19. Malaysian sun bear

I believe the only species I missed were the giant Asian pond turtle, binturong, and small clawed otter.

 

BANHAM ZOO - 1/1

1. Amur Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)
2. Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia)
3. Pallas' Cat (Otocolobus manul)
4. Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) (N1)
5. Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens)
6. Asian Small-Clawed Otter (Aonyx cinereus)
7. Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) (N2)

8. Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa)
9. Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)
10. Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
11. Common Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica)
12. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

(N1: Obviously not an Asiatic Cheetah, but since I'm unlikely to see one, it counts by the rules given)
(N2: I checked the map, and whilst the Siamang is mostly found on islands, it does have a small population on the mainland...so it still counts, right?)

 

I had missed this. As I saw the cheetah and lion at Colchester today, can I add them to my total @MagpieGoose ? Taa

 

Great idea for the challenge! Got my first, albeit rather incomplete haul at London today...

ZSL London Zoo

1. Asian small-clawed otter, Aonyx cinereus
2. Asiatic lion, Panthera leo
3. Grey langur, Semnopithecus entellus
4. Grey slender loris, Loris lydekkerianus
5. Northern white-cheeked gibbon, Nomascus leucogenys
6. Reeves' muntjac, Muntiacus reevesi
7. Tiger, Panthera tigris

8. Abdim's stork, Ciconia abdimii
9. African sacred ibis, Threskiornis aethiopicus
10. Asian woollyneck, Ciconia episcopus
11. Black-winged stilt, Himantopus himantopus
12. Blue-crowned laughingthrush, Pterorhinus courtoisi
13. Collared partridge, Arborophila gingica
14. Common black kite, Milvus migrans
15. Crested partridge, Rollulus roulroul
16. Great white pelican, Pelecanus onocrotalus
17. Greater flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus
18. Grey-capped emerald dove, Chalcophaps indica
19. Marbled teal, Marmaronetta angustirostris
20. Mountain peacock pheasant, Polyplectron inopinatus
21. Orange-headed ground thrush, Geokichla citrina
22. Red-whiskered bulbul, Pycnonotus jocosus
23. Silver eared mesia, Leiothrix argentauris
24. Spotted laughingthrush, Ianthocincla ocellata
25. White-rumped shama, Copsychus malabaricus

26. Annam leaf turtle, Mauremys annamensis
27. Big-headed turtle, Platysternon megacephalum
28. Chinese crocodile lizard, Shinisaurus crocodilurus
29. King cobra, Ophiophagus hannah
30. Reticulated python, Malayopython reticulatus
31. Spur-thrighed tortoise, Testudo graeca

32. Kaiser's spotted newt, Neurergus kaiseri
33. Oriental fire-bellied toad, Bombina orientalis

34. Desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria
35. Giant stick insect, Tirachoidea jiangfenglingensis
36. Giant dead leaf mantis, Deroplatys desiccata
37. Asian weaver ant, Oecophylla smaragdina
38. Jungle nymph, Heteropteryx dilatata
39. Question mark cockroach, Therea olegrandjeani
40. Jewel wasp, Ampullex compressa
41. Giant Asian mantis, Hierodula membranacea
42. Biting midge, Culicoides imicola
43. Vietnamese magnolia snail, Bertia cambodjiensis
44. Silkworm, Bombyx mori
45. Bluebottle fly, Calliphora vomitoria
46. Giant house spider, Eratigena atrica
47. Peacock parachute spider, Poecilotheria metallica

I think that's it of what I saw, with notably the giant salamander, Edwards's pheasant and slow loris being no-shows.

 

Animals regularly found on the coast of the included countries will be counted, but animals like sea turtles and sea snakes can be found in larger stretches so I won't count them. Inland waters, like the Caspian sea, will count for the challenge.

You can indeed

Bornean orang-utan don't count sadly, due to only being found on East Malaysia, rather than Peninsular Malaysia!

Siamang do indeed count!

 

I was also going to make a comment similar to this, but also about the Malayan Sun Bear. Why exactly does the Sun bear count but not the Bornean Orangutan?

 

Sun Bears have an extant population on continental Asia (mainly Cambodia and Thailand, but in other countries as well). The orangutan, on the other hand, is indigenous to the island of Borneo.

 

I visited London Zoo today. I only spent three and a half hours, but I paced myself relatively well and saw a fair amount of animals. So here is my starting list:

1. Hanuman Langur (Semnopithecus entellus)
2. Lion (Panthera leo)
3. Tiger (Panthera tigris)
4. Northern White-cheeked Gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys)
5. Grey Slender Loris (Loris lyddekerianus)
6. Pygmy Slow Loris (Xanthonycticebus pygmaeus)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Abdim's Stork (Ciconia abdimii)
8. Asian Woolly-neck (Ciconia episcopus)
9. Bali Myna (Leucopsar rothschildi)
10. Blue-crowned Laughingthrush (Pterorhinus courtoisi)
11. Collared Partridge (Arborophila gingica)
12. Common Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
13. Eurasian Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)
14. Crested Partridge (Rollulus rouloul)
15. Edward's Pheasant (Lophura edwardsi)
16. Emei Shan Liocichla (Liocichla omeiensis)
17. Great White Pelican (Pelicanus onocrotalus)
18. Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
19. Grey-capped Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica)
20. Marbled Teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris)
21. Mountain Peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron inopinatum)
22. Orange-headed Ground-thrush (Geokichla citrina)
23. Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)
24. Silver-eared Mesia (Leiothrix argentauris)
25. Spotted Laughingthrush (Ianthocincla ocellata)
26. White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27. Annam Leaf Turtle (Mauremys annamensis)
28. King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)
29. Reticulated Python (Malayopython reticulatus)
30. Spur-thighed Tortoise (Testudo graeca)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
31. Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias davidanus)
32. Kaiser's Spotted Newt (Neurergus kaiseri)
33. Oriental Fire-bellied Toad (Bombina orientalis)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
34. Desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria
35. Giant Stick Insect, Tirachoidea jiangfenglingensis
36. Giant Dead Leaf Mantis, Deroplatys desiccata
37. Asian Weaver Ant, Oecophylla smaragdina
38. Jungle Nymph, Heteropteryx dilatata
39. Question-mark Cockroach, Therea olegrandjeani
40. Jewel Wasp, Ampulex compressa
41. Giant Asian Mantis, Hierodula membranacea
42. Biting midge, Culicoides imicola
43. Vietnamese Magnolia Snail, Berita cambodgiensis
44. Silkworm, Bombyx mori
45. Bluebottle Fly, Calliphora vomitoria

As far as I can remember, that is everything. Birds were a strength (I saw every continental Asian species barring the Pekin Robin), but I made a few notable misses regarding mammals and reptiles, and I visited the Invertebrates House as the zoo was closing, resulting in the spider enclosures already being closed off. Aside from those unfortunate losses, a solid day at my local zoo to start off what will hopefully be a great year of zoo-visiting!