Common zoo species niches filled by rare species - a list

[yoav_r]

So when trying to plan a realistic zoo, I noticed that there are some very common zoo animals missing in the game, but their niche at zoo is filled by rarer counterparts.

This is not necessarily bad, but I think in the context of the meta-wishlist, it would be useful to figure them out, as animals whose niche is already filled in the roster will have lesser representation in the wishlist.

Current list:

Otter: Giant Otter - Asian small clawed Otter
Crocodile: Salwater crocodile - Nile Crocodile
Small brown bear: Himalayan BB* - Syrian/Eurasian BB
Langur: Proboscis Monkey* - Grey Langur
Lion: West african lion - Southern Lion
Wildebeest: Black Wildebeest - Blue wildebeest
American Alpine Sheep: Dall Sheep - Bighorn sheep

*Animals with <4 zoo exhibitions worldwide

Used to be on the list:
Penguin: King Penguin - African Penguin
Rhino: Indian Rhino - White Rhino

Are there other similar cases?

 

[SalamAnders]

Dall's sheep is niche. I guess their common counterpart could be Barbary sheep or mouflon

 

[yoav_r]

Dall's sheep is niche. I guess their common counterpart could be Barbary sheep or mouflon

Good suggestion! Adding that to the list

 

[KönigDerKaffeebohnen]

I wouldnt say that the probuscis monkey is filling the niche of the langur, as both their looks, lifestyle and basicly everything besides being a monkey is very diffrent.
Also i wouldnt say that the Syrian brownbear got his spot cut for the himalayan brown bear, but the more common eurasian one.
This is also just kinda, but Mandril for baboons
But certanly the formosian black bear over the general asiatic black bear

 

[NZFanatic]

Where do you draw the line on 'counterpart'? Because as Konig points out, the proboscis monkey and langur are two very, very different animals, and I wouldn't say the Dall sheep and Barbary sheep or mouflon share a similar niche since they inhabit very different biomes. Additionally I'm fairly certain the saltwater crocodile is more common in captivity than the Nile crocodile, or at least as common. The American alligator is definitely the most common captive crocodilian, not the Nile crocodile, which is pretty rare.

 

[yoav_r]

I wouldnt say that the probuscis monkey is filling the niche of the langur, as both their looks, lifestyle and basicly everything besides being a monkey is very diffrent.
Also i wouldnt say that the Syrian brownbear got his spot cut for the himalayan brown bear, but the more common eurasian one.
This is also just kinda, but Mandril for baboons
But certanly the formosian black bear over the general asiatic black bear

I updated the HBB. I will keep the proboscis, but add a note regarding this.

 

[Sahara]

Where do you draw the line on 'counterpart'? Because as Konig points out, the proboscis monkey and langur are two very, very different animals, and I wouldn't say the Dall sheep and Barbary sheep or mouflon share a similar niche since they inhabit very different biomes. Additionally I'm fairly certain the saltwater crocodile is more common in captivity than the Nile crocodile, or at least as common. The American alligator is definitely the most common captive crocodilian, not the Nile crocodile, which is pretty rare.

It depends on region really. I've seen Nile and Saltwater crocs in captivity. Neither one is really considered rare, if anything the rarest crocodililian in captivity we have in game is the gharial.

 

[yoav_r]

Where do you draw the line on 'counterpart'? Because as Konig points out, the proboscis monkey and langur are two very, very different animals, and I wouldn't say the Dall sheep and Barbary sheep or mouflon share a similar niche since they inhabit very different biomes. Additionally I'm fairly certain the saltwater crocodile is more common in captivity than the Nile crocodile, or at least as common. The American alligator is definitely the most common captive crocodilian, not the Nile crocodile, which is pretty rare.

Nile crocs are much much more common than Salties, because it is smaller and more adaptable and social. Relatively few zoos hold Salties, and those that do treat at as a major species, unlike the Nile croc or American Alligator which are more of a buffer species.

I did not include the alligator because in my (completely subjective) opinion, they niche they fill is not at all close to Salties.

 

[NZFanatic]

I did not include the alligator because in my (completely subjective) opinion, they niche they fill is not at all close to Salties.

But by that logic none of the animals on the list really work. The Himalayan, Syrian, and Eurasian brown bears all occupy different niches in their respective environments ("niche" in terms of evolutionary biology isn't really a subjective thing, and relates to the species' role in their local food chain). Two animals that occupy completely different biomes are by definition not sharing the same niche or role (even if it is similar).

To go with another example, the Indian rhinoceros is a solitary browser that spends a lot of time in wooded areas and wetlands, and shares its habitat mostly with deer and waterfowl, whereas the white rhinoceros is a grazer that lives in herds and shares its environment with large herds of antelope, zebras, giraffes, and so on. White rhinos have to contend with lions, Indian rhinos with tigers, one a pack hunter the other a solitary hunter.

I can understand the spirit of the thread - a more widespread captive species over a rarer species - but it's just the word 'niche' that kind of changes things.

 

[yoav_r]

But by that logic none of the animals on the list really work. The Himalayan, Syrian, and Eurasian brown bears all occupy different niches in their respective environments ("niche" in terms of evolutionary biology isn't really a subjective thing, and relates to the species' role in their local food chain). Two animals that occupy completely different biomes are by definition not sharing the same niche or role (even if it is similar).

To go with another example, the Indian rhinoceros is a solitary browser that spends a lot of time in wooded areas and wetlands, and shares its habitat mostly with deer and waterfowl, whereas the white rhinoceros is a grazer that lives in herds and shares its environment with large herds of antelope, zebras, giraffes, and so on. White rhinos have to contend with lions, Indian rhinos with tigers, one a pack hunter the other a solitary hunter.

I can understand the spirit of the thread - a more widespread captive species over a rarer species - but it's just the word 'niche' that kind of changes things.

That's not the meaning of niche I used. I burrowed it in the context of zoo design.

If you have a "Small brown bear" habitat, more different BB habitats won't attract more guests, so the zoo has lower incentive to put them in. I was not referring to ecological niches.