Planet Zoo How would you change Planet Zoo’s current animal roster?

Deluxe Pack:
1- African Spurred Tortoise
2- Amur Leopard
3- Banteng
4- Chinese Giant Salamander
5- Giant Pangolin
6- Grey Crowned Crane
7- Komodo Dragon
8- Lion Tailed Macaque
9- Military Macaw
10- Pygmy Hippo
11- Sumatran Tiger
12- Tanuki
13- Thomson's Gazelle
14- Walrus

 

So far, I'd say the large majority of animals in Planet Zoo are quite appropriate , but there are some... Exceptions to the norm, which I believe could be replaced with something better. Here's my list, roughly from the least replaceable to the absolute MOST:

• Formosan black bear; I must admit I really, really like this bear, but yeah… as a subspecies, it's extremely rare in zoos, so I would have gone for the generic species. If that's fine for zebras, why not bears?
• Nyala; as much as I like this antelope, I unfortunately feel that its roles are already covered by others; the bongo is extremely similar, with its white stripes and spiraling horns, and now the Nile lechwe has taken its role as the swamp-dwelling antelope; add the fact that those two are also more important to conservation and the result is a somewhat superfluous African bovine. In hindsight, I believe the Pere David's deer would have been a way better swamp-dwelling gracile ungulate, especially considering its history of zoological significance.
• Green iguana; As typical and universal as it is, and as neat as it is to contrast with the critically endangered Lesser Antillean species, I feel another lizard species would have been welcome. I believe, in terms of having an iconic zoo lizard, the panther chameleon would have been a great choice.
• Boa constrictor; again, nothing terrible, but the lack of pythons in the game grinds my gears, so I think the Burmese python would have been a better choice; it could replace either the boa constrictor or the yellow anaconda, as long as there's a representative of each constrictor family.
• Llama; while having domestics is, on its own, a decent idea, part of me does feel that the vicuna could have been a better choice.
• Wild water buffalo; seeing as how wild water buffaloes are literally absent in zoos outside their native range, their domestic brethren being a lot more common, I think they could have chosen something better; I believe the gaur would have been a much better choice. Yes, I know it's not a wetlands-exclusive animals, but whatever. Still a better choice, realism and conservation-wise.
• Aldabra giant tortoise; I feel that the Galápagos giant tortoise already fills its role of a giant tortoise, so I would have gone for the smaller, but no less impressive and much more endangered, radiated tortoise of Madagascar, which could also be housed with lemurs.
• Proboscis monkey; an extremely rare animal in zoos, I feel that another southeast Asian primate would have been better, such as the critically Sulawesi crested macaque.
• Common death adder; we already have one Australian venomous snake, so in exchange for this rather less well-known one, I believe the monocled cobra would have been a much better choice.
• Giant burrowing cockroach; a rather rare insect, the Madagascar hissing cockroach would have been a better choice here.
• Brazilian salmon pink tarantula; we currently have 4 species of spider in the game, which, to be completely honest, is somewhat overkill, so I propose we change two of them for something else. As for this one, I believe the giant African millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas) would have been a better choice, as a second myriapod.
• Brazilian wandering spider; seeing as there aren't many lizards in the game, I think the Madagascar day gecko (Phelsuma madagascariensis madagascariensis) would have been a very iconic choice.
• Titan beetle: a recent discovery, and basically non-existent in captivity. I think, considering there are two other types of beetle already present, that the ideal insect to replace it is the leaf-cutter ant (Atta cephalota). Sure, the numbers would be insane, but I'm sure it could be done.
• Goliath frog; once again, completely absent in captive collections, with the possible exception of some African zoos. There does, however, exist another humongous frog which, on top of it, is critically endangered; the mountain chicken frog (Leptodactylus fallax).
• Bonobo; this one has often been brought up as a blatant recolour of another animal, and I must admit that I agree. What I believe would be a way better primate would be the lar gibbon; common in captivity, aesthetically pleasing, endangered and also a good animal to place with orangutans.
• Black-and-white ruffed lemur; another blatant recolour, down to being in the same genus as one of the only other two lemurs, which could have been replaced with another, rarer lemur species; in this case, I suggest the Aye-aye as its replacement.
• Spectacled caiman; when it was added into the game, we already had four crocodilians; I believe the number was more than sufficient, in terms of representation of their diversity, so I believe a large freshwater turtle would have been a much better choice and, in this case, I'll go with the alligator snapping turtle.
• Bengal tiger; Now, I'm not against having two subspecies of Tiger in the game, as it goes back as far as Zoo Tycoon 1, but not only are true Bengal tigers totally absent from non-Asian collections, not only under certain studies they're the same subspecies as the Siberian tiger, but unfortunately they're intrinsically linked to the unethical horrors of white tiger husbandry. So, bottom line, I feel that a much better tropical tiger subspecies would be the Sumatran.
• West African lion; this is, once again, a subspecies dilemma. Why, o why, did they choose the completely absent from captivity West African lion?! God knows, but there are far better choices. In their place, I would have gone for the much more prevalent (in captivity, of course) Southeast African lion, which isn't only a better representative of the species as a whole, but also further justifies the presence of white lions, a leucistic form of this subspecies/population.
• Himalayan brown bear; everyone has dunked on this bear subspecies and so will I, because at the end of the day, there are more than enough bears in the game, especially Asian species. So instead, I'll stay in the himalayas and suggest the markhor, which would both add to and round off the rather rare roster of alpine caprines the game has.
• Arctic wolf; my personal least favourite animal; it can so easily be a skin of the timber wolf (especially seeing as how most "Arctic wolves" in zoos are just white timber or eurasian grey wolves) and the presence of the Arctic fox just makes it even more pointless. My solution? Replace it with the wolverine; much more badass and unique, as it would be the only terrestrial mustelid along with the European badger.

 

I wouldn't change it I just want more. Expand into Aquariums, Aviary animals. Also add more land animals. I say 200 more should be enough to cover the needs of fans.

 

that's a good idea.

 

LOL thanks, I got so much hate from the "experts" every time I mention expansion.

 

Here are the following animals i would like
White cheeked gibbon
Black and white colubus monkey
Some sort of tamarin
Tree kangaroo
Coati
Siamang
Slow loris
Some new climbing and swing animation

 

and new brachiation and also fliyng mechanics

 

don't care about them.

 

I tried to restrict myself to the number of animals actually released, with two exceptions: I added another anniversary animal and made the deluxe edition have seven species, in line with an animal pack. I am ignoring exhibit animals for now.

Base Game


African Elephant
African Lion
African Wild Dog
American Black Bear
Amur Leopard
Arabian Oryx
Asian Elephant
Asian Small-Clawed Otter
Bactrian Camel
Bison
Blue Wildebeest
Bornean Orangutan
Cape Buffalo
Capybara
Cheetah
Chimpanzee
Galapagos Tortoise
Giant Panda
Greater Flamingo
Grey Wolf
Grizzly Bear
Hippopotamus
Howler Monkey
Indian Peafowl
Indian Rhino
Jaguar
Japanese Macaque
Koala
Komodo Dragon
Lowland Gorilla
Malayan Tapir
Mandrill
Masai Giraffe
Meerkat
Moose
Okapi
Ostrich
Plains Zebra
Polar Bear
Pronghorn
Red Kangaroo
Red Panda
Ring-Tailed Lemur
Saltwater Crocodile
Siberian Tiger
Sichuan Takin
Snow Leopard
Spotted Hyena
Warthog
White Rhino

I mostly wanted zoo staples. A few oddities also made the cut like the secretary bird. Justification: I think Secretary birds are neat. I tried to go for a little more regional diversity with the Arabian oryx, jaguar, capybara, polar bear, and the Australian species. Most similarly related species got cut to make this list.

Deluxe Addition:
Gharial
Pygmy Hippo
Red Deer
Red River Hog
Secretary Bird
Tanuki
Thomson's Gazelle

A few hoofstock that didn’t make base game, a smaller hippo option, a second crocodilian (gharials rare enough I think they fit better here than base game), and a few species I like a lot.

Anniversaries:

Red Ruffed Lemur
Sifaka

I thought adding more prosimians (and maybe the Fossa) on anniversaries would be cool. Aye-Aye and Fossa almost made the cut.

Arctic Fox
Musk Ox
Reindeer
Wolverine

Ditched the Wolf because we don’t need a second one. Dall sheep are cool but good luck selling a pack with no bears and three hoofstock. Musk oxen fit better, anyway. Arctic Fox would sort of be the anchor species, but this isn’t a great pack tbh? I don’t want to move polar bear here and I don’t want to introduce pinnipeds before aquatic, so this is what I settled on.

South America:
Capuchin
Giant Anteater
Giant Otter
Maned Wolf

Maned Wolf always should have been in this pack. Anteater works as the big draw, I guess. Capuchin are another new world primate, giant otter fits here better than a domesticated species. Considered guanaco but decided otters are cooler.

Cassowary
Emu
Parma Wallaby
Tasmanian Devil

Two flightless birds might be pushing it, but I think the other species are all sort of necessary for a complete Australian area. Tree kangaroo and wombat almost made the cut.

Aquatic
California Sea Lion
Hawaiian Monk Seal
King Penguin
Marine Iguana

I wanted this to be an ocean pack to distinguish it from Wetlands. Sea Lion is the most iconic pinniped. Penguin should be here. The last two could have been a number of things. I went with the Hawaiian Monk Seal for an oceanian representative and because it’s endangered. Marine iguana is here because I think they’re cool and the Galapagos should have a second rep. Also this list doesn’t have many reptiles.

Southeast Asia:
Binturong
Clouded Leopard
Lar Gibbon
Pere David's Deer
Sumatran Tiger
Sun Bear
Sunda Pangolin

Lar gibbon always made more sense than proboscis monkey here. I am totally fine with a second Tiger, but I thought it made more sense as an expansion pack deal and a selling point for this one. Père David’s Deer and the Sunda Pangolin are here because they’re endangered. Didn’t think either deserved base game, but they’re interesting enough to warrant inclusion.

African Penguin
Eastern Bongo
Fennec Fox
Ratel

Bongo should be in the game. Just couldn’t fit them into base. I really think honey badgers and caracal also merit inclusion. Considered rock hyrax but decided against it. Just not as iconic as the other animals.

North America:
American Alligator
Beaver
Bighorn Sheep
Cougar
Harbor Seal
Prairie Dog
Raccoon

I moved up a lot of the North American pack. Ended up adding bighorn sheep as a cool Western hoofstock. Mountain goats also would’ve worked. Harbor seal are a very common captive pinniped that are frequently paired with sea lions. Raccoons are cute and clever. Not many zoos actually display them, but I think they’re neat. You could make a strong case for ferrets or sea otters over them, though.

Europe:
Alpine Ibex
Badger
Eurasian Lynx
Mute Swan

It’s the exact same pack with the mute swan. I thought this game should have waterfowl… even as I dump a whole bunch of them on you in the next pack.

Wetlands:
Alligator Snapping Turtle
Chinese Salamander
Cuiver's Dwarf Caiman
Platypus
Shoebill
Sitatunga
White-Naped Crane

I wanted an animal from every continent but Europe, who sort of had there’s with the swan. I wanted an aquatic turtle and an amphibian for diversity purposes. Shoebills are excellent. Sitatunga over Nyala is a matter of preference. Asian water buffalo are great but they’re kind of close to cape buffalo.

Trumpeter swan almost made it here, but I felt the opportunity cost of a swan was least in Europe. Pelicans also almost made it here but I didn’t want to put it over shoebill.

 

After reading through and giving out some likes to several of the thread’s previous posts. I just thought it would be fun to showcase my own take on this often debated topic. However, I should first note that I will not be covering any of the base game exhibit animals at the moment; although I will include my changes to that part of the roster later on in a future post. I should also add that if an animal is highlighted in an underlined or bolded font. It will indicate that the animal was either a species relocated from a previous dlc, or is a brand new species to the game as a whole; and as a result, the following list will look exactly like what is seen below:

Base Game:
-Aardvark,
-African Forest Buffalo,
-African Bush Elephant,
-African Wild Dog,
-American Bison,
-Himalayan Black Bear,
-Bactrian Camel,
-Baird's Tapir,
-Sumatran Tiger,
-Black Wildebeest,
-Bongo,
-Bornean Orangutan,
-Cheetah,
-Common Ostrich,
-Chinese Pangolin,
-Common Warthog,
-Fennec Fox,
-Galapagos Giant Tortoise,
-Scimitar-Horned Oryx,
-Giant Panda,
-Greater Flamingo,
-Grizzly Bear,
-Gharial,
-Hippopotamus,
-Indian Elephant,
-Indochinese Green Peafowl,
-Indian Rhinoceros,
-Jaguar,
-Koala,
-Mandrill,
-Perentie,
-Okapi,
-Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra,
-Polar Bear,
-Red Panda,
-Red Kangaroo,
-Reticulated Giraffe,
-Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur,
-Ring-Tailed Lemur,
-Sable Antelope,
-Saltwater Crocodile,
-Snow Leopard,
-Spotted Hyena,
-Springbok,
-Mexican Gray Wolf,
-Asiatic Lion,
-Western Chimpanzee,
-Western Lowland Gorilla.


Deluxe Addition:
- Pygmy Hippopotamus,
- Southern White Rhinoceros,
- Bonobo,
- Komodo Dragon,
- Peruvian Fire Stick. - (Exhibit)


Arctic DLC:
-Reindeer,
-Musk Ox,
-Arctic Fox,
-Wolverine.


SA DLC:
-Vicuña,
-Colombian White-Faced Capuchin,
-Giant Anteater,
-Maned Wolf,
-Red-Eyed Tree Frog. - (Exhibit)


Australia DLC:
- Platypus,
-Southern Cassowary,
- Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat,
-Tasmanian Devil,
-Eastern Brown Snake. - (Exhibit)


Aquatic DLC:
- King Penguin,
- Grey Seal,
- Spectacled Caiman,
- Australian Pelican,
- Diamondback Terrapin. - (Exhibit)


South-East Asia DLC:
- Sun Bear,
- Siamang,
- Clouded Leopard,
- Binturong,
- Malayan Tapir, - (with a remodeled base of course)
- North Sulawesi Babirusa,
- Asian Small-Clawed Otter,
- Giant Malaysian Leaf Insect. - (Exhibit)


Africa DLC:
- African Penguin,
- Meerkat,
- Nubian Ibex,
- Cape Porcupine,
-Sacred Scarab Beetle. - (Exhibit)


NA DLC:
- American Alligator,
- North American Beaver,
- Black-Tailed Prairie Dog,
- Northern Raccoon,
- Cougar,
- Pronghorn,
- Moose,
- San Francisco Garter Snake. - (Exhibit)


Anniversary Update:
-Aye-Aye.


Europe DLC:
- Iberian Lynx,
- European Badger,
- Alpine Chamois,
- European Fallow Deer,
- Fire Salamander. - (Exhibit)


Wetlands DLC:
- Capybara,
- Red-Crowned Crane,
- Fishing Cat,
- Nile Lechwe,
- Giant Otter,
- Shoebill,
- Alligator Snapping Turtle,
- Danube Crested Newt. - (Exhibit)

 

Conservation Pack:
1-Axolotl
2- Amur Leopard
3- California Condor
4- Cotton Top Tamarin
5- Fiji Crested Iguana
6- Giant Eland
7- Golden Lion Tamarin
8- Island Fox
9- Przewalski's Horse
10- Scimitar Horned Oryx
11- Saiga
12- Siamang
13- Slender Snouted Crocodile
14- Spix Macaw
15- Takahe

 

Revising my prior list in light of the new pack.

Base Game

African Elephant
African Lion
African Wild Dog
American Black Bear
Amur Leopard
Asian Elephant
Asian Small-Clawed Otter
Bactrian Camel
Bison
Blue Wildebeest
Bornean Orangutan
Cape Buffalo
Capybara
Cheetah
Chimpanzee
Galapagos Tortoise
Giant Panda
Greater Flamingo
Grey Wolf
Grizzly Bear
Hippopotamus
Howler Monkey
Indian Peafowl
Indian Rhino
Jaguar
Japanese Macaque
Koala
Komodo Dragon
Lowland Gorilla
Malayan Tapir
Mandrill
Masai Giraffe
Meerkat
Moose
Okapi
Ostrich
Plains Zebra
Polar Bear
Pronghorn
Red Kangaroo
Red Panda
Ring-Tailed Lemur
Saltwater Crocodile
Siberian Tiger
Sichuan Takin
Secretary Bird
Snow Leopard
Spotted Hyena
Warthog
White Rhino

Replaced the Addax, which fits better in the conservation pack, with the Secretary bird.

Deluxe Addition:
Gharial
Pygmy Hippo
Red Deer
Red River Hog
Fossa
Tanuki
Thomson's Gazelle

Replaced the Secretary Bird with the Fossa, which didn’t really fit anywhere else.

Anniversaries:

Red Ruffed Lemur
Sifaka

Arctic Pack:
Arctic Fox
Musk Ox
Reindeer
Wolverine

South America:
Capuchin
Giant Anteater
Vicuña
Maned Wolf

Replaced the otter with the Vicuña, since I found space for giant otter elsewhere.

Cassowary
Emu
Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo
Common Wombat

Cut the wallaby since it didn’t really add much. Moved the Devils elsewhere. Added two requested species in their place.

Aquatic
California Sea Lion
Hawaiian Monk Seal
King Penguin
Great White Pelican

I wanted this to be an ocean pack to distinguish it from the Wetlands pack. Replaced the marine iguana with the Great White Pelican for more birds. Also marine iguanas probably won’t be in IRL zoos for a while.

Southeast Asia:
Binturong
Clouded Leopard
Siamang
Pere David's Deer
Sumatran Tiger
Sun Bear
Sunda Pangolin

Planet Zoo saw fit to give us siamang over Lar gibbons and I don’t really disagree.

Africa:
African Penguin
Eastern Bongo
Fennec Fox
Ratel

North America:
American Alligator
Beaver
Bighorn Sheep
Cougar
Harbor Seal
Prairie Dog
Raccoon

Europe:
Alpine Ibex
Badger
Eurasian Lynx
Mute Swan

Wetlands:
Alligator Snapping Turtle
Giant Otter
Cuiver's Dwarf Caiman
Platypus
Shoebill
Sitatunga
White-Naped Crane

Moved the giant otter here. Pushed the salamander back.

Endangered Pack
Chinese Giant Salamander
Mongolian Wild Horse
Scimitar-Horned Oryx
Tasmanian Devil

Moved the devils, oryx, and salamanders here. All of these species have a history of being helped by captive breeding programs, making it a good example of what the pack is going for.

Kakapo were considered but I liked salamanders more, and I’m not sure if any zoos actually have any at the moment. Guam rail was considered but it’s a bit small and not the most charismatic. Black-footed ferret almost made the cut.

 

I would love Oceania Pack 2, specifically because I really really want them to add Goodfellow's tree kangaroo. I would also go bananas for a wombat! Other good options could be a kiwi, tazzy devil, and maybe frilled-neck lizard as an exhibit species.

 

What I really want is more taxidermy animals like in the Africa & India packs. I LOVE making museum exhibits in the game!!!! If anyone knows how to do it please make more especially large birds (Ostrich, storks, cranes, flamingos etc...) and artifacts to go with the animal mounts. I want to play Planet Natural History Museum!!!

 

Wait, hold up... Taxidermy animals are an actual decoration in the game?!

 

India Pack is a mod. The official Africa Pack doesn’t have taxidermy, so I think he meant the fan-made Safari Pack?