Does South America REALLY Need Tropical Animals?

NachoB

NachoB
I think those three are a must at some point.

And from the rest of the world i would love some pheasants (mostly the golden one) and the mandarin duck as well.

All colorful, all habitat birds. We can through the saddle-billed and painted stork in that list, and the grey crowned crane.
 

Angeł

Angeł
Yes. It absolutely does need more animals. I prefer to build my tropical houses themed around South America, and they’ve always felt distinctly lacking. I’d say MINIMUM we need is:
• Two Toed Sloth
• South American Coati
• Golden Lion Tamarin
• Howler Monkey

Once we get those species, I feel like Tropical South America will be a little better off, but still feel rather done dirty. To boost the roster, I’d add (as well as those four):
• Tamandua
• Squirrel Monkey
• Spider Monkey
• Ocelot

This is not even MENTIONING flying birds and fully aquatic animals (Manatees, Amazon freshwater fish)!

I think that South America is severely underrepresented, even in its Tropical regions. I hope 2023s DLCs will change that
 

nutrit

nutrit
Maybe Central America animal pack with:
1. Spider monkey - utilizes brachiation
2. Three toed sloth - sorry but it’s much cuter and recognizable than two toed.
3. Tamandua - smaller, arboreal cousin of Giant anteater and super sweet
4. Peccary - lives in many different biomes
5. Kinkajou - funny and cute oddball
6. Ocellated turkey - spectacular bird
7. Ocelot - small cat and the most requested one right now

Leaving just Howlers, spectacled bears and coati for a different pack.
 

Markiz

Markiz
nutrit said:
Maybe Central America animal pack with:
1. Spider monkey - utilizes brachiation
2. Three toed sloth - sorry but it’s much cuter and recognizable than two toed.
3. Tamandua - smaller, arboreal cousin of Giant anteater and super sweet
4. Peccary - lives in many different biomes
5. Kinkajou - funny and cute oddball
6. Ocellated turkey - spectacular bird
7. Ocelot - small cat and the most requested one right now

Leaving just Howlers, spectacled bears and coati for a different pack.
Click to expand...
I think central American pack could also work well as a scenery pack, I think we could have many nice themed central American pieces.

And I think shorter roster could still be fire:

1. Spider Monkey
2. Collared Peccary
3. Ocelot
4. White Nosed Coati (Or the Turkey)
5. Whatev for (E)

But I do believe that central American pack could do some heavy lifting, roster-wise, to ease up some future South American pack, so the latter can include some non-tropical species as well
 

Alexjh

Alexjh
DarthQuell said:
Aight, as the title suggests, does SA need tropical species to feel more complete? And exclude birds and primates, please; those are kinda obvious, so let's avoid any mention of them (I'm talking to YOU. You know who you are)


I feel like Argentina could get better representation, as in the lower areas, like the pampas and Patagonia. Also, Chile, I.e. the mountains.
What're some solid suggestions?
Click to expand...
I mean, there have been some great gaps plugged in South America rep this year, but even aside from primates (there's 3 categories of SA monkey which each deserve to be in) and birds I would say a Sloth would be #1 slot for the continent?

Coati and Ocelot I would say are the other two tropical SA essentials? Tamandua maybe?

After for sure there are some really notable Andean and Pampas species needed (and I still maintain marine iguana would be a fun habitat animal) but I don't think enough to carry an entire packs worth without some of the tropical species at least.
 

VetGirl330

V
DarthQuell said:
does SA need tropical species to feel more complete? And exclude birds and primates
Click to expand...
A resounding YES. Tropical South America, especially the Amazon, has always and remains one of the most incomplete regions in the game. The incredibly disappointing "South America" pack did very little for this region.

Jersey Cow said:
One could argue that South America or at the very least the Amazon is the only region in the game that so far that has a well rounded roster of animals which to me makes it feel more complete than others in some ways. It's the only region that also with a strong selection of exhibit animals to fill out the gaps between the habitats.
Click to expand...
Especially when compared to its size and biodiversity I think the Amazon (for habitat animals) is the most incomplete region in the game.

Current Central America Roster:
  1. Baird's Tapir
  2. Jaguar
  3. White-headed Capuchin Monkey - the Panamanian species is nearly identical to the Colombian, so much so that until very recently they were considered conspecific, and there ranges are contiguous
  4. Green Iguana (E)
  5. Red-eyed Treefrog (E)
  6. Mexican Redknee Tarantula (E) - lives in tropical forest

Current Tropical South America Roster:
  1. Colombian White-headed Capuchin Monkey - confined to a tiny region called the Chocó–Darién moist forests in the extreme Northwest of Colombia, contigious with the Central American rainforest
  2. Baird's Tapir - South American range confined to the Chocó–Darién moist forest
  3. Jaguar
  4. Capybara
  5. Giant Otter
  6. Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman - two caiman species adds little to the biodiversity of the region
  7. Spectacled Caiman
  8. Green Iguana (E)
  9. Boa Constrictor (E)
  10. Yellow Anaconda (E)
  11. Lehmann's Poison Frog (E) - poison frogs are iconic to tropical South America and are common in captive collections, EXCEPT the Lehmann's which has no captive breeding population
  12. Golden Poison Frog (E)
  13. Amazonian Giant Centipede (E)
  14. Brazilian Salmon Pink Tarantula (E)
  15. Brazilian Wandering Spider (E)
  16. Goliath Birdeater Tarantula (E)
  17. Titan Beetle (E) - useless inclusion; live specimen has never been exhibited in captivity
  18. Menelaus blue morpho (E)

Current Amazon Roster:
  1. Jaguar
  2. Giant Otter
  3. Capybara
  4. Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman
  5. Spectacled Caiman
  6. Green Iguana (E)
  7. Boa Constrictor (E)
  8. Yellow Anaconda (E)
  9. Amazonian Giant Centipede (E)
  10. Brazilian Salmon Pink Tarantula (E)
  11. Brazilian Wandering Spider (E)
  12. Goliath Birdeater Tarantula (E)
  13. Titan Beetle (E)
  14. Menelaus blue morpho (E)
We do not have a single Amazonian primate in the game, which is a gigantic oversight! There is no way to make an Amazon section in a zoo (which is quite a popular theme) without monkeys. At bare minimum we need two, but ideally at least three South American primates.
  1. Larger species: howler or spider monkey
  2. Smaller species: squirrel monkey or tamarin or marmoset
  3. Other great options include saki monkey, titi monkey, bald uakari, tufted capuchin, but we need the essentials first.
We also need at least one habitat bird, such as the American flamingo or roseate spoonbill. More exotic options like a curassow would also be welcome.

All the other tropical inclusions fall into the wouldn't it be nice, but not essential category for me: ocelot, coatimundi, prehensile-tailed porcupine, spectacled bear, red-footed tortoise, blue poison frog. Personally I never understood why the sloth is so popular, especially when we know it will be poorly implemented in-game.
 

KönigDerKaffeebohnen

K
DarthQuell said:
Aight, as the title suggests, does SA need tropical species to feel more complete? And exclude birds and primates, please; those are kinda obvious, so let's avoid any mention of them (I'm talking to YOU. You know who you are)


I feel like Argentina could get better representation, as in the lower areas, like the pampas and Patagonia. Also, Chile, I.e. the mountains.
What're some solid suggestions?
Click to expand...
Till south america has as many monkeys as africa has antelopes, it will never fill complete as both should ve the diverse backbone of their sections where pick and choose a few that fits.
Lowering my expectations down from 10, atleast 5 are a must

Edit: Oops, didnt see the no monkeys but hey point still stands
 
Last edited:

DarthQuell

DarthQuell
KönigDerKaffeebohnen said:
Edit: Oops, didnt see the no monkeys but hey point still stands
Click to expand...
Me when people ignore the rules🤪:
200w.gif

Jokes aside, yeah, I agree about the primates, though. I think we can all safely agree that as a whole, they are severely lacking and need a boost
 

yoav_r

yoav_r
Yes. Coatis, Sloths and Peccaries are pretty essential. And I could add 10 more relevant species without touching on primates ir birds.

Also, what's the point of excluding primates from the question? That's like discussing the Oceania roster without marsupials.

And when it comes to zoo animals, there are very few but very important non-tropical SA animals:
  • Mara
  • Rhea
  • Vicuña/Guanaco
  • Spectacled bear

There are more candidates like pudus, grisons, more armadillos which I'd love to have but are mostly irrelevant to international collections.
 
Last edited:

Markiz

Markiz
yoav_r said:
Yes. Coatis, Sloths and Peccaries are pretty essential. And I could add 10 more relevant species without touching on primates ir birds.

Also, what's the point of excluding primates from the question? That's like discussing the Oceania roster without marsupials.

And when it comes to zoo animals, there are very few but very important non-tropical SA animals:
  • Mara
  • Rhea
  • Vicuña/Guanaco
  • Spectacled bear

There are more candudates like pudus, grisons, more armadillos which I'd love to have but are mpstly irrelevant to international collections.
Click to expand...
I would really love all of those four. And on top of that I think three of them all are very possible inclusions.

Even tho we have Llama already, Guanaco just have that different, almost prehistoric, vibe. Even one of those two can be possible through anniversary or like an ungulate oddball (Lechwe, Water Buffalo, Wildebeest and even Llama itself)
 

yoav_r

yoav_r
Markiz said:
I would really love all of those four. And on top of that I think three of them all are very possible inclusions.

Even tho we have Llama already, Guanaco just have that different, almost prehistoric, vibe. Even one of those two can be possible through anniversary or like an ungulate oddball (Lechwe, Water Buffalo, Wildebeest and even Llama itself)
Click to expand...
Look at these pictures I took yesterday:

Screenshot_20221221-154255_Gallery.jpg


Guanacos apparently can drink seawater. I felt like at the patagonia equivalent of a watering hole. There were also maras, sea lions, and an armadillo but they didn't fit in the frame.


I'd absolutely love to recreate this in the game but we'd never get the right species.
 

Markiz

Markiz
yoav_r said:
Look at these pictures I took yesterday:

View attachment 338847

Guanacos apparently can drink seawater. I felt like at the patagonia equivalent of a watering hole. There were also maras, sea lions, and an armadillo but they didn't fit in the frame.


I'd absolutely love to recreate this in the game but we'd never get the right species.
Click to expand...
Oh my God, you're living the dream man!

Always had a soft spot for southern South America. Hope to visit it myself in some distant future 😁

Looks great !
 
Last edited:

yoav_r

yoav_r
Markiz said:
Oh my God, you're leaving the dream man!

Always had a soft spot for southern South America. Hope to visit it myself in some distant future 😁

Looks great !
Click to expand...
Oh definitely. The Big Hairy Armadillos are underrated. They completely ignore everything and everyone. They just go where they want at a set speed, and don't stop for no one. I managed to picture one drinking water.

And I saw one just going through a horde of penguins and guanacos, just bumping into guanacos legs and they moved out of the way. There are benefits to being armored.
 

DarthQuell

DarthQuell
yoav_r said:
Also, what's the point of excluding primates from the question? That's like discussing the Oceania roster without marsupials.
Click to expand...
That is the whole point., Why discuss something we already know/agree on? If I had allowed primates, many people would've just said that and we likely would've forgotten about any other candidates
 

Marvinb

Marvinb
Just wanted to add my little SA wishlist (excluding monkeys and aviary birds).

Tropical:
Coati
Sloth
Margay
Tamandu
Collared Peccary
Spoonbill
Scarlet Ibis
Aguti

Nontropical:
Mara
Argentine B&W tegu
Rhea

Didnt include the andean bear because if we were to get a new bear id rather have the sloth bear.
Also am i the only one who kinda wants a leafcutter ant exhibit in some way?
 
Last edited:

RaptorVerhoeven

RaptorVerhoeven
I'd like some coati's, sloths and peccari's. All of these animals are really common in Dutch zoos around my area. I've also seen some mara's and wouldn't mind their inclusion into the game.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom