A good list but I’d not be happy without a Wolverine. Spectacled Bear would be nice too, but I’d manage to be alright if it didn’t come to the game. But a Wolverine is essential to me
Analyzing required animals by Taxonomical group
I think that gecko is as needed as a chameleon or a cobra, and maybe more than a python. Also maybe a muntjac and/or a blackbuck, as a small deer and/or Asian antelope representation.
It is absolutely fascinating comparing this list to the Meta Wishlist. The meta wishlist is a fun tool/ discussion piece, but this new list shows how (at the very least) the communities views on animals has changed.
Personally I quite like this list, it doesn’t have every animal I view as essential, but it’s fairly close. There are millions of animal species in the world, and everyone will have their own favorites. Not to mention animals common in zoos in Europe may not be the same here in North America.
(The only thing is Frontier I beg of you put flying birds in the walk through exhibits I beg of you. Adding flying bats, butterflies, and sloths before birds almost seems silly now. Speaking of walk through exhibits people who play base game have no use for it, so that’s something I would work on)
Yeah I was surprised not many people considered it essential.
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I respect the opinion of the community but lol. Only 10 of these are essential in my eyes. Meanwhile, I think an Asian antelope and the mantled guereza are absolutely essential.
I will have to accept my opinions are not widely shared
This is a very broad category. Are the arabian oryx, blacbuck and saiga in the same category for you?
No. I mean more an Indian antelope. Nilgai or blackbuck (but I want the nilgai).
Wellington doesn't have any kiwi currently AFAIK; they had North Island browns but three birds died due to unknown illnesses in 2021 and the kiwi house has been closed since then. West Coast Wildlife Centre is a publicly-accessed facility but it's specialised (the rowi only exists in the West Coast). Willowbank currently breeds four species, you are correct about that, but only the North Island brown is on display (as I said, I think the great spotted is occasionally on display).
Overall, though, like I said, the North Island brown is the most widespread.
And another cool disection of the post (animals in paranetheses considered essential):
Empty groups:
Groups with any demand that have no representative in the game
Essential incomplete groups:
Groups missing an essential species
Non-essential incomplete groups:
Groups that have all essential species but are still in demand
Groups considered complete by most:
Not bad I must say. Now what has a good chance to move to the complete section?
Empty groups:
Groups with any demand that have no representative in the game
- Birds-of-prey
- Caecilians
- Crustaceans
- Elephant-shrews
- Galagos
- Hedgehogs
- Hornbills
- Hyraxes
- Lorises
- Millipedes
- Mudskippers
- Musk-deer
- Pelicans and relatives (pelican)
- Rabbits and hares
- Rails
- Sereimas
- Storks
- Tenrecs
- Tuatara
- Treeshrews
- Waterfowl (duck, swans)
Essential incomplete groups:
Groups missing an essential species
- Camelids (Dromedary)
- Caprines (asian caprine)
- Cranes (grey crowned crane)
- Crocodilians (african crocodile)
- Insects (mantis)
- Lizards (chameleon, australian monitor)
- Marsupials (tree kangaroo, tasmanian devil)
- Monotremes (echidna)
- Musteloids (coati)
- New-world monkeys (a lot)
- Old-world monkeys (baboon, indian monkey)
- Pinnipeds (walrus)
- Ratites (rhea, kiwi)
- Rodents (old world porcupine, mara)
- Snakes (python, cobra)
- Suines (peccary, wild boar)
- Turtles (african spurred tortoise)
Non-essential incomplete groups:
Groups that have all essential species but are still in demand
- Anteaters
- Antelopes
- Armadillos (?)
- Bats
- Bears
- Bovines
- Deer
- Flamingos
- Frogs
- Lemurs
- Penguins
- Salamanders
- Small cats
- Sloths (?)
Groups considered complete by most:
- Aardvark
- Apes
- Arachnids
- Big cats (pantherines)
- Canines
- Centipedes
- Elephants
- Giraffes and relatives
- Hippos
- Odd-toed ungulates (equines, rhinos, tapirs)
- Pangolins
- Snails and slugs
- Viverroids (Hyenas, Malgasy carnivores, Mongooses, Viverrids)
- Mammals
- Afrotheria
AardvarkElephants
Bats- Carnivores
- Feliformes
- Felines
Big cats (pantherines)- Small cats
ViverroidsHyenasMalgasy carnivoresMongoosesViverrids
- Felines
- Canifromes
Canines- Musteloids
- Pinnipeds
- bears
- Feliformes
Pangolins- Primates
- Monkeys
Apes- New-world monkeys
- Old-world monkeys
- Lemuriformes
- Lemurs
- Monkeys
- Ungulates
Odd-toed ungulatesequinesrhinostapirs
- Even-toed ungulates
BovinesCamelsGiraffes and relativesHipposSuines- Antelopes
- Bovines
- Caprines
- Deer
- Rodents
BeaversOld-world porcupine- Cavimorphs
- Squirrels
- Xenarthra
- Anteaters
- Armadillos (?)
- Sloths (?)
- Marsupials
Vombatiformes- Macropods
- Monotremes
- Afrotheria
- Reptiles
- Crocodilians
GharialsAlligators and caimans- Crocodiles
- Squamates
- Iguanaphormes
- Monitor lizard
- Snakes
- Skinks
- Turtles
- Crocodilians
- Inverterbreates
ArachnidsCentipedesSnails and slugs
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I hope the antelopes are added to. We have many yet in real life zoos have tons of hoofstock to choose from! Another Bear would be great! 
Small cats are cool. I'm fine with another canid. I "need" more rodents.
I think of all groups the Camelids will be "completed."
Small cats are cool. I'm fine with another canid. I "need" more rodents. I think of all groups the Camelids will be "completed."
Pretty good summary, but:
5. Insects (a lot)
6. Lizards (gecko, chameleon, australian monitor)
This is a really solid list overall, even though I maintain that the devil and kiwi aren’t essential on a wide scale so much as they are just popular. I don’t expect to see the majority of these though, given how many birds and monkeys there are left (which Frontier are allergic to) and even a few exhibits (which I suspect we may have moved on from). If you exclude the birds, monkeys, and exhibits I could see is getting most of what’s left.
Id say tge devil is essential but the Kiwi isn't. We don't have any carnivouras marsupials and tge devil is arguably the best choice.
I'd argue the other way. The kiwi is essential for New Zealand, but I've never seen a devil in my life. Still want them though. I personally would prioritize several marsupials over the devil.
Man a gecko really should've been in the base game.
They're equally essential.
In terms of Oceanian animals, my personal wants are:
- Black swan
- Echidna
- Kiwi
- Spotted cuscus
- Tasmanian devil
- Tree kangaroo
- Yellow footed rock wallaby
Highly agree with the black swan. Oceania is severely lacking general animals aside from the crocodile. By this I mean animal family's that aren't endemic to it. North America has a lot of this with us getting bison and beaver species from there over ther European counterparts. Or the small clawed otter over a temperate river otter. What I'm saying is pretty much Black swan is better than mute swan cause australia needs more animals.
I do and don't. I don't mind having a 2nd sloth myself, but since it's a WE, I'd prefer other species.
However, Frontier typically uses each rig twice, and considering the efforts to make the sloth, I'm sure they'd wanna use it again
I mean It really depends how much more support well get.
But im personally perfectly fine with just the three toed and id prefer it if every WE spot goes to a bird from now on.
I dont expect that the toed twoeds would be a habitat animals since that dev post mad it pretty clear why its not gonna happen, but if it would happen in some magical way im totally down for the toe twoed