Fundamental Knowledge on Forgotten Species An Exploration of Data from Rarely Studied Captive Animals

• Other Authors: Descovich, Kris (Editor), Kemp, Caralyn (Editor), Rendle, Jessica (Editor)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2023
• Subjects: Research & information: general; Biology, life sciences; Zoology & animal sciences; Bucovus leadbeateri; Bucerotidae; mirror; carcass feeding; spread of participation index; amphibian; behaviour; diet; nitrogenous waste; welfare; zoo research; behavior; environmental enrichment; evidence-based; husbandry; reptile; lizard; zoo; captive; cognition; play; tree kangaroo; zoos; activity budget; enclosure use; Dendrolagus; understudied; alligator; animal welfare; behavioral observation; comparative; social behavior; Psitaccidae; ultraviolet light; artificial lighting; T5 lamps; vision; red panda; maternal behaviour; elasmobranch; sharks; space use; ZooMonitor; cusimanse; Crossarchus obscurus; AWAG; welfare assessment; carnivore; Verreaux's eagle owl; Bubo lacteus; macroplastic; litter; digit constriction; cooperation; loose-string task; rodents; synchronized actions; cooperative breeding; pair bonds; tortoise; diversity index; enrichment; ethogram; n/a
• Online Access: DOAB: download the publication; DOAB: description of the publication

Dear Colleagues, Zoological institutions contribute a large amount of fundamental and applied knowledge on a diverse array of animal species. Despite this significant contribution, research conducted within zoos or other captive wildlife facilities has historically been skewed toward charismatic mammals, which comprise only a small proportion of the species that are held in captive collections. Modern zoos play an important role in animal welfare, conservation, and environmental education; therefore, this shortfall in knowledge may have large, unseen, and negative impacts on these "forgotten species". Hypothesis-driven, experimental research plays a key role in filling these knowledge gaps; however, other avenues of data collection exist which may be equally important. These include observational data (collected without experimental interventions), operational data (data collected within the general management activities of a facility), and incidental data (data collected for one purpose which may reveal further important information when explored in more detail). These unpublished datasets may provide fundamental information on species for which comparatively little is known.