Introduction
Maybe due to their silhouette and size, cranes are good candidates for zoos... We already have the red-crowned crane. HOWEVER, this in-game species occurs only in the Far East (figure 1).
Which when considering that cranes are found on 5 of the 7 continents of the world, means that we could use a bit more representation of these both exotic and familiar birds. I mean, don't you agree the Red-crowned is beautiful and could use more of its family? (figure 2)
Figure 1. Habitat of the Red-crowned Crane
Figure 2: our in-game species (Red-crowned) in flight.
Species 1: the White-naped Crane
Another elegant species (figure 3), this one adds a bit more color.
Figure 3: the White-naped Crane is near the bottom of the wishlist
It would not add much to the global representation of cranes however (figure 4)...
Figure 4: range of the White-naped
One thing going for the White-naped Crane: is it is generally thought to be in a different Genus (Antigone) than the in-game member of Grus.
Species 2: the Siberian Crane
This species looks completely different to the in-game in that it is almost pure white (Figure 5). What the Westie, Maltese and Samoyed are to dogs this must be to cranes...
Figure 5: The striking Siberian Crane!
Actually, it is maybe the Samoyed of cranes considering it occurs in the Far north of Eurasia (figure 6), hence their name... They also represent an unique branch of the Cranes.
Figure 6: Although the Siberian Crane occurs further afield and is pretty it is still on the bottom of the wishlist.
Species 3: the Common Crane
With the 2 votes on the wishlist the common crane is starting to get some demand going.
And it is easy to see why, it looks cool and different in coloration (figure 7) AND it is found in many habitats... (Figure 8).Figure 7: Although the common crane looks different, it is still the typical crane.
Figure 8: The Range of the Common Crane is about the furthest yet.
However, it is not too different to be in a different genus than other cranes...
Species 4: the Demoiselle Crane
I skipped a species in the wish list for now... So going to the next closest to the bottom but one that has enough demand to maybe break the top 300 of all animals (wow I can't believe the wishlist is that large! The beautiful demoiselle (Figure 9). It looks a bit like the common crane albeit with cool feathers (even though it is a typical crane) and (in case you can't tell) is one I am definitely rooting for! It is found in a wide range (figure 10).
Figure 9: Cool demoiselle Crane
to be continued, maybe?
