There seems to be this general idea that animals very similar to animals already in the game are not really that welcome - that they're "clones" or wasted spots. There's a few animal types that I would say that it's the exact opposite, namely those that are in the title of this thread. There's others as well I'm sure, but I'm using these 3 as examples.
The idea that we should end up with 1 each of some of the more iconic zoo/wildlife animals, at least from an official content source is a bit disappointing for me. I personally feel like we should get 2 each, where applicable. Think about it - we have 2 Elephants, 2 Rhinos, 2 Hippos (in sense), 2 Tigers, 2 Chimpanzees...these are the more iconic notable animals in wildlife sanctuaries and zoos. But some we still have just 1 of. Having a even just a second species/subspecies choice would give us more variety to our zoos. The differences in visuals may not be quite as obvious from afar, but up close, and educational content wise it would give variety. Having 3, from official content, may be overdoing in, but in the cases of these more iconic animals, having 1 is not enough, IMO.
I especially feel like the Giraffe needs this more than any other at this point. They are among the top echelons of animals that people think of when they think of zoos and sanctuaries. Right up there with Elephants. The Lions probably even more so, but there's the issue of species/subspecies classification. To be honest, I don't care if it's another sub-sub species, I'd like another Lion. A different Flamingo would probably give us another continent of representation for them which is also great. Zebras may not quite be in the top levels as these other animals, but I think they're still common and iconic enough they'd deserve to get 2.
I wouldn't be opposed to another Orangutan, another Ostrich (Somali Ostrich is the "non-common" Ostrich), another Peafowl or another Gorilla (subspecies), but they're not my personal priority. Still, they belong up here with the "great zoo name" species.
We also already have a second wolf, a second brown bear, and a second Hyena. We even have a second otter and second penguin. To that end, I'd probably also want to see a second kangaroo, they're just as iconic and notable as a penguin or otter.
For me personally, the only "big name" animal that would only fit for having 1 representative is the Giant Panda. There is a subspecies but it's extremely rare and I'm not even sure is kept in any zoos.
So basically, to me...the big names, and what we have, either full different species or sub species wise, are :
Rhino - 2 species
Tiger - 2 Species
Elephant - 2 Species
Hippo - 2 species
Chimpanzee - 2 species
Wolf - 2 species
Brown Bear - 2 species
Penguin - 2 species
Hyena - 2 species
Lion - 1 species
Giraffe - 1 species
Zebra -1 species
Ostrich - 1 species
Gorilla 1 species
Peafowl - 1 species
Flamingo 1 species
Orangutan - 1 species
Giant Panda - 1 species
Not quite as high up on the "big name list" but adding anyways:
Otter - 2 species
Tortoise - 2 species
Kangaroo - 1 species
Crocodile -1 species
I'd love to have 2 of each of the above species, except for the Giant Panda. I don't need 3 of any of them, but 2 would be great. That's a total of 10 "clone type" species/subspecies.
Thoughts, feedback and additions to the list of more iconic zoo animals? The list I've put down, especially the first part, is in my mind what are the pretty much agreed upon more popular, marketed animals within zoos, but that's just from my perspective. I'd love to hear other perspectives.
The idea that we should end up with 1 each of some of the more iconic zoo/wildlife animals, at least from an official content source is a bit disappointing for me. I personally feel like we should get 2 each, where applicable. Think about it - we have 2 Elephants, 2 Rhinos, 2 Hippos (in sense), 2 Tigers, 2 Chimpanzees...these are the more iconic notable animals in wildlife sanctuaries and zoos. But some we still have just 1 of. Having a even just a second species/subspecies choice would give us more variety to our zoos. The differences in visuals may not be quite as obvious from afar, but up close, and educational content wise it would give variety. Having 3, from official content, may be overdoing in, but in the cases of these more iconic animals, having 1 is not enough, IMO.
I especially feel like the Giraffe needs this more than any other at this point. They are among the top echelons of animals that people think of when they think of zoos and sanctuaries. Right up there with Elephants. The Lions probably even more so, but there's the issue of species/subspecies classification. To be honest, I don't care if it's another sub-sub species, I'd like another Lion. A different Flamingo would probably give us another continent of representation for them which is also great. Zebras may not quite be in the top levels as these other animals, but I think they're still common and iconic enough they'd deserve to get 2.
I wouldn't be opposed to another Orangutan, another Ostrich (Somali Ostrich is the "non-common" Ostrich), another Peafowl or another Gorilla (subspecies), but they're not my personal priority. Still, they belong up here with the "great zoo name" species.
We also already have a second wolf, a second brown bear, and a second Hyena. We even have a second otter and second penguin. To that end, I'd probably also want to see a second kangaroo, they're just as iconic and notable as a penguin or otter.
For me personally, the only "big name" animal that would only fit for having 1 representative is the Giant Panda. There is a subspecies but it's extremely rare and I'm not even sure is kept in any zoos.
So basically, to me...the big names, and what we have, either full different species or sub species wise, are :
Rhino - 2 species
Tiger - 2 Species
Elephant - 2 Species
Hippo - 2 species
Chimpanzee - 2 species
Wolf - 2 species
Brown Bear - 2 species
Penguin - 2 species
Hyena - 2 species
Lion - 1 species
Giraffe - 1 species
Zebra -1 species
Ostrich - 1 species
Gorilla 1 species
Peafowl - 1 species
Flamingo 1 species
Orangutan - 1 species
Giant Panda - 1 species
Not quite as high up on the "big name list" but adding anyways:
Otter - 2 species
Tortoise - 2 species
Kangaroo - 1 species
Crocodile -1 species
I'd love to have 2 of each of the above species, except for the Giant Panda. I don't need 3 of any of them, but 2 would be great. That's a total of 10 "clone type" species/subspecies.
Thoughts, feedback and additions to the list of more iconic zoo animals? The list I've put down, especially the first part, is in my mind what are the pretty much agreed upon more popular, marketed animals within zoos, but that's just from my perspective. I'd love to hear other perspectives.
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