Right, I see why Frontiers chose them over Blue Wildebeest. They are as much a success story as Southern White Rhinos are.
Under rated animals?
- Thread starter SanRazo618
- Start date
Don't mean to be insulting but sounds kind of mentally ill to me
What is wrong with People?
Did People that say that Stuff even ever see a Hyena before?
I love the choice of black wildebeest too I didn’t even know of them before PZ!
I think movies and such gave them a negative perception of them as scavengers that cheat the hunters. I honestly find them kind of cuteDon't mean to be insulting but sounds kind of mentally ill to me
What is wrong with People?
Did People that say that Stuff even ever see a Hyena before?
Aren't in most cases Lions stealing their Prey instead of the Opposite happening?
Yea that does happen a lot. Other animals such as leopards have had to adapt ways to not have their kills stolen from them by lions or wild dogs who use their size(lions) and numbers (lions and dogs) to chase cheetahs, hyenas, lone lions/ smaller groups, and leopards away from their kills. Hyenas also scavenge but it’s a misconception that they are purely scavengers. Btw Lions aren’t even the most successful hunters on the African savanna, that title goes to wild dogs considerablyAren't in most cases Lions stealing their Prey instead of the Opposite happening?
My aunt. I loved her, but she had ... issues.Don't mean to be insulting but sounds kind of mentally ill to me
What is wrong with People?
Did People that say that Stuff even ever see a Hyena before?
Bats are another group of animals that get a lot of hate and misconception.
I still remember the time a pair of bats flew in through a window when some of us were hanging out in the rec room at my parents' place in Mariposa, CA. They made a couple of circuits of the room, flew through the blades of a ceiling fan without injury, and exited from whence they came. The funniest part was how my dad--usually rather brave and "manly"-- screamed and covered his face.
To be fair to him, there is something that makes you want to duck when they whiz straight towards you, even when you know they won't collide.
Last edited:
Bats don’t deserve the hate they get! I hope we get flying foxes if we get aviaries!
Last edited:
I've read that wild dogs are by far the most successful hunters out there, with an 80% or greater success rate on their hunts. Lions are maybe around 30%. There are accounts of wild dogs caring for elderly and disabled pack members who can no longer hunt, something you don't tend to see as much in other species.
Nearly all predators will scavenge if they get a chance (why pass up "free" food), but hyenas are also very effective predators. They probably get some of their bad rap from their competition with lions, the proverbial "king of beasts." And since most people think they are dogs, I think there's a sort of disconnect with how they look with those high withers, low hips, funny little tail and ears, and the way they look like they are slinking when they run. People think they are a sort of deformed, twisted dog, rather than being what they are--their own subgroup of carnivores with some very unique adaptations.
I was sold on them for good when I saw a presentation by some Berkeley researchers who were studying their behavior.
Jackals also get some bad press. The term "jackal" is even used as an insult for someone who cheats and steals and skulks in the shadows. Actually, there are several species of jackal, and they have their own interesting social systems. I remember a documentary about a pair of golden jackals raising their cubs to adulthood, and they had one female from a previous litter who was still living with them and helping to care for the younger sibs. But there was a young male "suitor" hanging around, and she was very interested. The parents did everything they could to drive him off, so their young adult daughter would continue to be a brood helper. But in the end she ran off with her "boyfriend" to start her own family, leaving her parents staring mournfully after.
Hard not to make anthropomorphic analogies there.
It's also fascinating seeing how animals, presumably without deliberate awareness, weigh their genetic options and make decisions about where the best advantage lies. It makes sense in some species to stay with one's parents and raise one's fitness indirectly by helping the survival of younger sibs. But at some point, the chance to pass on more of one's genes presents itself, and the scales tip toward starting one's own family.
Except in eusocial species, of course, where some individuals are brood helpers for life. Nearly endless possibilities for how best to increase one's fitness.
Last edited:
That’s so interesting! I would love to know what goes on in animals heads in situations like that! You almost have to draw anthropomorphic analogies to it.
Eusocialism Is so interesting to me because it’s almost like for the specific species that are eusocial genetic diversity isn’t as important as other species. Because I’d imagine that a lot of inbreeding would occur between colonies with drones and such
With bees and ants, eusociality is probably so common because of their unusual way of determining sex genetically--females have two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent, but males develop from eggs that are unfertilized and have just one set of chromosomes (from their mother and none from their father). So female bees, wasps, ants etc with the same mother and father are what are called "super sisters," because they share on average 75% of their DNA, rather than just half the way siblings in most animal groups do.
In this situation, it makes a lot of sense genetically for most females to forego reproduction and take care of the queen's offspring if that queen is their full (super) sister. Dynamics in colonies get more complex, of course, since the original generation of workers dies off pretty quickly and the offspring of the new queen arise. Also, a queen has sperm from several males she mated with in her mating flight, so their are transitions in relatedness between the worker bees/ants etc. in a colony as the queen uses sperm from different males over the years of her life.
I'm not sure there's a consensus on how and why eusociality sometimes evolves in animals that don't have this weird genetic system, though. Termites are completely unrelated and don't have this genetic system, for instance, and workers are sterile males and females, not just sterile females (as with bees, wasps, and ants).
And naked mole rats, which are eusocial mammals, are even weirder. Why this works for them is unclear, but they are very long lived for rodents and are bizarre in a bunch of other ways too.
Okay, when do we get naked mole rats for our zoos? Special small mammal habitats would be cool too.
In this situation, it makes a lot of sense genetically for most females to forego reproduction and take care of the queen's offspring if that queen is their full (super) sister. Dynamics in colonies get more complex, of course, since the original generation of workers dies off pretty quickly and the offspring of the new queen arise. Also, a queen has sperm from several males she mated with in her mating flight, so their are transitions in relatedness between the worker bees/ants etc. in a colony as the queen uses sperm from different males over the years of her life.
I'm not sure there's a consensus on how and why eusociality sometimes evolves in animals that don't have this weird genetic system, though. Termites are completely unrelated and don't have this genetic system, for instance, and workers are sterile males and females, not just sterile females (as with bees, wasps, and ants).
And naked mole rats, which are eusocial mammals, are even weirder. Why this works for them is unclear, but they are very long lived for rodents and are bizarre in a bunch of other ways too.
Okay, when do we get naked mole rats for our zoos? Special small mammal habitats would be cool too.
I
I’ve been talking about getting naked mole rats for a while I would love them to be our first exhibit mammal
My mum thinks hyenas are ugly to, as well as all reptiles and vultures. I don't understand why. I hate it when adults tell their children hyenas and vultures are ugly and dirty animals just because they scavenge. They are not only pretty but also extremely important in their ecosystems!
I wouldn't call an animal ugly, but I wouldn't call some of them pretty either (looking at you naked mole rat).
My local zoo has 2 walk-ins with bats, one in the dark and one in normal light. People are so afraid to go in the dark one!
Based on the tier list some yt have been doing, I think the aardvark and pangolin are really underrated.
Definitely the Dingo. They are awesome. But I think not many People keep them in their Zoos
Never cared about them but I will use them in my next zoo if you say so
They do also have really great Animations for the Enrichment Items that can be researched for them. You can even customize the Pool Enrichment because only a small Part of the Ramp needs to be accessible for them to use itNever cared about them but I will use them in my next zoo if you say so
Yea the dingos animations really made them stand out from the wolves. I wish the dholes had more unique animations and didn’t use so much from the dingo
The ostriches are dope and always a unique part of my savannahs
Used Ostriches only in 2 or 3 Zoos so far, but somehow I've gotten a 4x 100% Ostrich in my Trade Center a long Time ago, so maybe I should keep them when I've finished my Dingo Project in my Zoo after I've also finished the Elephant House there. It's a long Time since I've last seen them in the Game but I can say that they are truly amazing
I have so many perfect or near perfect ostriches. Albino too. They’re a really great animal to pick up