Zoochat Challenge North America 2022

I'm so glad I could cross this nice little zoo off my bucket list. It certainly needs a facelift in its older and smaller areas, but I liked that much of the warm-weather fauna had indoor viewing. I thought the elephant yard was nice, at least just for the three females they have. I hope I can go back in the summer post-avian flu (I missed the raven. Its section was out of the way and roped off).

Roger Williams Park Zoo 11/28

Spoiler: Challenge progress

An Unbearable Challenge 4/5

• Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) – Louisville Zoo 3/16
• Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) – Queens Zoo 4/15
• Brown bear (Ursas arctos) – Bronx Zoo 9/11
• Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) – Roger Williams Park Zoo 11/28

Puny Primates 6/6 COMPLETE

1. Cottontop tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) – Central Park Zoo 4/15
2. Geoffrey’s marmoset (Callithrix geoffroyi) - Long Island Aquarium 8/19
3. Golden headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas) – Bronx Zoo 8/24
4. Pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea) – Bronx Zoo 9/11
5. Emperor tamarin (Saguinus imperator) – Staten Island Zoo 9/29
6. Golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia) – Roger Williams Park Zoo 11/28

Bovine Bonanza 17/20

1. Eastern bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus) – Cincinnati Zoo 1/12
2. Lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis) – Cincinnati Zoo 1/19
3. Thomson’s gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii) – Cincinnati Zoo 1/9
4. Addax (Addax nasomaculatus) – Louisville Zoo 3/16
5. Impala (Aepyceros melampus) – Cincinnati Zoo 3/24
6. American bison (Bison bison) – Queens Zoo 4/15
7. Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) – Bronx Zoo 8/24
8. Gaur (Bos gaurus) – Bronx Zoo 8/24
9. Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) – Bronx Zoo 8/24
10. Markhor (Capra falconeri) – Bronx Zoo 8/24
11. Slender-horned gazelle (Gazella leptoceros) – Bronx Zoo 8/24
12. Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana) – Bronx Zoo 9/11
13. Lowland nyala (Tragelaphus angasii) – Bronx Zoo 9/11
14. Aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) – White Post Farms 9/28
15. Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus) – Staten Island Zoo 9/29
16. Sichuan takin (Budorcas taxicolor tibetana) – Roger Williams Park Zoo 11/28
17. Blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) – Roger Williams Park Zoo 11/28

Complete (27/36): White With Black Stripes, Cat Got Your Tongue, Planet of the Apes, Three Little Pigs, Ring N Ruff, Puny Primates, Late to the Party, You Must be This Tall to (Not) Fly, Duck Dynasty, Parliament is in Session, Polly Wants 20, Alfred Russell Wallace, Nocturnal Birding, Rookery Roundabout, The Big Squeeze, One Drop One Life, Sharknado, One Zoo Wonder (Sharknado), Silk & Stinger, Release the Kraken, Kingmaker, Cold as Ice, The Steve Irwin Challenge, Seal of Approval, Bona Fide Rarity Hunter, Namesake Challenge
In progress (9/36): Have Trunk Will Travel (3/4), Unbearable Challenge (4/5), Another Dang Meerkat (3/4), Bovine Bonanza (17/20), (2/4), Pretty in Pink (3/4), The Edgar Allen Poe (3/5), Slow & Steady (3/4), The Sobek Six-Pack (5/6), Champion of the Sun (2/3)

26 visits, 24 days, 10 facilities

 

Rosamond Gifford Zoo 12/8

Spoiler: Challenge progress

Another Dang Meerkat (4/4/) COMPLETE
(Suricata suricatta)

1. Cincinnati Zoo 1/12
2. Louisville Zoo 3/16
3. Staten Island Zoo 9/29
4. Rosamond Gifford Zoo 12/8

Bovine Bonanza 18/20

1. Eastern bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus) – Cincinnati Zoo 1/12
2. Lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis) – Cincinnati Zoo 1/19
3. Thomson’s gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii) – Cincinnati Zoo 1/9
4. Addax (Addax nasomaculatus) – Louisville Zoo 3/16
5. Impala (Aepyceros melampus) – Cincinnati Zoo 3/24
6. American bison (Bison bison) – Queens Zoo 4/15
7. Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) – Bronx Zoo 8/24
8. Gaur (Bos gaurus) – Bronx Zoo 8/24
9. Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) – Bronx Zoo 8/24
10. Markhor (Capra falconeri) – Bronx Zoo 8/24
11. Slender-horned gazelle (Gazella leptoceros) – Bronx Zoo 8/24
12. Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana) – Bronx Zoo 9/11
13. Lowland nyala (Tragelaphus angasii) – Bronx Zoo 9/11
14. Aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) – White Post Farms 9/28
15. Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus) – Staten Island Zoo 9/29
16. Sichuan takin (Budorcas taxicolor tibetana) – Roger Williams Park Zoo 11/28
17. Blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) – Roger Williams Park Zoo 11/28
18. Armenian mouflon (Ovis gmelini gmelini) - Rosamond Gifford Zoo 12/8 (Sorry, I saw conflicting things about this species counting. Once and or all, does it or does it not?)

The Edgar Allen Poe 4/5

• Plush crested jay (Cyanocorax chrysops) – Central Park Zoo 4/15
• Azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) – Louisville Zoo 8/12
• Blue magpie (Urocissa erythrorhyncha) – Bronx Zoo 9/11
• African pied raven (Corvus albus) - Rosamond Gifford Zoo 12/8

Complete (28/36): White With Black Stripes, Cat Got Your Tongue, Planet of the Apes, Three Little Pigs, Ring N Ruff, Puny Primates, Another Dang Meerkat, Late to the Party, You Must be This Tall to (Not) Fly, Duck Dynasty, Parliament is in Session, Polly Wants 20, Alfred Russell Wallace, Nocturnal Birding, Rookery Roundabout, The Big Squeeze, One Drop One Life, Sharknado, One Zoo Wonder (Sharknado), Silk & Stinger, Release the Kraken, Kingmaker, Cold as Ice, The Steve Irwin Challenge, Seal of Approval, Bona Fide Rarity Hunter, Namesake Challenge
In progress (8/36): Have Trunk Will Travel (3/4), Unbearable Challenge (4/5), Bovine Bonanza (18/20), Pretty in Pink (3/4), The Edgar Allen Poe (4/5), Slow & Steady (3/4), The Sobek Six-Pack (5/6), Champion of the Sun (2/3)

27 visits, 25 days, 11 facilities

 

It does, yes.

 

Buffalo Zoo 12/10

Spoiler: Challenge progress

Bovine Bonanza 20/20 COMPELTE

1. Eastern bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus) – Cincinnati Zoo 1/12
2. Lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis) – Cincinnati Zoo 1/19
3. Thomson’s gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii) – Cincinnati Zoo 1/9
4. Addax (Addax nasomaculatus) – Louisville Zoo 3/16
5. Impala (Aepyceros melampus) – Cincinnati Zoo 3/24
6. American bison (Bison bison) – Queens Zoo 4/15
7. Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) – Bronx Zoo 8/24
8. Gaur (Bos gaurus) – Bronx Zoo 8/24
9. Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) – Bronx Zoo 8/24
10. Markhor (Capra falconeri) – Bronx Zoo 8/24
11. Slender-horned gazelle (Gazella leptoceros) – Bronx Zoo 8/24
12. Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana) – Bronx Zoo 9/11
13. Lowland nyala (Tragelaphus angasii) – Bronx Zoo 9/11
14. Aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) – White Post Farms 9/28
15. Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus) – Staten Island Zoo 9/29
16. Sichuan takin (Budorcas taxicolor tibetana) – Roger Williams Park Zoo 11/28
17. Blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) – Roger Williams Park Zoo 11/28
18. European mouflon (Ovis gmelini gmelini) – Rosamond Gifford Zoo 12/8
19. Gemsbok (Oryx gazella) – Buffalo Zoo 12/10
20. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) – Buffalo Zoo 12/10

Slow and Steady 4/4 COMPLETE

• Galapagos tortoise (Chelonoidis spp.) – Cincinnati Zoo 3/2
• Aldabra tortoise (Geochelone gigantea) – Louisville Zoo
• Madagascar spider tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides brygooi) – Cincinnati Zoo 1/2
• Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) – Buffalo Zoo 12/10

Complete (30/36): White With Black Stripes, Cat Got Your Tongue, Planet of the Apes, Three Little Pigs, Ring N Ruff, Puny Primates, Another Dang Meerkat, Bovine Bonanza, Late to the Party, You Must be This Tall to (Not) Fly, Duck Dynasty, Parliament is in Session, Polly Wants 20, Alfred Russell Wallace, Nocturnal Birding, Rookery Roundabout, The Big Squeeze, One Drop One Life, Sharknado, One Zoo Wonder (Sharknado), Silk & Stinger, Release the Kraken, Kingmaker, Cold as Ice, The Steve Irwin Challenge, Seal of Approval, Bona Fide Rarity Hunter, Namesake Challenge
In progress (6/36): Have Trunk Will Travel (3/4), Unbearable Challenge (4/5), Pretty in Pink (3/4), The Edgar Allen Poe (4/5), The Sobek Six-Pack (5/6), Champion of the Sun (2/3)

28 visits, 26 days, 12 facilities

 

Only three weeks to go until end of the year! If you haven't updated in a while and you'd like your final score to be accurate on the final count, get those to me soon. Also, if anyone is visiting zoos over Christmas Eve, Christmas, or especially New Year's Eve: make sure to post those ASAP after they happen so I can include them by Jan 1.

Also, as with last year I'm open to suggestions on what to do for 2023. I already have some ideas, but I'm not 100% committed to anything yet in case someone has one I like better. Feel free to post it here or PM me.

 

Henry Vilas Zoo - December 11 2022

Puny Primates - 6/6 - NOW COMPLETE
6. Geoffroy's Marmoset Callithrix geoffroyi

____________________________________________________________

In-Progress Trials
Have Trunk, Will Travel - 1/2 elephant 2/2 tapir
An Unbearable Challenge - 4/5
Rookery Roundabout - 5/6
Polly Wants a 20 - 16/20
The Sobek Six-Pack - 2/2 alligator 0/2 gharial 2/2 crocodile
Champion of the Sun - 1/3

Completed Trails - 28/36
-Parliament Is Now In Session
-One-Zoo Wonder
-Nighttime Birding
-Sharknado
-Redemption Arc
-White with Black Stripes or Black with White Stripes
-Duck Dynasty
-The Edgar Allen Poe
-One Drop, One Life
-Silk and Stinger
-Breakfast of Champions
-You Must Be This Tall to (Not) Fly
-The Steve Irwin
-Pretty in Pink
-The Big Squeeze
-Cold as Ice
-Ring ‘n Ruff
-Planet of the Apes
-Three Little Pigs
-Slow and Steady
-Release the Kraken
-Another Dang Meerkat
-Cat Got Your Tongue
-Bovine Bonanza
-Bona Fide Rarity Hunter
-The Coelacanth Stamp of Approval
-Pick Your Poison
-Puny Primates

That's almost certainly it for the year for me.

 

As I said in my recap of my Wildlife World trip, challenges involving cranes, hornbills, and monitor lizards could be interesting. May I suggest “Insane in the Mem-Crane” for the crane one?
I had an idea for a vulture challenge in a similar vein to the poison dart frog/mantella challenge. See 5 different kinds of old world/new world vultures.
“Speak in Tongues”: see a giant anteater, an echidna, and an aardvark (bonus points if you see the pangolins at Brookfield).
Maybe there could be a challenge for exhibits, rather than animals? Like “walk through 3 kangaroo exhibits” or “pet stingrays at 5 different Stingray bays.”

 

Doing challenges was a new style just for this year. It's usually groups of animals. Last year was North American mammals, for example, and Europe did ungulates.

 

@TinoPup is correct that next year's format - though not completely finalized yet - will be more like previous years: a simple "see as many species of x as you can in a year" type game. But some good ideas nonetheless @Corangurilla; at least one of the animals you mentioned is among my top ideas for 2023

 

Personally, I've found the best challenges to be the ones that transcend taxonomic lines. For instance, the "Island Endemics" challenge or the "Threatened Species" challenge, as well as this year's format with the 36 mini-challenges (which I happen to prefer, but am fine with either style). Something similar to this, where it not only requires a little more thinking/learning, and also where everybody gets at least some animals they're interested counting and some that they may be less knowledgeable of. So if it was up to me, I'd prefer it to be a non-taxonomic challenge- in which there are birds, mammals, reptiles, and possibly also amphibians/fish that qualify.

Some possible ideas for this could include:
- a behaviorally-based challenge (ex. "Semi-aquatic animals" in which Otters, ducks, crocodilians, Frogs, etc. qualify)
- a geographically based challenge (ex. "Wildlife of [insert country/continent/region here]")
- a biome based challenge (ex. "Desert Animals")
- a diet based challenge (ex. "Frugivores" or "Insectivores")
- recently discovered species (pick a cut-off year, say, 1823, and any species that was discovered/described by western science after that date qualifies)
- a color based challenge (ex. Black and White)
- a challenge based around no specific idea, but includes a list that allows multiple taxonomic groups, perhaps something like the "Coelocanth's Stamp of Approval" could be turned into an entire challenge, with a list of your favorite orders/families/genus of birds, mammals, reptiles, etc.

Alternatively, if a taxonomic challenge is chosen, you could just surprise/confuse everyone by making the challenge "invertebrates"

 

- Horning in: spot all three thinoceros species of rhino, three species of hornbill, gaboon viper, rhinoceros iguana, and unicorn tang. 9 total.
- Sealed with a Six: spot six pinniped species. All seal, sea lion, and walrus species count toward this challenge. 6 total.
- Four Fox Sake: spot red fox, Arctic fox, fennec fox, and free space (any other fox species). 4 total.
- Ain't Puffin to it: all three puffin species: Atlantic, horned, and tufted. 3 total.
- The Big Five: African elephant, any one of Africa's rhino species, lion, cape buffalo, and leopard (African or Amur will count for this challenge). 5 total.
- Gone Neckin': spot giraffes at three zoos, okapi at two zoos, and gerenuk at one zoo. 6 total. I also considered adding "spot four crane species: to this challenge (increasing total to 10).
- Introducing Mr. Roy G. Biv: spot these animals with colors from the ROYGBIV rainbow in their names: red river hog, orange baboon tarantula, yellow tang, green aracari, blue poison dart frog, indigo snake, and violet turaco. 7 total.
- You the Man: spot these species with the word "man" in their name: mandrill, Mandarin duck, mangrove snake, mantella frog of any species, and mantis of any species. 5 total.
- Deerly Beloved: spot two North American cervine species, two Asian deer species, southern pudu, fallow deer, and free space. 7 total. Moose (Alces alces) may count for either North America or Asia (or free space), not both. It may only be counted once.
- Island Hopping: spot Cuban crocodile, Bali mynah, Puerto Rican crested toad, any two endemic Malagasy fauna of two different taxa, any two endemic Indonesian fauna of different taxa of different taxa, any two endemic New Guinean fauna, and any two endemic Filipino fauna of different taxa. 11 total.
- The Aloha Challenge: spot nene and reef triggerfish, the state bird and fish of Hawaii. 2 total.
- Shellraiser: alligator snapping turtle, common snapping turtle, one North American land turtle, two Old World tortoises, two New World tortoises, one Malagasy tortoise specie, and a sea turtle. 9 total.
- Fangs for the Memories: spot these creatures known for their fangs: tufted or musk deer, vampire bat, any snake specie not used in another challenge, and any spider or tarantula specie not used in another challenge. 4 total.
- Shuffle off to Buffalo: American bison, cape buffalo, and lowland anoa. 3 total.
- Mountain Menagerie: spot these mountain creatures: bighorn sheep OR mountain goat, red panda, Andean bear, and gelada. 4 total.
- I Eel Good: five eel species. 5 total.

 

The stingray one sounds particularly interesting. Maybe require photographic evidence of the petting (nee dot see hand on ray)

 

You could make "Insane in the Mem-crane" to see all 15 species and I could complete easy!

I really like the idea of a challenge to see a specific number of species from a certain biogeographic realm, like the Neotropics or the Palearctic or something like that. North American birds could also be a fun challenge.

 

I really like this one, it would be a nice follow-up to 2021's North American Mammals challenge. Perhaps add in NA reptiles too to be (Although somewhat controversially) taxonomically correct, and that could be a great challenge!

Island endemics or a challenge based on IUCN status (Endangered, CR endangered, and Extinct in the Wild species or something of the sort) could also be fun and educational.

 

Those are two challenge I mentioned because they have been done in the past. Both were great and fun, but were examples of some of the better past challenges- not ideas for next year.

 

Awesome, next year's challenge should be:

Insane the Meme-Crane:
See fourteen species of crane.

Stipulation: the International Crane Foundation does not count towards this challenge.

 

In order to diversify the collection that count for it (and not just visit the same facilities people saw North American mammals at), you could make the challenge Neotropical birds. Then lots of the tropical aviary birds would count, as would many (but not all) North American bird species.

 

Most of these require a lot of work on Sealy's part. Taxonomics have easy cut-off lines and anyone can quickly look up if a species counts or not. With most of these, you get in to does xyz count, what if they occasionally eat something else, what about birds that fly over the area, what counts as a desert, what if they used to live there but are locally extinct... I'm not a fan of the discovery criteria, either, since that always means discovered by non-natives, essentially.

 

Please read the rest of this page. This year's North American challenge being a series of small challenges was a different format from usual.

 

For new members who aren't getting this, here's a list of past annual challenges:

North America
2021: North American mammals
2020: IUCN threatened mammals, birds, and herps (with a list of approved species)
2019: Island endemics
2018: Reptiles

Europe
2022: Parrots
2021: Hoofstock, elephants, and manatees
2020: Miscellaneous Mammals (marsupials, bats, rodents, xenarthrans, etc; there was a list)
2019: Island endemics
2018: Galloanserae
2017: Primates

Global
2022: Nocturnal animals (with a list)
2021: Miscellaneous Mammals (same as Euro 2020 list, since that didn't happen with Covid)
2020: Marsupials
2019: Amphibians
2018: Carnivora
2017: Passerines
2016: Ungulates
2015: Rodents
2014: Pheasants
2013: Penguins

UK
2019: South American species
2018: List of 168 mammals from '“Usborne Spotter's Guide” for Wild Animals"'
2017: Visit 35 oldest zoos in the UK (approved list)
2016: Reptiles
2015: Birds of Prey
2014: Old World Primates
2013: Felids
2012: Bears

It is a lot harder than you think to come up with challenges that are fair and can possibly be done by people in different regions of the country.