Nowadays, as more aquatic species are discovered, more aquatic organisms are tried to be artificially propagated and introduced into the market. For example: giant bone tongue fish, ray fish, sturgeon, starfish, anemone, shrimp, crab, sea dragon, seahorse, conch, hermit crab, jellyfish and so on.
It is worth mentioning that the hermit crab market is mostly terrestrial hermit crabs. In addition to the widespread distribution and huge population of gray hermit crabs, many terrestrial hermit crabs are facing overexploitation and almost extinction. At present, there is no successful case of artificial propagation of terrestrial hermit crabs in the world, and all the products sold in the market are collected from the wild, so hermit crab lovers should avoid buying rare species of hermit crabs and release them in the nearest species distribution area where they can find signs of spawning. The emerging mammal market, mainly foxes and minks, originated from the market innovation of fur traders. Nowadays, some fur traders have begun to market beautiful cubs such as snow fox, red fox and ferret in live form in farms, which has set off a wave of caring for small and medium-sized animals. However, due to the obstacles of market supervision, documents and drugs, these emerging mammalian pets still have a long way to go to keep pace with conventional pets such as cats and dogs.
Large mammals, mainly fierce species such as tigers and leopards, are forbidden to be kept in China, and are mainly popular in Arabia and some parts of Europe. According to a survey conducted in Britain in 2006, the British organization "Big Cat" (BCIB) found that there are 154 kinds of cats kept privately, including lion 12, tiger 14, jaguar 50 and wildcat154. Reptiles are the favorite of horror and weird lovers, mainly snakes, lizards, turtles and other species. They used to be the favorite pets of avant-garde men, non-mainstream and hippies. However, with people's understanding of nature, these creatures once feared by people have gradually become the main force in the alternative pet market, and are generally favored by foreign players.
Among them, soft-shelled turtle has always occupied the dominant market of reptiles in various countries, and it is also widely raised in China, because it is a "feng shui fish" representing longevity and wealth. Turtles nowadays are not limited to water turtles. With the development of the alternative pet market, many turtles have been introduced. The advantage of these turtles is that they are huge and don't need fish tanks. In some areas where cats and dogs are not allowed, they are popular substitutes for residents.
Besides turtles, another big occupier of reptile pet market is lizards. One of the most famous species is the green iguana. Nowadays, the United States cultivates a large number of green iguanas from the breeding plants in Central and South America every year, and exports them to local shops and alternative pet markets around the world. Green iguanas can be found in almost every pet store in the United States, and some "fair traders" even sell these animals at the same price as goldfish, each of which is about 15~50 dollars.
However, with the continuous development of the market, snakes, as a brand-new blood, have also joined the ranks of crawling pets. There are many varieties of pet snake in the market, the most common ones are: black-browed snake, Zaocys, Cobra, corn snake and so on. There are domestic wild varieties and artificial propagation introduced from abroad. However, the most popular pythons are huge in size and bright in color, and the prices of various pythons exported from foreign professional pythons breeding bases are very high every year.
Besides snakes, another new blood in the reptile pet market is crocodiles. This kind of ferocious paleontology with imperial flavor has shown an irreplaceable position as soon as it came out, and its price remains high. However, due to the large demand for breeding space and high risk factor, crocodile breeding groups are mainly concentrated in Europe, and most small crocodiles are raised all over the Asian market or even released locally. In this regard, I hope to remind domestic crocodile lovers that crocodiles are a very dangerous creature. The bite force of adult crocodiles can reach more than 1000 kg. Biting off a human leg is as simple as breaking a branch. Never release it on the spot. If you don't want to keep it, send it to the zoo, or the wildlife management department will send it to the habitat and let it go by professionals. Insect pets are mainly caterpillars and beetles. The breeding of singing insects has a long history in China, which has the dual enjoyment of singing and fighting; Beetles have been the favorite of Japanese teenagers since ancient times, and they are symbols of strength and auspiciousness. Among them, there are ants, ornamental cockroaches, stick insects, mantis, butterflies and some fans in aquatic insects, but the number is far less than that of beetles, singing insects and fighting insects.
There are fewer insect players in China than other alternative pet groups, mainly because many insects are annual or even semi-annual, and their life span is very short. For example, beetles and ants are mostly taught by parents as children's natural science; Butterflies and mantises are mostly observed and created by painters. Among the "insect" pets, there are as many lovers as reptiles, among which spiders are the representatives and poisonous insects such as scorpions and centipedes are the main promotion products. These primitive creatures are sought after by young people because of their fierce appearance, wild character and certain danger. But in contrast, keeping arthropods is the cheapest and most convenient. They are usually quiet and don't take up much space. They can eat nothing for months as long as they eat a little food, which is the first choice for many busy young people.
However, arthropods are also the most controversial alternative pet category in China, and there are often news reports that scorpions, spiders and other escape incidents have caused panic in the neighborhood. Therefore, arthropod lovers should fully understand their habits and take strict care of them. At the same time, it is forbidden to buy deadly and disabling poisonous species, and the safety of the surrounding people must be ensured when raising arthropods. I'm afraid many people can't understand that plants are called "pets", but with the rise of the market for insect-eating plants. These strange plants that need to be "fed" more than fertilization are beginning to attract the attention of young people. Representative species are: Venus flytrap, Nepenthes, Laurel, Insect-catching Corydalis, Utricularia, etc.
The most representative ones are Venus flytrap and Nepenthes, which are favored by other pet lovers and flower gardening lovers for their peculiar shapes and "aggressiveness". It is not difficult to buy venus flytrap and pitcher plants in the market now, but the price of excellent varieties is not much lower than that of animals, and the requirements for climate and substrate are higher, which is not particularly suitable for breeding.