Planet Zoo Animals That Planet Zoo Needs!

alright, since everyone here is making ideas about future dlcs, then i'm gonna make my ideas.

Islands Pack:
- Tasmanian Devil
- Fossa
- Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo
- Nene
- Lord Howe Island Stick Insect(exhibit)

- Daylight Pack:
- Scottish Wildcat
- Roseate Spoonbill
- Grey Langur
- Kirk's Dik Dik
- Eastern Box Turtle(exhibit)

- Drylands Animal Pack:
- Dromedary
- Hamadryas Baboon
- Sand Cat
- Honey Badger
- Barbary Sheep
- Greater Roadrunner
- Desert Tortoise
- Greater Short Horned Lizard(Exhibit)
Anniversary Animal:
- African Leopard

Wings of The World Pack:
- Bald Eagle
- Scarlet Macaw
- Toco Toucan
- Eurasian Eagle Owl
- Violet Turaco
- Great Hornbill
- Toco Toucan
- Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
- Golden Conure
- African Grey Parrot
- Mandarin Duck
- Vulturine Guineafowl
- Secretary Bird
- Grey Crowned Crane
- Great White Pelican
- 5 hummingbirds species(WE)

 

Now along with the dlc roadmap that I posted a few days ago. Since then, I have designed a pack idea that would celebrate all of the game’s current dlc’s with a Grasslands-like animal pack of 12 animals. While I do not have much else to say about this particular pack idea; knowing Frontier, and how they’ve surprised us all with dlc’s that have an unexpected theme and animal roster over this past year. It is certainly not out of the question if this idea ends up being the first dlc that we could expect to see for this year or not:

Biodiversity Animal Pack: (formerly known as the Anniversary Animal Pack)
- Walrus, - (represents the Arctic Pack)

- Kinkajou, - (represents the South America Pack)

- Short-Beaked Echidna, - (represents the Australia Pack)

- Green Sea Turtle, - (represents the Aquatic Pack)

- Lar Gibbon, - (represents the Southeast Asia Animal Pack)

- Rock Hyrax, - (represents the Africa Pack)

- Wapiti, - (represents the North America Animal Pack)

- Wild Boar, - (represents the Europe Pack)

- Scarlet Ibis, - (represents the Wetlands Animal Pack)

- Lord Howe Island Stick Insect, - (exhibit animal; represents the Conservation Pack)

- African Civet, - (represents the Twilight Pack)

- Patagonian Mara. - (represents the Grasslands Animal Pack)

 

Here is an updated list of the mammals that I still want to see on Planet Zoo. I do know that quite a few of these will likely never get added.

Primates (new world)
- Black Howler Monkey
- Red Howler Monkey
- Colombian Spider Monkey
- Brown Woolly Monkey
- Common Squirrel Monkey
- Grey-legged Douroucouli
- Bald Uakari
- White-faced Saki
- Coppery Titi
- Cotton-top Tamarin
- Emperor Tamarin
- Golden Lion Tamarin
- Golden-headed Lion Tamarin
- Pygmy Marmoset
- Common Marmoset

Primates (Africa old world)
- Aye-Aye
- Cocqurel's Sifaka
- Black Lemur
- Red-bellied Lemur
- Alaotran Gentle Lemur
- Barbary Macaque
- Olive Baboon
- Gelada
- Black & White Colobus Monkey
- Diana Monkey
- De Brazza Monkey

Primates (Asia old world)
- Lar Gibbon
- Javan Langur
- François Langur
- Sulawesi Crested Macaque
- Lion-tailed Macaque

Big Cats
- Sumatran Tiger
- Asiatic Lion

Small Cats
- Serval
- Ocelot
- Fishing Cat
- Pallas Cat
- Sand Cat
- Wild Cat

Dogs
- Bush Dog
- Bat-eared Fox
- Southern Aardwolf

Bears
- Spectacled Bear

Antelope & Giraffe
- Rothschild Giraffe
- Common Eland
- Greater Kudu
- Roan Antelope
- Western Sitatunga
- Ellipsen Waterbuck
- Blesbok
- Mhorr Gazelle
- Kirk's Dik-Dik
- Red Forest Duiker
- Addax
- Blackbuck
- Nilgai

Deer
- Pere David's Deer
- Philippines Spotted Deer
- Axis Deer
- Tufted Deer
- Southern Pudu
- Reeves Muntjac

Cattle
- Congo Buffalo
- Javan Banteng
- Lowland Anoa
- Yak

Rhino & Horses
- Eastern Black Rhino
- Grevy's Zebra
- Onager

Pigs
- Red River Hog
- Visayan Warty Pig

Marsupials
- Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo
- Dusky Pademelon
- Tasmanian Devil
- Spotted Cuscus

Rodents
- Crested Porcupine
- Azara's Agouti
- Mara
- Malagasy Giant Rat
- Prevost Squirrel

Other Small Mammals
- Fossa
- Banded Mongoose
- Common Dwarf Mongoose
- Javan Mouse Deer
- South American Coati
- Southern Tamandua
- Linne's Two-toed Sloth
- Cape Rock Hyrax
- Wolverine

Other
- Musk Ox
- Markhor
- Mishmi Takin

 

It seems like a large part of the community has kind of cast aside traditional exhibit animals (4x4 exhibits) in favour of the walk-through flying animals. While I'm all for this new direction, truth be told, I feel that within the older system, quite a few animals are missing! So welcome to... My top wished 10 exhibit animals. I won't include any mammals (mice etc.) As that could fill it's own list.

Honorable mentions: Frilled lizard, Inland bearded dragon, Eastern snake-necked turtle, eyelash viper, Chinese water dragon, Lake Titicaca water frog...

10- Tuatara: While it's far from the likeliest of these animals, as part New Zealander I would love for this fascinating reptile to be included, and it would be the only exhibit animal aside from the fire salamander to have a temperate forest exhibit.

9- African giant millipede: A zoo staple that's sorely lacking, this humongous myriapod would make for a great counterpart to its carnivorous Amazonian brethren, and I can imagine educators handling them too!

8- Egyptian tortoise: even though we already have two giant tortoise species, having a third, much smaller species in an exhibit setting would be a really nice touch and, again, would make for a handleable reptile for educational displays.

7- Golden coin turtle: similarly to the previous one, it's a critically endangered small chelonian that could make for a more interactive animal. Aside from that, it, like the axolotl, could have. A more tropical aquatic exhibit, contrasting to the more temperate majority. Plus more Asian exhibit animals are desperately needed.

6- Mexican milk snake: Asides from looking absolutely gorgeous, this snake would be the first colubrid to be included, the only non-venomous desert snake, and also a no-brainer for educators to pick up and show off.

5- Leafcutter ants: Even though its husbandry could be challenging to recreate in-game (I still think buying 50 at a time would be a good compromise), these insects are an ineludible zoo classic, and the invertebrate I would most like to see in-game.

4- Burmese python: Having two American boa species in the game, one wonders about the inclusion of pythons in the future. Even though the ball and carpet pythons would also be quite valid, I chose the Burmese python, as it is among the largest but most commonly kept of its family, has the double wammy of being endangered in its home range and an invasive species elsewhere, and is a strong argument for the existence of 8x4 exhibits, for it, the anaconda, boa and iguanas at least. Also, Asian representation is sorely lacking in exhibits so far.

3- Monocled cobra: This family of snakes is sorely missing! (Okay, the Eastern brown snake kiiinda counts, but come on!) There are many species to choose from, but I chose the monocled cobra for its iconic status, Asian home range, and being the only venomous snake to be housed in a rainforest exhibit (again, there were other candidates, but I think this is the best)

2- Tokay gecko OR common leopard gecko: the final Asian exhibit animal on this list, I feel these very famous species would be the best representatives of geckos as a whole, followed very closely by the the Madagascar day geckos and the Fiji crested gecko. While I personally prefer the tokay for its colour and personality, the leopard gecko would be the only Asian desert exhibit animal, which is more unique, sooooo... You can choose!

1- Panther chameleon: one of the most iconic lizard families are the chameleons, and while the veiled and Jackson's chameleons came very close, in the end I opted for this Madagascan species, as there are NO exhibit animals from this island, and I couldn't think of a better exhibit animal to represent said habitat (though the day geckos get close). Plus keepers could easily hold it for presentations, which is always a plus, and, in my opinion, it has the most beautiful and striking colour changes of the three species I mentioned.

Feel free to agree, disagree, or anything in between!

 

Grassland Bird pack
Greater Rhea, Great Bustard, Greater Roadrunner, Secretary Bird, Ruppell's Vulture, Southern Ground Hornbill, Red-legged Seriema, Burrowing Owl

Rainforest Bird pack
Congo Peafowl, Australian Brushturkey, Great Blue Turaco, King Vulture, Harpy Eagle, Great Hornbill, Hyacinth Macaw, Toco Toucan

Wetland Bird pack
Mute Swan, Mandarin Duck, Horned Screamer, Grey-crowned Crane, Black-necked Stork, Shoebill, Roseate Spoonbill, Dalmatian Pelican

Woodland Bird pack
Western Capercaillie, Tawny Frogmouth, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Laughing Kookaburra, Carmine Bee-eater, Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, Raven, Taveta Weaver

Mountain Bird pack
Himalayan Monal, Northern Bald Ibis, Andean Condor, Bearded Vulture, Peregrine Falcon, Kea, Andean Cock-of-Rock, Long-wattled Umbrellabird

Coastal Bird pack
King Eider, Red-breasted Goose, Inca Tern, Atlantic Puffin, Little Blue Penguin, Brown Pelican, Bald Eagle, Snowy Owl

Bird Conservation pack
Edward's Pheasant, Maleo, Mariana Fruit-Dove, Crested Ibis, Philippine Eagle, Guam Kingfisher, Blue-crowned Laughingthrush, Bali Myna

Island Bird pack
North Island Brown Kiwi, Nene, Victoria Crowned Pigeon, Takahe, Madagascar Ibis, Kagu, Vassa Parrot, Lesser Bird-of-Paradise

Anniversary: Steller Sea Eagle, Black Swan, Ocellated Turkey

 

Ok, with the Tropical Pack being our first Spring scenery pack since the introduction of Animal Packs, it looks like the Summer DLC might be an Animal Pack (which means more animals than usual for my birthday ). I'm not chomping at the bit for another DLC just yet, I'm just throwing out a wild prediction for what could be next. Considering that most summer DLCs tend to be based on "hot" places like Africa and Australia, I think a Desert Animal Pack is imminent. Here are my picks for this DLC:

• I know a lot of people aren't happy with the Bactrian Camel, myself included. And while the Dromedary Camel won't fix any of the problems with it, come on, how could I NOT include the most iconic Desert animal in all of Zoo Tycoon-no-in all existence???
• The DLC antelopes we got last year were... a mixed bag. The Lechwe is cool in theory, but I feel like the Sitatunga is more "Wetlands Antelope" than it. I appreciate the Scimitar-Horned Oryx as our first Extinct in the Wild species and for preventing the Conservation pack from becoming another Asian DLC, but it struggles to stand out for me. And while I like the Blue Wildebeest conceptually, it kind of put the Black Wildebeest out of a job and there are other antelope they could've chosen. Still, I think there's a good chance for Frontier to make the first DLC antelope that's a real hit: the Addax! This bulletpoint is getting bloated, so I'll keep it brief: it appeared in Zoo Tycoon 2, it's critically endangered, and there aren't any antelope like it.
• Damn it, Grasslands Animal Pack! I was going to put the Striped Hyena and Caracal in this pack, but you took them both! Alright, what other good desert carnivores are there? How about the Sand Cat? It wasn't my first choice, but we need more small cats in this game, and this one is adorable!
• Alright, let's mosey away from Africa and the Middle East and look at the Americas for the obligate second carnivore. I know the White-Nosed Coati isn't a proper "desert" species, but as semi-Arizonan, I say they count. Plus, they give the pack an animal that isn't limited to deserts, and is native to Central America!
• Pack's looking a little fuzzy. We're reaching maximum mammalian capacity, let's get the bird and reptile out of the way! For the reptile, I was gonna to the Perentie, but Frontier plonked Mrs. Kipling in the Tropical Pack, so change of plans! How's about the Desert Tortoise? While not the flashiest tortoise out there, it's a good deal smaller than the giant tortoises we already have, but not so small that it deserves to be boxed. A good gap-filler, methinks.
• Meep-meep! Greater Roadrunner coming through! My personal favorite bird species is the perfect avian for this pack, even before Frontier put the Emu in the Grasslands Animal Pack. Roadrunners don't fly too much, and North America doesn't have any birds right now, so this is a perfect fit!
• One more habitat species before we get to the exhibit species, both of which are found down under! The Short-Beaked Echidna is a quirky little weirdo that I never considered until I saw them plodding about at Brookfield last week. We already have the Aardvark, Chinese Pangolin, and Giant Anteater, so let's complete the quadfecta and destroy everyone's hopes for leafcutter ants as an exhibit animal with the sheer myrmecophagous energy of all four convergent anteaters in one game! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaaa!!!! Sorry, I got a little carried away there...
• As for the exhibit animal, I could be lame and do a simple lizard or snake (or another arachnid, egad), but let's keep up the theme of walkthrough exhibits that Frontier has started. I know a lot of people want flying birds, and so do I, but I don't think Frontier will dump them all in one big pack. They've been testing flight with the bats and butterflies from the last two 2022 DLCs, but birds fly and land much differently. Which bird do I think they will use as a test pilot that also fits with a desert theme? The beloved Budgerigar, of course! It's perfect: budgie walkthroughs are some of the most common walkthrough aviary attractions, and the little birdies themselves come in a bright rainbow of colors! If any bird is gonna lead the way for more aviaries, it's gonna be the humble budgie!

And Bob's your menagerie! That's my take on a potential Desert Animal Pack! There were some other animals I was considering for this pack, like the Persian Onager, Chacoan Peccary, Rock Hyrax, and Hamadryas Baboon, but these were the 8 animals that felt the most "right" to me. We'll have to wait and wait and wait and then see what they do for this summer, but that'll be all for now!

 

Without organizing into DLC packs, the animals I want the most are:

Ocelot
Fishing Cat
Common squirrel monkey (other squirrel monkey species are acceptable)
Mute swan
Secretary bird
Leopard seal
Walrus