ZooChat Challenge Global 2023 - 10th Anniversary Special!

Hello friends, acquaintances, fellow ZooChatters.

Nearly 10 years ago now, in 2013, former member @filipinos expanded on the idea by @Shorts to host a game where ZooChat members would compete to see the most of a selected animal group within a one year period. This game, as opposed to the original UK version, aimed to be open to members of the wider community. Thus, the global challenge was born. Following that year, @filipinos gifted the running of the challenges to me, which I proceeding to manage solely for the proceeding 6 years. In 2020, I took a step back from ZooChat for a time as aspects of my life changed significantly while the world grasped with the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the running of the challenges passed onto @ZooBinh, who did a great job both that year and this past year as I silently guided in the background. Finally, here we are, the 11th entry and 10th anniversary of one of the longest running series in zoo forum history!

This year's entry is one I have been planning for a long time, so @ZooBinh has graciously allowed me to step back into the spotlight to shepherd in what I hope to be the most spectacular game yet... as well as my last. While I still hope to always participate in the games to some extent, after this year I plan to fully step away from my tenure as the head of this game. It is my hope that @ZooBinh, or someone, continues the legacy. But for now, let's just let the games begin...

So what is the 10th anniversary special challenge?
Primates
Parrots
Cartilaginous fishes
All animals

Just as @Coelacanth18's North American challenge this past year introduced the idea of 'mini-games' to that game, the 2023 global challenge will be doing something similar. This year comes with a fun twist, however: All the games are inspired by the challenges of years' past!

Before I dive into the mini-challenges themselves, first let's recap the rules as follows:

1. You have to actually 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. All entries must be presented in numbered list form, with scientific names included where necessary (simply to make it easier to keep track of and to avoid uncountable species being slipped in due to vagueness). Obviously species do not need Latin names included, but this is not an avenue to slip in inadmissible species with vagueness;

4. You have to see the animal via normal public access (zookeeper for the day or photography days behind the scenes do not count) 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;

5. Any severely limited opening or private collections don't count for this challenge. Controversial yes, but see previous point and it isn't fair to include a handful of days these collections might be open to the public as this might logistically disadvantage a large number of people;

6. Only public zoological collections, museums, public park displays, etc. count, animals seen at farms or pet stores do not count;

7. Report/update your progress on this thread as you go along;

8. Where open-ended challenges are concerned, only one subspecies per species can be counted;

9. Controversial entries due to splits will be discussed on a case-by-case basis;

10. Domestics do not count, the animals must be in a wild form. You can count a species that's been domesticated just as long as the animal you're looking at isn't;

11. Hybrid animals do not count;

12. Wild animals do not count, all species must be seen in captivity under all the conditions listed above;

13. Anyone caught severely violating any of the above rules and/or participating in extremely unsportsmanlike conduct on or even off the forum is subject to disqualification (these are made for fun, by all means take them seriously but please do not ruin the fun for anyone else. I do not expect to have any problems, but I've added this in just in case);

14. Any issues with any of the above rules is open to discussion but the rules are set and any decisions made are final;

15. Apart from the unlikely event that someone gets to see all the species potentially viewable by 12/31/23, the winner will be deemed to be the person who's seen the most at that date.

Now for the game itself...

 

The object of the challenge is simple: fully complete or fulfill to the fullest extent all 28 (really 29) mini-games as you can by 12/31/23. The person who has completed the most mini-games to the best of their ability by that date will be deemed the winner.

There is one major difference to how this challenge will operate in comparison to the 2022 NA challenge, that being that not all of the challenges are realistically completable. Some challenges, in fact, are entirely or in-part open-ended. I added this aspect intentionally, to avoid there ever being a hypothetical win due to someone completing all the challenges in full. I feel this is the best way to keep the game moving and to avoid unnecessary and/or unfriendly competitiveness due to there legitimately being a way to win the whole game before the end of the year. This is no knock on @Coelacanth18 for the record, just an amendment based on my observations of how that game unfolded. The open-ended portions of challenges will be italicized.

Without further ado, the challenges themselves --

Disclaimer #1: Wherever you read "your continent", this refers to the continent you are currently playing in where you picked up species. If you visit multiple continents over the course of the year, then the rules you're adherent to are those of the continent you're currently in wherever you pick up a new species. This cannot be used as a loophole for challenge rules, however.
For example, if I see a fallow deer in a US zoo, then that animal counts as an exotic deer for the challenge. This species can no longer be counted as a native deer species should I visit Europe and see fallow deer there. Should I not see fallow deer in the US, visit Europe, and see fallow deer in Europe, then I can choose to count them as a native deer species, but I cannot then count them as an exotic species if I see them back in the US once I return home.

Disclaimer #2: The entirely open-ended challenges are claimed at the end of the year based on who's seen the most in that category. For the combo closed and open-ended challenges, the open-ended will serve more as tie-breakers once the closed portions of that challenge have been completed. I don't anticipate anyone who's in the running for winner to be in a situation where they have a winning number of species in the open-ended portions but yet haven't finished up the closed portions of that combo challenge.


The Global Challenges: A Game in Review
2013: Penguimonium
See as many penguin species as you can!

2014: Fly the Coop
See the following Galliformes:

• Any 1 megapode species
• Any 2 Cracidae (curassows, guans, chachalacas)
• The Vulturine OR Crested Guineafowl
• Any 1 New World quail species
• Any 6 Phasianidae species (typical pheasants, Old World quails, peafowl, turkeys, grouse, spurfowl, partridges, etc.)

2015: We're Gonna Need a Bigger Trap
See 10 non-Muridae/Cricetidae rodents; meaning no "typical" mice/rats. The following are eligible for this challenge:

• Dormice
• Squirrels
• Porcupines
• Gundi
• Mole-Rats & Relatives
• Paca
• Cavies (incl. Capybara)
• Agoutis
• Chinchillas
• Nutria & Hutias
• Degus
• Beavers
• Kangaroo-Rats
• Springhares
• African rats (Nesomyidae)

2016 (Part I): How Many Toes Am I Holding Up?

See 3 wild-type equid, 3 rhinoceros, and 3 tapir species. At least 1 equid has to be a non-zebra

2016 (Part II): Let That Ruminate
See the following ruminate ungulates:

• Any 3 pigs/peccaries
• The 2 hippos
• The Okapi + any Giraffe sensu lato
• Any 2 deer species native to your continent (any 1 deer counts for Oceania)
• Any 2 deer species exotic to your continent (any 1 deer counts for Oceania)
• As many members of the family Bovidae as you can see!

2016 (Part III): Sea Shepherds
See any 2 cetacean species.

2017 (Part I): Check Your Feeders
See any 4 passerine species that are native to your continent.

Here North America will be defined as north of the Colombia-Panama border but excluding the Caribbean.
The Indonesian portion of New Guinea will not count as part of Asia but rather as Oceania.

2017 (Part II): Asian Songbird Challenge
See EITHER Golden White-Eye OR Javan Green-Magpie, AND at least 4 of the following species:

• Bali Myna
• White-Rumped Shama
• Oriental Magpie-Robin
• Asian Fairy-Bluebird
• Chestnut-Backed Thrush
• Sunda/Tricolor Parrotfinch

2017 (Part III): Thylo's Top 20
See any 8 of the following 20 of my chosen passerine species:

• Any bird-of-paradise species
• Hooded Pitta
• Any cock-of-the-rock species
• Siberian Rubythroat
• Golden-Breasted Starling
• Any laughingthrush species
• Chestnut-Backed Scimitar-Babbler
• Plush-Crested Jay
• White-Breasted Woodswallow
• African Long-Tailed Shrike
• Pin-Tailed Whydah
• Crested Oropendola
• Venezuelan Troupial
• White-Headed Buffalo-Waver
• Taveta Golden Weaver
• Red-Billed Blue-Magpie
• Snowy-Crowned Robin-Chat
• Any tanager species (Thraupidae)
• Any Corvus species
• Black-Naped Oriole

2018 (Part I): Small but Will Fight
See the following small carnivores:

• Any 2 mongoose species
• Any 5 small-sized cat species (no Pantherinae, no Cougar, no Cheetah)
• Any 2 fox species (including Bat-Eared Fox and the grey foxes)
• Any 1 red panda species

2018 (Part II): Pinni-Party
See any 2 pinniped species.

2018 (Part III): Carnivore Carnival
See any 6 of the following 12 unusual carnivore species:

• Binturong
• Fossa
• Aardwolf
• Cheetah
• Maned Wolf
• Sloth Bear
• Ring-Tailed Cacomistle
• Fisher/Pekan
• Ratel
• Giant Otter
• Sea Otter
• Walrus

2019 (Part I): See, Don't Touch
See as many poison dart frog (Dendrobatidae) species as you can!

2019 (Part II): River Giants
See any 1 giant salamander species (including Hellbender).

2020: Let's Give this Another Go
See as many monotreme and marsupial species as you can!

2021: Don't You Forget About Me
See the following oddball mammals:

• Any 4 bat species
• Any 1 treeshrew species
• Any 2 armadillo species
• Any 1 anteater species
• Any 1 sloth species
• Any 1 sea-cow species
• Any 2 elephant species
• Any 1 hyrax species

2022: Don't Turn On the Lights
See 10 species of ANY kind in a nocturnal exhibit. The exhibit does not have to be a full nocturnal house, any reverse-lighting or purposefully dim-lit exhibit counts. If you visit a nocturnal exhibit and the lights haven't been reversed yet, that still counts!

NOTE: The intention should be that the exhibit purposefully mimics a nighttime or crepuscular setting. For the most part, what does and does not count I will allow to be subjective to the player, but when submitting from lesser known or obscure displays such as this (I expect a great many of the applicable exhibits to be at least somewhat known within zoo communities), expect pushback. It's safer--and easier--to not try and push the limits on what you know does and does not count as a nocturnal exhibit (ie. a nestbox with a redlight heat lamp does not count).

Homage to the Other Challengers
The following selection of games are inspired by some of the other non-global challenges ZooChat has held over the years, so those of you who couldn't participate in the fun then can now!

Native Species Challenge (based off NA 2021)
See all 5 assigned species native to your continent. No mix-matching for you international players.

• North America: Jaguar, American Barn Owl, Cayman Blue Iguana, Panamanian Golden Toad, American Paddlefish
• Europe: Moose/Elk, Northern Hawk-Owl, European Adder, Fire Salamander, Wels Catfish
• Australia: Platypus, Gouldian Finch, Perentie, Australian Green Treefrog, Barramundi
• New Zealand: Subantarctic Fur Seal, Blue Duck, any 2 native geckos, New Zealand Longfin Eel
• Asia: Asian Black Bear: Bali Myna, Burmese Python, Bornean Eared Frog, Asian Arowana

Embrace the ABCs Challenge (inspired--at least loosely--by @FunkyGibbon's thread of the same name)
See all 18 of the common zoo animals in at least TWO different zoos:

• Bennett's Wallaby
• Any elephant (you can choose the species, but you have to stick with one)
• Ring-Tailed Lemur
• Western Lowland Gorilla
• Southern White Rhinoceros
• Meerkat
• Lion
• Tiger
• Asian Small-Clawed Otter
• Indian Peafowl
• African Penguin (Oceania substitute with blue/fairy penguins)
• Bald Eagle (Oceania substitute with Wedge-Tailed Eagle or New Zealand Falcon)
• Hyacinth Macaw (Oceania substitute with Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo or Kea)
• Green iguana sensu lato (Oceania substitute with Saltwater Crocodile or Tuatara)
• Pond Slider (any subspecies) (Oceania substitute with Macquarie Turtle or Leopard Tortoise)
• African Bullfrog (Oceania substitute with any 1 frog/toad)
• Sand Tiger Shark OR Blacktip Reef Shark (you can choose the species, but you have to stick with one)
  
• Madagascar hissing cockroach (any species) (Oceania substitute with Macleay's Spiny Stick Insect)

You do not have to see all the species at one zoo, just each species at any two different zoos.

Second Chance Red List Challenge (based off NA 2020)
See any 4 vertebrate species that are each IUCN vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered (12 species total), AND any 2 species that are extinct in the wild. In the unlikely event that the IUCN updates a status after you entered an animal, stick with what it was when you saw it.

Island Hoppers Challenge (based off NA & EU 2019)
See animals (must be a species fully endemic; endemic subspecies do not count if there are other subspecies native to a mainland) that are endemic to single islands or island chains. The following are required:

• 5 mammals
• 6 birds
• 6 reptiles
• 3 amphibians
• 2 fishes

Mainland Australia will not be counted as an island.
Galapagos tortoises will count as one species for this.

I'm Hot Blooded (For Cold Blood) (based off NA 2018)
See the following reptiles:

• Any 4 monitor species
• Any 2 gecko species
• Any 1 Agamidae species
• Any 10 venomous snakes (please stick with Viperidae/Elapidae)
• Any 3 pythons
• Any 4 crocodiles/gharials (no alligators)
• As many turtles/tortoises as you can see!

Usborne's Scavenger Hunt Challenge (based off UK 2018)
See any 15 of the following 30 species from the Usborne Spotter's Guide wild animal checklist:

• Red Kangaroo
• Black-Tailed Prairie Dog
• Orangutan (either species)
• Squirrel monkey (any species)
• Indian Rhinoceros
• Pygmy Hippopotamus
• Reeves’s Muntjac
• Blue Wildebeest
• American Bison
• Markhor
• Clouded Leopard
• Dingo
• Polar Bear
• Giant Panda
• Cassowary (any species)
• North Island Brown Kiwi
• Hawaiian Goose
• Lady Amherst’s Pheasant
• King Penguin
• African crowned crane (either species)
• American Flamingo
• Spectacled Owl
• King Vulture
• Great Indian Hornbill
• Kookaburra (any species)
• Blue-and-Yellow Macaw
• Giant tortoise (Aldabra or any of the Galapagos)
• Common/Northern Boa (B. constrictor/imperator)
• Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
• American Alligator

The Rio Challenge (inspired by UK 2019 & EU 2022)
See any 8 species of parrot native to South America (defined as south of Panama and excluding the Caribbean). At least 1 species must be a non-macaw.

The Unbearable Challenge (based off UK 2012, the very first ZooChat challenge)
See all 8 bear species!

Hall of Champions
This section consists of one game, where I have gone back and asked each of the prior ZooChat Global Challenge Champions to pick one species/animal that they would like to everyone else to attempt to find. As a reward for their hard work and well-deserved wins, the Champions are exempt from this challenge, should they choose to play.

• 2013: @ThylacineAlive Aldabra Giant Tortoise (any tortoise species for Oceania)
• 2014: @TeaLovingDave Sand Cat (any quoll species for Oceania)
• 2015: @LaughingDove [unfortunately I could not get through to LD, who seems to have moved on from ZC. In his absence and honor, I will allow any African pigeon/dove to count]
• 2016: @devilfish Any bird-of-paradise species
• 2017: @Vision Long-Wattled Umbrellabird (Superb Lyrebird for Oceania)
• 2018: @Giant Eland Roan Antelope OR Sable Antelope
• 2019: @jayjds2 American Harpy Eagle (Wedge-Tailed Eagle for Oceania)
• 2020: @WhistlingKite24 Blue-Faced Honeyeater
• 2021: @twilighter Goodfellow's Tree-Kangaroo (Europe) OR Matschie's Tree-Kangaroo (NA) (any tree-kangaroo for Oceania)
• 2022: @twilighter Gaur OR Banteng

A very species congratulations to @twilighter for being our only two-time champion as well!

I also want to give the man we have to thank for all of the challenges, @Shorts, the opportunity to pick an animal he wants us all to see as a thank you for providing the forum with such a fun and long-lasting game for us to play: Okapi

Cheers to Coelacanth
In this final section, I have chosen to select and modify two challenges from the NA 2022 Challenge as homage to the first of the ZC challenges to introduce this mini-game format--and because I like them.

“One-Zoo Wonder: complete one trial in a single zoo visit. Trials that require only seeing 1 species do not count.”
Now I understand this one may be a lot harder to complete this year than it was for the NA challenge last year, but it is doable. To hopefully make things a little easier, however, I am going to allow any challenges that have set criteria as well as being open-ended to be eligible for this challenge as long as all of the set criteria are met and at least one species that fits the open-ended category is seen all in a single zoo visit. Challenges that are entirely open-ended do not qualify for One-Zoo Wonder.

Additionally, I will allow people to fulfill this using a challenge completed retroactively. For example, if someone completes the Usborne’s Scavenger Hunt using multiple zoo visits, but then visits a zoo where they see all the necessary animals in one visit, they can retroactively use that to fulfill the One-Zoo Wonder.

“Bona Fide Rarity Hunter: see at least 3 species exhibited by only 1 zoo in the US and Canada (can only count 1 species per zoo)"
This one I’m going to edit a bit more, both since it’s hard and because naturally I’m not making everyone visit American zoos to win this.

I am changing the challenge to mean seeing 3 species exhibited by only 1 zoo within your continent, not globally. Again, you are not required to see 3 species exhibited by only 1 zoo each worldwide, just 3 species exhibited at only 1 zoo within the continent you’re participating in. If you visit multiple continents, this challenge will apply to whichever continent the zoo you’re visiting is based in. The one species per zoo rule will remain in effect so people can’t win it with one visit to their local native rescue center.

I’m also going to add a bonus to this challenge: see 1 species exhibited by only one zoo in the world. Since this challenge is particularly difficult, it is not going to be required to say you completed the Bona Fide Rarity Hunter challenge, but I would encourage everyone to still give it a shot! It may make the difference in any theoretical tiebreakers.
To make things a little easier, I am also limiting the definition of “only one zoo in the world” to apply only to the continents where members are participating from. For example, if nobody from South America joins the challenge, then any South American animal displayed at only one zoo outside of SA will fulfill this challenge, regardless of whether they are also kept in SA. If somebody from South America joins the challenge AFTER you have already completed this bonus, then your entry remains valid, but that species will no longer count for the rest of the game.

Bonus Challenge
Finally, I have also decided to add a single bonus challenge which I thought would be fun.

Thylo's Bonus Challenge
See at least one predator-prey exhibit setup at any zoo. By predator-prey I mean Hagenbeck-style where predator and prey species are displayed side-by-side where they are intentionally able to view and, maybe sometimes in a limited sense, interact with one another.


And that's the game folks! I hope I didn't make things too daunting.. I really tried to strike a good balance between challenge and what would be fun to play without being too annoying to keep track of.

I would like to, once again, thank @ZooBinh, @Coelacanth18, @jayjds2, @ShonenJake13, @Vision, @filipinos, and @Shorts for working with me over these years to consistently bring exciting and innovative challenges to ZooChat!

I wish everyone the best of luck and, of course, a very Happy New Year!



~Thylo

 

I love this so much.

edit: I am bloody CURSED with marsupial and monotreme challenges. Missed 2020 by one species, when border restrictions within Australian states prevented trips to Queensland and Western Australia that would have gotten me over the line. I did those trips in 2022, when I got something like 42 or 43 species - more than enough to win. And now, in 2023...

 

And I thought that last North American challenge was hard to keep track of! This does sound fun though, although I have no idea how many zoos I will actually get to in 2023.

 

This is crazy, but I like crazy. Bring on the challenge! I have a zoo visit lined up already for January 1st and considering the zoo in question I think it's going to give me quite a head start!!!

Looking forward to this and good luck everyone!

 

Also, pro tip for Americans doing the rarity challenge. I usually visit Healesville in January. If you're going to San Diego for the platypus, go soon.

 

Now this is a challenge and a half! Good luck everyone!

 

This is going to be a wild ride...best of luck to all participants! I'm determined to do well on this one, so hopefully I have the same luck visiting zoos in 2023 as I did in 2022 .

Thank you @ThylacineAlive for creating quite literally the most insane challenge this forum has ever seen...

 

One thing I don't understand - how do you intend the open-ended challenges to be claimed? Or do we only determine who gets those challenges at the end of the year?

 

This is awesome! I really enjoyed the similar format that was done for this years North American challenge. It'll be a challenge to keep track of, but I look forward to participating.

 

Maybe the real challenge is the struggle keeping everything together along the way?

 

Wow, very impressive challenge created by @ThylacineAlive this year! I don't have any trips planned yet, so barring any potential surprises I don't forsee myself being competitive this year, but will play anyways for fun. Toronto and Bronx remain possibilities for this year (albeit the latter is a fairly slim chance), and I'll likely be going on a trip to five yet-to-be-determined zoos next fall, so there is a possibility of doing decently in a number of these challenges (although some I know are impossible for me).

Three quick questions that I came up with when reading the rules:

1. For Island Hoppers, I take it this is only freshwater fish that count? Or do saltwater fish that live around an island also count?
2. Hall of Champions @twilighter, so is banteng the only one that counts for North America, or is it banteng or gaur? Because I know personally I have a higher chance of seeing gaur this year than banteng, so wanted to clarify.
3. Let That Ruminate- I noticed you mentioned "any Giraffa sp."for this challenge. I was under the impression that for ZooChat Challenges IUCN Redlist was the agreed-upon standard for taxonomy, and IUCN (to the disapproval of many zoochatters, I know) still recognizes only a single giraffe species. Are we deviating from using IUCN Redlist as the source of taxonomy for these challenges, and if so what is replacing it? Or did I misinterpret this piece, and it's in fact talking about giraffes at a subspecific level (as defined by IUCN- I'm not wading into a debate of giraffe taxonomy)?

 

Right, this is something I forgot to clarify and actually just logged back on to discuss!

For the entirely open-ended challenges, they're just claimed at the end of the year based on who's seen the most in that category. For the combo closed and open-ended challenges, the open-ended will serve more as tie-breakers once the closed portions of that challenge have been completed. I don't anticipate anyone who's in the running for winner to be in a situation where they have a winning number of species in the open-ended portions but yet haven't finished up the closed portions of that combo challenge.

~Thylo

 

1. Just freshwater fish. I know this sounds challenging but when you think about the number of Madagascar cichlids and Papuan rainbowfish in zoos, it's really not too difficult.
2. I've debated this a lot. I know Banteng aren't really present much east of the Mississippi so I'm tempted to allow Gaur, but that also felt biased and unfair because that obviously advantages me personally then it opens up the question of making both species applicable to Europe, which then just makes it more favorable to Europeans since Banteng are a lot more common over there than Gaur. It's a tough question and one which I can open up to the floor to see what the common consensus is.
3. *Sigh* you raise a good point. I think for simplicity's sake it's probably better for us to just follow the IUCN still and maintain giraffes as one species. I don't like that configuration though, and hybrid giraffes in zoos annoy me I will concede it's probably better to just let any giraffes count though.

~Thylo

 

Strictly the Thraupidae or anything named tanager such as certain Cardinalidae?

 

Really excited for this year’s challenge (although it might be a bit of a struggle to keep track of )! The challenge does start on January first, Correct? Just making sure because I have a trip planned for tomorrow I may consider rescheduling depending on when it starts.

 

Proud to be the resident guinea pig

What exactly constitutes a "predator-prey setup"? Is that an exhibit where predator and prey rotate through, or just one where they are displayed side-by-side?

December 29th and you're already throwing down the gauntlet? Don't make me throw a Mountain Tapir at you

 

December 30th on the right side of the world.

 

Maximalist this year Got a great zoo planned for January 1st so this will be exciting.

 

Doubt I'll actually be able to complete some of these, but damn, I'm gonna give it a good ol' go!