Losing a species is tragic, despite some 97% of all species that ever lived being already extinct.
Therefore, UBCo Menageries are systematically gathering a breeding population of everything, including all of the unendangered species, to ensure the long term survival of all species and subspecies of those species.
To this end we will be collecting breeding populations of all phenotypes, as well, to ensure genetic diversity and specific traits of subspecies are maintained.
Cheer up! We may decide you are the type specimen of your racial grouping and therefore get to live at our expense in a large, airy cage with all of the straw and soft rubber toys you can possibly want.-- UnaBubba, Jun 20 2012 London Zoo http://www.msnbc.ms...humans-zoo-exhibit/ [po, Jun 20 2012] Sounds expansive. You could call it The World.-- theleopard, Jun 20 2012 Interesting - how many specimens of a given species do you need to ensure enough genetic diversity for the specias to survive?-- hippo, Jun 20 2012 Usually somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000, I believe.
"We're gonna need a bigger boat", said Noah.
[theleopard], I'm afraid the world is not a safe enough place for the species we currently have living on it. Ask your snowy cousins, if you can find one.-- UnaBubba, Jun 20 2012 [theleopard] is cool, made me laugh and is a wonderful and beautiful animal that walks this earth!-- xandram, Jun 20 2012 <appreciates praise from female>
Meeee-ow...
</apff>-- theleopard, Jun 20 2012 (purrrr)-- xandram, Jun 20 2012 Yes, we'll have cats there. Sorry, [8th].-- UnaBubba, Jun 20 2012 So, aside from the precedents of (a) a zoo and (b) Noah's ark, this is a totally original idea?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 20 2012 I'd like to know more about the Heathen Enclosure before I commit. Will there be mead and buxom wenches?-- Alterother, Jun 20 2012 You rang?-- blissmiss, Jun 20 2012 [Max], we've decided to limit the range, by excluding argumentative, unemployed molecular biologists with delusions of grandeur, on the basis they're not a distinct phenotype.
By the way, Noah's Ark would have been a proper cockup, as two of anything is not a sufficiently diverse representative sample to ensure survival of a species.-- UnaBubba, Jun 20 2012 //argumentative, unemployed molecular biologists with delusions of grandeur, on the basis they're not a distinct phenotype//
Correction: I am an unemployed freelance consultant topologist. I am still (at least as of 5pm today) an employed molecular biologist - one has to earn a crust and keep the helicopters fuelled.
I have many delusions, but grandeur is quite far down the list. However, the suggestion that I am not a distinct phenotype* is the sweetest thing anyone has said to me all day, [Ubie].
*no comment on genotype.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 21 2012 Oh, [Max], I had no idea you'd think I was talking about you. Should we add paranoia to the list?-- UnaBubba, Jun 21 2012 //By the way, Noah's Ark would have been a proper cockup, as two of anything is not a sufficiently diverse representative sample to ensure survival of a species.//
God tells Noah to gather two of each but then instructs him to enter the Ark with seven pairs of each clean animal and bird (still only one pair of each unclean). Still not exactly a huge breeding population, admittedly.-- MechE, Jun 21 2012 // Should we add paranoia to the list?// I love it when you talk syndromes.
//two of anything is not a sufficiently diverse representative sample to ensure survival of a species.// I dunno. I reckon if we had [Ubie] and a sheep we could recreate everything in between by hybridization. Of course anything above sheep would require additional input.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 21 2012 Why don't you just clone yourself? I'm sure you've thought of it during one of those all nighters in the Rhesus Room.-- UnaBubba, Jun 21 2012 We certainly have.
Actually there were rumours about Sturton, myself and the intercalary.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 21 2012 Really? Which one of you usually gets to be "The Sheep"?-- UnaBubba, Jun 21 2012 I had this idea for a hybird / mutant zoo a while ago, check out the Heck cattle etc. I think there is enough redundant unused genetic material particularly in canine & poultry to make some really wacky zoo specimens, Who wants to go to see a zoo with they typical grevy's zebra, so rare that every zoo seems to have one, or a very rare orix or some virtually extinct Panda ... I want to see the Giant Blue Panda, unrelated to a bear, and some really massive 4 toed sloths, I want Mega Fauna and mini pygmy elephants the size of a shrew. To heck with public opinion, lets get creating these glow in the dark monsters !-- PainOCommonSense, Jun 26 2012 I'm with you on that. The biology would get in the way, but here's to more diverse species.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 26 2012 It would be interesting to...-- UnaBubba, Jun 26 2012 random, halfbakery