And now, before I retire for the night, a pair of questions for those backing Taronga Yes, Taronga does have a significantly larger collection of Australian species than does Chester.... but: a) How does the range and depth of the collection in other aspects of the "Islands" theme compare to that found at Chester? b) How does the exhibit standards and quality compare to that found at Chester?
I have a vague recollection that Hallstrom may have supplied the first Long-beaked echidnas when he was stocking the zoo with Birds of Paradise and other New Guinea fauna in the 50's. I know from an annual report that the zoo received a pair in the 1978-79 financial year, and they were the first ones I had seen. Due to their nocturnal habits they were only occasionally seen, even in the nocturnal house. When JR and his companion (can't remember her name) arrived in the early 90's they were put in an outdoor enclosure next to the Platypus House, and were pretty much never seen.I don't think I saw them until 1998 during NightZoo when I caught site of them feeding after the zoo had closed, and wrestled JR until some keeper could come and help me bag him. Incidentally, I was at the zoo last week catching up friends and saw JR trundling around in the Noccy House. He's definitely on display at present. And although I haven't given the zoo a thorough walkthrough for a while, what was on the Wikipedia page seems appears to be up-to-date, with the exception of the Lemur walkthrough, which now has five capybara brothers. Hix
Taronga species list: (Australian walkabout) Red kangaroo Tammar wallaby Swamp wallaby Agile wallaby Red-necked wallaby Emu (Koala Walkabout) Koala (Platypus house) Platypus Common wombat (Australian nightlife) Tasmanian devil Eastern quoll Long-nosed potoroo Yellow bellied glider Plains rat Spinifex hopping mouse Barn owl New Caledonian giant gecko Red-tailed phascogale Greater bilby Long-nosed bandicoot Brush-tailed bettong Common ringtail possum Squirrel glider Feathertail glider Greater stick-nest rat Ghost bat Tawny frogmouth Diamond python Long-beaked echidna (Australian rainforest aviary) Rainbow lorikeet Musk lorikeet Eclectus parrot Australian king parrot Double-eyed fig parrot Paradise riflebird Wonga pigeon Topknot pigeon Pacific emerald dove Bornw cuckoo-dove White-headed pigeon Buff-banded rail Black-breasted buttonquail Regent bowerbird Eastern whipbird Black-faced monarch Pacific koel Crimson rosella Superb fruit dove Red-browed finch Blue-faced parrotfinch Noisy pitta (Australian wetlands) Black-necked stork Little pied cormorant Australian pelican Brolga Royal spoonbill Pacific blak duck Chestnut teal Blue-billed duck Australian wood duck Australian shelduck Plumed whistling duck Water whistling duck Black swan Cape Barren goose (Australian bush birds) King quail Painted buttonquail Green pygmy goose White-browed crake Banded lapwing Pacific golden plover Black-winged stilt Laughing kookaburra Sacred kingfisher Forest kingfisher Rainbow bee-eater Pheasant coucal Glossy black cockatoo Musk lorikeet Little lorikeet Turquoise parrot Swift parrot Superb fruit dove Rose-crowned fruit dove Wonga pigeon Topknot pigeon Pacific emerald dove Bar-shouldered dove Peaceful dove Bush bronzewing Crested pigeon Noisy pitta Eastern spinebill Noisy friarbird Blue-faced honeyeater New Holland honeyeater Scarlet honeyeater Striped honeyeater Crimson chat Variegated fairywren Eastern yellow robin Hooded robin grey shrikethrush Black faced cuckooshrike Silvereye Clamorous reed warbler Eastern whipbird Diamond firetail Red browed finch Plum headed finch Double barred finch Chestnut breasted mannikin Satin bowerbird Regent bowerbird White browed woodswallow Welcome swallow Golden whistler Rufous whistler (Blue Mountains Bush walk) Short beaked echidna Brush tailed rock wallaby Yellow tailed black cockatoo Brush bronzewing Dollarbird White-browed babbler Cunningham's skink Eastern water skink Southern leaf-tailed gecko Masked lapwing Bush stone-curlew Gang gang cockatoo Scaly-breasted lorikeet Eastern rosella Superb parrot Red rumped parrot Australasian figbird Superb lyrebird Black faced cuckooshrike Eastern water dragon Eastern blue-tongued lizard Eastern long necked turtle (Backyard to bush) Southern hairy nosed wombat Red necked wallaby House mouse Emu Budgie Cockatiel Children's python Wild turkey Red bellied black snake Coastal bearded dragon Shingleback Eastern snake necked turtle Australian green tree frog Dainty green tree frog Green and golden bell frog Splendid rainbowfish Pacific blue-eye Redback spider Golden orb-web spider Huntsman spider Bird eating spider Wolf spider White-tail spider Net-casting sider Black house spider Daddy long-legs spider Desert scorpion Rainforest scorpion Praying mantis Black house ant Meat ant Grasshopper Phasmids Giant burrowing cockroach American cockroach Centipede Garden snail Mealworm (Other Australia) Goodfellow's tree kangaroo Eclectus parrot Diamond dove Striated grasswren Red lory Eastern grey kangaroo Tammar wallaby Malleefowl Southern cassowary Rainbow lorikeet Purple crowned lorikeet Common bronzewing Blue faced honeyeater Saltwater crocodile Australian sea lion Sub-Antarctic fur seal New Zealand fur seal Australian pelican Fiordland penguin Little penguin Palm cockatoo Freshwater crocodile Komodo dragon Short tailed monitor Pygmy bearded dragon and lots more snakes and other reptiles. Aldabra tortoise Quokka Rufous bettong
1) Anyone who actually knows the collection fancy checking this list? 2) There appears to be rather a lot of vague or non-category species listed mostly among the invertebrates, but some vertebrates too.
Again, where is the species list from? Also, "Wild Turkey, wolf spider, daddy long-legs spider, desert scorpion, forest scorpion, praying mantis, grasshopper, Phasmids, American cockroach, centipede, garden snail, mealworm" really? ~Thylo
Last night I quietly switched my vote from Chester to Taronga based on the seemingly huge species list present at Taronga and the apparent at least average quality of the enclosures there. However, after sleeping on this and thanks both to @TeaLovingDave reminding just how fantastic Chester's exhibitry really is and @CGSwans and TLD proposing the arguments of the value of Taronga's native collection vs Chester's exotic one, I think I might be switching back to the Chester camp. Not that I think it'll make much difference given the overwhelming total for Taronga atm combined with the fact that very few seem to want to actually discuss the arguments presented (which is fine). ~Thylo
It appears to be from the Wikipedia list. Origin beyond that is unclear; the list has been edited as recently as this year, though.
There are also a few duplicates, red necked and Tammar wallaby are both listed twice, probably because the Wikipedia list is done by exhibits and some species are in more than one area of the zoo
TLD: 1) 2) I know some of them are sketchy, but the point is that there is a species of those categories in the zoo. I don't think anyone can expect any species list to have the exact species of spider - most zoo signing doesn't even include the genus of the insect and I imagine a few of the species listings on ZIMS being slightly vague as well.
[QUOTE="amur leopard, post: 1174452, member: 15737"2)]I know some of them are sketchy, but the point is that there is a species of those categories in the zoo. I don't think anyone can expect any species list to have the exact species of spider - most zoo signing doesn't even include the genus of the insect and I imagine a few of the species listings on ZIMS being slightly vague as well.[/QUOTE] Why? While some zoos use very vague signage the vast, vast majority of invertebrates I've seen in zoos have been specified to at least the genus level, and usually to the species level. With spiders specifically I've seen roughly 67 species in zoos, all listed to species level. I've seen an additional 50 or so species in the private trade which I've never seen in zoos, but all listed to species level and since many zoos invertebrates come from private traders I think zoos more often than not know what they're exhibiting regardless of whether the signage says so. Regardless of that, as TLD pointed out many of the questionable listings don't apply to only species found in the relevant region, and at least a couple of those invertebrates definitely aren't native to the region. The turkey I imagine is supposed to be brush-turkey, but the mealworm and cockroach are native to Europe and Africa respectively. ~Thylo
No I don't think they would, nor do I think any of the few errors in his species list will cause anyone to change their vote. The handful who have changed their votes likely did so due to the arguments from David and nothing else, but aside from that I think the results are pretty much locked in at this point. The conversation is simply for conversation's sake and to, hopefully, lead to lists with less erroneous listings in upcoming matches ~Thylo
Why not? Many people base their vote in part on whether and how a zoo displays various species. If mealworms are part of the zoo's on-show collection, I see no reason to exclude them from consideration (assuming the category allows it). They may not be kagus or kowaris, but they can definately enrich the zoo. I'll go even further and say that I would rate a good, interesting or thought-provoking mealworm exhibit higher than a run-of-the-mill aviary with a couple of standard zoo birds or a boring paddock with red-necked wallabies. * Note that this is purely hypothetical and has no little merit on the current match itself!
Well, if it all comes down to a bare "which zoo has more species" algebra for some people, then list-padding surely does make a difference! Basically this, yes Much as I'd rather like people to engage with the points I've made about comprehensiveness as opposed to specialism, and quality over quantity, rather than remaining silent or ranting about the mere concept anyone would disagree with their POV, at this stage I will probably have to settle for helping to assist in better accuracy for future rounds.
@ThylacineAlive, @TeaLovingDave, and @Maguari have all made a good case for Chester's unusually strong standing in the "Islands" part of this category - I'm especially impressed with Fruit Bat Forest, the awesome fossa enclosure, the presence of aye-aye and the breeding success with tuatara - but as @CGSwans pointed out, Taronga does a very good job of showcasing its continental wildlife compared even to other Australian zoos. They should be given credit for their nocturnal mammals in the Nightlife house - especially platypus, ghost bat, and Australian native rodents. Additionally, just as I was not inclined to give sympathy points to Taronga for its heavily native-biased bird collection earlier in the game, here I will give it due credit for the same collection. Even if its species number has been declining, the zoo probably still has ~100 or more relevant species and incredible walk-through aviaries for its native birds. Its native ectotherm collection is good too, although I don't know much about how they are housed. I haven't decided yet how I'll vote, but I'll point out that right now the margin is about 58% Taronga to 42% Chester. I doubt any of the other 15 zoos still in the competition - except maybe Zurich thanks to Masoala - could have done as well to narrow the margin here. Taronga got lucky with the category; not so much with the competitor.
At this point, I take offence. Just because their species isn't specified, it doesn't mean that they shouldn't be including in the match! If they are Australian, which most of them very likely are, then they should be included. I'm not sure why you are arguing about this anyway given the triviality of the situation. You don't need to go nit-picking in a massive species list where there is very likely errors anyway, which didn't even come from me. And then this comment laced with contempt? Please.
I really haven't found many photos of Taronga's enclosures, but I have previously seen photos and most of the exhibits are up to a similar standard to this: For tree kangaroos
