What is your favourite animal of 2023?
- Thread starter CharlieXGaming
- Start date
It happens so often, an animal everyone wants that is mentioned in every wishlist or speculation thread then we get it and no one cares about it 1 week later.
I see the same faith for the Secretary Bird.
Never understood the hype behind that animal like there are so many more iconic African Birds
Sometimes the most surprising picks are the best. Swan and Donkey are the main examples of this.
This is my top 15, below this I don’t really have any strong feelings on most of the animals:
- Tasmanian devil
- Little penguin
- Quokka
- African crested porcupine
- Fossa
- North Island brown kiwi
- Mute swan
- Dromedary camel
- Spectacled flying fox
- Addax
- Malayan tapir
- Asian water monitor
- Lar gibbon
- Hermann’s tortoise
- Black rhinoceros
Its only this realism loving forum that thinks that way, people not of this forum prefer secretary and tassie 10.0000% over water monitors and boring wisent clones most people here prefer.
I dislike the wild ass choise, I would have gone with the far superior and better named onager
Sorry, but Now this forum disliking animals like walrus, leopard seal, secretary tassies and shoebills, don’t make me laugh, I hope we never get the golden snob whatever monkey for all this blasphemy
Relax @Fossa there will always be irrational needs and choices here on this forum but at the end it’s really good that Frontier seems to balance the wishes very well in my opinion.
In my opinion there are no superior animals and there are no superior choices just personal preferences.
I found the Tasmanian Devil always super overrated. It's a clear example of group dynamic. If you read it often enough, you feel like you want it too, when in fact you don't really care.
For me It's funny how a lot of people scream for "more birds, any birds!" and then I feel being on lost ground with my happiness for the swan
If we ever get a flying bird pack, the "game changer!!!" will last for 2 weeks. Just like with the "game changing" semi aquatics.
Favorite overall: Swan>Porcupine>Gibbon
Year overall: This years roster in general did gave some love to some rather empty places like oceania, middle east/north africa, europe and northern asia. For that i really like this years roster, and quality wise this year was amazing aswell. Also we got some really requested fan favorites in form of the porcupine, devil, wolverine and others.
But i really didnt like the overwhelming focus on ungulates this year. I already went into 2023 being kinda fed up with them, so getting another 11/23 habitat animals from that group alone really wasnt what i was hoping for and it only pushed me to get even more annoyed with each of their releases. Admittedly there were a couple that i still wanted like the takin and the swines, but among the sea of hooves they became just another one of them to me, which i really dislike but i cant help myself.
Im just gonna hope the 3 birds we got in the last 2 dlcs are a good sign and Frontier is gonna give some more love to the underrepresented groups in 2024 (copium)
Also were gonna mark 3 years without a new monkey in spring, so there is that
Year overall: This years roster in general did gave some love to some rather empty places like oceania, middle east/north africa, europe and northern asia. For that i really like this years roster, and quality wise this year was amazing aswell. Also we got some really requested fan favorites in form of the porcupine, devil, wolverine and others.
But i really didnt like the overwhelming focus on ungulates this year. I already went into 2023 being kinda fed up with them, so getting another 11/23 habitat animals from that group alone really wasnt what i was hoping for and it only pushed me to get even more annoyed with each of their releases. Admittedly there were a couple that i still wanted like the takin and the swines, but among the sea of hooves they became just another one of them to me, which i really dislike but i cant help myself.
Im just gonna hope the 3 birds we got in the last 2 dlcs are a good sign and Frontier is gonna give some more love to the underrepresented groups in 2024 (copium)
Also were gonna mark 3 years without a new monkey in spring, so there is that
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We got a lot of good animals this year and it's close but my number 1 would be the kiwi. Mute swan (because omg a new bird) and the porcupine (because just look at it) come close. Hope to get more birds next year 
Favorites in the entire game:
North Island Brown Kiwi
Little Blue Penguin
Before the Oceania pack, building a zoo in NZ was quite literally impossible. Now, with these two essentials, an amazing plant set, and the temperate Oceania map that came in the free update, an entire new region that I’ve been dying to build in since launch has been opened up. I mention it a lot, but I seriously cannot overstate just how game changing this was for me and probably quite a few others. We weren’t exactly asking for much, and this pack on its own gave us almost everything we needed essential-wise with only a few exceptions.
These two come close though:
Mute Swan (I don’t think I even have to explain)
Tassie Devil (maybe overrated to some, but the world isn’t just Europe/NA and these guys were another essential for those of us in Oceania.)
North Island Brown Kiwi
Little Blue Penguin
Before the Oceania pack, building a zoo in NZ was quite literally impossible. Now, with these two essentials, an amazing plant set, and the temperate Oceania map that came in the free update, an entire new region that I’ve been dying to build in since launch has been opened up. I mention it a lot, but I seriously cannot overstate just how game changing this was for me and probably quite a few others. We weren’t exactly asking for much, and this pack on its own gave us almost everything we needed essential-wise with only a few exceptions.
These two come close though:
Mute Swan (I don’t think I even have to explain)
Tassie Devil (maybe overrated to some, but the world isn’t just Europe/NA and these guys were another essential for those of us in Oceania.)
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For me I think Swan is easily at #1, I haven’t given enough thought to decide where the rest of them are.
I like him too! Hope you get your Pallas' Cat soon though!
(Work in progress
Welp here i go with my Ranking:
Tier 1: Unnessecary/Redundant animals that i would have preferd to be anything else
26. Arid Snake: To forgetable i allways forget the name and its another Brown desert snake for africa when it could have been a chameleon
25. Black Rhino: While i know about all the differences between the white and black rhino both morphologically and behaviorally, it still isnt enough to justify another african rhino to me that looks like the white rhino in a bit skinnier and darker skin. Couple that with the fact that it came with 4 other ungulates and i ask myself if the spurred tortoise instead of it really would have been to much to ask.
Now that its hear the one major + is that no ones asking for them anymore, so hopefully now everyone is finally pleased with the rhino representation
24. Sloth Bear: The least interesting bear to me, a mix of a less weird sun bear and a less fluffy asiatic black bear. Its just a shaggy bear with the only thing setting it apart from the other bears not in game. Great. I wasnt a fan of the Golden Snub Nose Monkey but id take them any day as an over specualised niche weirdo over just the most boring bear, which "appeal" is being cute, as if asias 4 other bears wernt cute.
23. Spectacle Flying Fox: The animal itself is okayish but far from thr favored choice even if ignoring flying birds. I think i speak for most people that for a second flying fox one of the large ones of SEA would have been the most desireable, but instead we get this quite niche guy which while looking cool, doesnt scratch the same itch, leaving me desiring another one. Meanwhile for Oceanian Exhibits they could have gone with literally anything else. Beardie? Bit basic but nice. Tuatara? New Zealand would have been feasting and another temperate exhibit is much needed. Frilled Lizard? Those guys are just cool! Even the infamous stick insect would have added something more unique and special.
Of all the animals in the lowest tier, i mind it by far the least and im not even really dissapointed, but thinking about what could have been does make me question frontiers decision quite a bit.
Tier 2: Good Idear, bad execution
22. Three Toed Sloth: Blablabla wrong sloth, but on its own i really liked the idear of a sloth in PZ but was unsure if they would add it without butchering it aaaaaand oh wow place 22 i guess that says it all.
While i find the whole wrong sloth thing annoying, its not what actually kills the animal for me but the execution.
I understand why its in an exhibit but imo having an animal thats completly defined in the climbing frame it lives on without a customiseable climbing frame completly misses the point of why a sloth would be a fun addition in the first place.
Doesnt help that the climbing frame it actually uses looks ugly as sin.
So its the wrong animal, without the thing that would make it a fun and interesting addition, trapped in an exhibit box thats straight up ugly.
Imo the most telling thing is that i build for sloths recently and had a blast, but it was an implied one, where i only build a climbing frame and custom enritchment for, which i imagine to be used by a two toed one thats allways asleep when im looking.
The sloth is a more fun and fullfilling addition when i imagine it to be asleep in a fake habitat then in its actual implementation and thats imo not just dissapointing but a game design sin.
The only reason its not in the lowest tier is because i can imagine it getting an overhaul similar to the brachiachtion to become much freeer if a second sloth is introduced and with a SA pack being very likly im still hopefull for now, but if a second sloth comes without any meaningfull changes to how they are implemented they go straight to F tier as propaply the most dissapointingly unuseable animals in the game when they really shouldnt be.
Tier 3: No strong feeling, take them now that they are here but i also couldnt care less if they wernt.
21. Sand Cat: The Sand Cat issssss...okay. I really did not want it in favor of more interesting options, i 100% expected the cat to come and here we are where the cat is on of only 2 non ungulate animals in a pack i had very high hopes for being the most diverse wed see so far. Fun.
Dissappointment aside, the sand cat has a lot of things going for it, even if i dont value most of it highly.
Its by far the smallest cat we got, its one of the few animals id call objectivly very cute, is reasonably common around the world in zoos and it offers a nice and distinct side grade to the fenec fox regarding small nocturnal desert critters, being great both instead and next of/to each other.
The one thing i really appreciate is its range, being among the only animals in the arid animal packs to bring representation to areas outside of africa and the middle east, as they are also found in the deserts of south western asia, an area currently represented otherwise by the saiga, wild boar and prez wild horses, so thats a very neat + and something that makes me appreciate them alot more. If anyone now wants to make a thematic area based on the Kyzylkum Desert, the 15. largest in the world, your welcome.
For cons, its a cat and with the oversaturation of cats in the game i find it hard to see them as exciting new additions, but really of all cat species not in the game, the sandcat was pretty much the most distinct of all of them, so even if its still this low, it doesnt mean its bad, nice 6/10 id say.
20. Lar Gibbon: The Lar Gibbon is also just okay. I understand that frontier wanted to capitalise on the gibbon rig and i see no issue with that, but as this years only primate im very underwhelmed.
Personally, while the Lar Gibbon with its smaller size and many colors is the perfect second gibbon, i prefer the siamang as its one of the few case where a smaller size actually feels like a downside, as your most likly not gonna watch the gibbons from upclose but from a distance and even just behind a water moat the lar gibbons just look tiny.
Ofcourse there are also other ways to frame them besides across a water moat, but atleast to me thats how i know gibbons and even if in real life aswell being kind rough to see is often part of the deal, i vastly prefer the siamang for being allmost twice the size.
Also truth be told, i dont like the gibbon rig that much. Dont get me wrong, im very glad its hear and i think that frontier did a great job, but it feels rather unfinished. While the brachiation animations are all a joy and the enritchment items just as much, one thing i really dont like is its run. The gibbon run is iconic, with the weird and wavey ways that they hold their arms over their heads, but thats something completly missing from the game which does reduce their charm quite a bit.
Another unfortnuate but more understandable meh area is regarding the fact that they only brachiate in a straight line, while real life gibbons are among the most chaotic and energetic buggers you can experience at any zoos. I understand how though it allready must have been and i really appreciate the brachiation update alot, but it all sums up to a primate that is not just underwhelming as this years only new primate as a pick, but also in its execution, which feels like complaining on a very high level, but if we only get one primate per year i want a bang and the lar gibbon really wasnt it.
19. Addax: The Addax is just there. I dont know what to say about it. I said no strong feelings but with the other animals here i still have something to talk about but with the addax?
Its just another desert antelope with kinda neat horns, which is nice for variety sake but its the most nothing animal we got all year. Not bad, its important to have filler flex animals like the addax, but theres just not much interesting to say. Its more or less a less extreme but also there for less interesting scimitar horned oryx, whose historys mirror each other but the addax thankfully never went extinct in the wild, is less colorfull, admitedly has the cooler horns even if the oryxes are not bad and is slightly smaller.
Its a good flex pick to have next to the oryx or instead of it, but thats all it is.
18. Somali Wild Ass: The somali wild ass is the addax but with some more personality. Another critically endangerd desert ungulate, but this time from the so far lacking north east africa and an equinne instead of an antelope, boosted by being only the second on the gorgeous new equinne rig.
The best thing about them is that they actually diversify the african desert ungulates and greatly synergise with the others in that way, but again as a stand alone species kinda boring, especally as they are utility and gameplay wise massivly outclassed by a plain old domestic donkey, but now that they are here a neat species to have.
17. Kiwi: Is the kiwi very very important for new zealand zoos? Yes. Is it relevant for building zoos in any other country? No. Am i interested in building a new zealand zoo? No.
This pretty much sums up my thoughts on the kiwi. Its good that its here as it is really really important for a zoo region of the world, but at the same time it just doesnt interest me.
Also hot take, i personally really do not find kiwis that visually appealing. Its a brown fuzzy ball with 2 legs and a beak, which is kinda charming but it doesnt make them look very eyecatching or interesting. The kiwi is cool for everything besides it appearance, as the iconic flightless bird from new zealand that chares name and looks with a fruit but just appearance wise i would prefer many other birds over the kiwi, be it the stunning victorian crowned pidgeon thats also an iconic zoo animal, or the even less relevant south island takahe which is just much more colorfull and prettier. Its a weird criticism which might be a bit undeserved to be lifted against the kiwi specificly, but when your yearning for another colorfull ground bird like the victorian crowned pidgeon or a pheasent a plumb brown ball can be as cute and nice as it is, but it just does not fill that hole why you even want another small ground bird. Im sure my saltyness towards the kiwi will fade once we actually have those colorfull ground birds, but till then i`ll continue staring at pictures of victorian crowned pidgeons, wishing it would have been him even if i know logically that while an important addition on a macro level the pidgeon doesnt hold a candle to the kiwi.
Pain you win some you loose some and this was a very predictable loss for me, win for new zealand.
16. Blue Penguin: Again, very important for zoos in oceania and nice representation so im glad we got them, buuuuuut not for me. I might use them eventually, but while they defenetly are very distinct from the penguins, i just like the others more. African are just those friendly basic ones that fit any context from highly themed to just an underwater viewing and a bit of land and king penguins are among the most unique and specific animals in the game as they currently hold dips on the title of only animal from Antarctica.
The blue penguin is kind of caught in the middle between the allrounder allstar and the super specific but also super interesting one.
I also again feel like their size is kind of a downside, as penguin habitats tend to have some decently far sightlines, so the smaller the penguins the harder they are to watch, but it isnt as bad as the gibbons.
They are all in all fine, but just not for me.
Tier 4: I like them, but
15. Herrmanns Tortoise: Ohhh i love this one. I love them so so much....but its an exhibit animal.
Pain.
What else is there to say? We got another adorable tortoise, finally a small one, its so cute and teeny tiny and we could have build the cutest and tinyiest adorable habitats for them and they would have been so precious and so cool, but nope, shackled to that box, all the reasons why i wanted them thrown out the window. Above average exhibit animal, but just like the iguanas the moment i start modding a mod that will free them from their shackles will be first on that list.
14. Quokka: A third terrestrial macropod? Finally! Its a great size class, got a new interesting rig, fills the very underrated niche of small filler animal for a region that really needed one and is currently starting to spread outside of australia. All the good stuff for a very neat animal that brought surprisingly much to the table.
The only reason it isnt in good is that eventhough i used it, i headcannonend it hard as a brushtailed brettong and i cant stop thinking about them like that, which is imo quite the clear sign that i wanted a certain other small terrestrial macropod much more in their place. Still, i enjoy them alot so they certanly deserve to be over the rest.
13. Wolverine: i should like the wolverine, in fact i should really really likevthe wolverine, but for some reason i dont, cant tell you why but most likly carnivoran fatigue.
Its a great addition and im happy we finally have it as it excells at everything i want from an animal.
Its range is massive and across 3 different continents, it fills an open niche in all of them as a small to mid size cold climate animal that can also climb, with the most similar animals gameplay wise being the lynx, the badger and the bears, making them quite sn interesting cross habitat design wise.
The fact that they can climb is also a very welcome surprise that is greatly appreciated, giving especally europe finally a second climber.
The wolverine is also quite an icon, so all around a top tier animal that just sadly doesnt click with me like it does for many others.
12. Asian Water Monitor: Getting a third monitor this year was great, as we havent seen them updated since the base game, buuuuut not this one. Dont get me wrong, i actually really like the asian water monitor and want it in the game, with most of the claims of it just being a higher quality nile monitor being pretty much boogus, as both animals look distinct from each other or atleast not more then any of the new big cats or big canids we got did from the rest. What actually bothers me about them is that while i wanted to see them it wasnt as the third monitor but maybe the fifth. Case in point, SEA did not need another monitor and even while i normaly am a big fan of common in zoo animals with a large range and still am, the komodo dragon served us here just fine as pretty much the most iconic monitor. Is another one very nice? Yes but not when certain other spaces that would still need one still got none, case in point australia. As soon as we get an australian monitor, the asian water monitor will rise through the rankings and be not just my favorite animal from the tropical pack, but also easily atleast a tier higher if not 2, but rn im simply still salty. I can forgive non ideal additions once those more needed animals are backfilled later, but rn i would have vastly prefered either a crocodile monitor here or something else and a perentie in the desert pack or a lace monitor in the oceania pack, but welp that didnt happen. Tdlr: Good Animal, very bad timing
11. Tassie Devil
Tier 5: I like them, no but
Saiga
Fossa
8. Dahmas Gazelle: Ahh the dhamas Gazelle, the one animal most people disliked about the arid pack and called a worth less "clone" next to the likes of the somali wild ass and black rhino. Ironic.
Truth be told, not only did i like the dhamas gazelle as an animal anyways cause they are imo among the prettiest antelopes, but have you looked at them next to our basegame antelopes? You can instantly differentiate them in colors, pattern, size and they look just so much more gorgeous. And thats not all, im not only having them so high because of pretty privilige. Africas basegame Antelope selection had quite the issues from the start, most notably that they didnt actually cover that much ground. Of the 9 base game antelopes, only 3 of them were not based in south africa, with the thompson and sable antelope being from south east africa and the bongo being from the tropical center.
This more or less meant that west africa, north africa, the sahel zone and north east africa were all left without antelopes. Guess where all our dlc antelopes besides the blue wilderbeest came from. And guess who covers all 3 that arnt north east africa. Bingo thats the dhamas.
So we got a beautiful, critically endangerd gazelle, which is our first since the base game, that also covers lots of ground not just untouched by the ingame gazelles but ingame antelopes and truth be told just quite devoid of animals in general , that also has a significant zoo conservation background and this THIS is the animal everyone decided to hate collectivly?
I dont get this community at times, but i do not hate the dhamas gazelle, i quite like them and i can cofidently say that they deserve to be in the top 10 of my year.
Porcupine
Dromedary
Takin
Wisent
Wild Boar
Mute Swan
Collared Peccary
Welp here i go with my Ranking:
Tier 1: Unnessecary/Redundant animals that i would have preferd to be anything else
26. Arid Snake: To forgetable i allways forget the name and its another Brown desert snake for africa when it could have been a chameleon
25. Black Rhino: While i know about all the differences between the white and black rhino both morphologically and behaviorally, it still isnt enough to justify another african rhino to me that looks like the white rhino in a bit skinnier and darker skin. Couple that with the fact that it came with 4 other ungulates and i ask myself if the spurred tortoise instead of it really would have been to much to ask.
Now that its hear the one major + is that no ones asking for them anymore, so hopefully now everyone is finally pleased with the rhino representation
24. Sloth Bear: The least interesting bear to me, a mix of a less weird sun bear and a less fluffy asiatic black bear. Its just a shaggy bear with the only thing setting it apart from the other bears not in game. Great. I wasnt a fan of the Golden Snub Nose Monkey but id take them any day as an over specualised niche weirdo over just the most boring bear, which "appeal" is being cute, as if asias 4 other bears wernt cute.
23. Spectacle Flying Fox: The animal itself is okayish but far from thr favored choice even if ignoring flying birds. I think i speak for most people that for a second flying fox one of the large ones of SEA would have been the most desireable, but instead we get this quite niche guy which while looking cool, doesnt scratch the same itch, leaving me desiring another one. Meanwhile for Oceanian Exhibits they could have gone with literally anything else. Beardie? Bit basic but nice. Tuatara? New Zealand would have been feasting and another temperate exhibit is much needed. Frilled Lizard? Those guys are just cool! Even the infamous stick insect would have added something more unique and special.
Of all the animals in the lowest tier, i mind it by far the least and im not even really dissapointed, but thinking about what could have been does make me question frontiers decision quite a bit.
Tier 2: Good Idear, bad execution
22. Three Toed Sloth: Blablabla wrong sloth, but on its own i really liked the idear of a sloth in PZ but was unsure if they would add it without butchering it aaaaaand oh wow place 22 i guess that says it all.
While i find the whole wrong sloth thing annoying, its not what actually kills the animal for me but the execution.
I understand why its in an exhibit but imo having an animal thats completly defined in the climbing frame it lives on without a customiseable climbing frame completly misses the point of why a sloth would be a fun addition in the first place.
Doesnt help that the climbing frame it actually uses looks ugly as sin.
So its the wrong animal, without the thing that would make it a fun and interesting addition, trapped in an exhibit box thats straight up ugly.
Imo the most telling thing is that i build for sloths recently and had a blast, but it was an implied one, where i only build a climbing frame and custom enritchment for, which i imagine to be used by a two toed one thats allways asleep when im looking.
The sloth is a more fun and fullfilling addition when i imagine it to be asleep in a fake habitat then in its actual implementation and thats imo not just dissapointing but a game design sin.
The only reason its not in the lowest tier is because i can imagine it getting an overhaul similar to the brachiachtion to become much freeer if a second sloth is introduced and with a SA pack being very likly im still hopefull for now, but if a second sloth comes without any meaningfull changes to how they are implemented they go straight to F tier as propaply the most dissapointingly unuseable animals in the game when they really shouldnt be.
Tier 3: No strong feeling, take them now that they are here but i also couldnt care less if they wernt.
21. Sand Cat: The Sand Cat issssss...okay. I really did not want it in favor of more interesting options, i 100% expected the cat to come and here we are where the cat is on of only 2 non ungulate animals in a pack i had very high hopes for being the most diverse wed see so far. Fun.
Dissappointment aside, the sand cat has a lot of things going for it, even if i dont value most of it highly.
Its by far the smallest cat we got, its one of the few animals id call objectivly very cute, is reasonably common around the world in zoos and it offers a nice and distinct side grade to the fenec fox regarding small nocturnal desert critters, being great both instead and next of/to each other.
The one thing i really appreciate is its range, being among the only animals in the arid animal packs to bring representation to areas outside of africa and the middle east, as they are also found in the deserts of south western asia, an area currently represented otherwise by the saiga, wild boar and prez wild horses, so thats a very neat + and something that makes me appreciate them alot more. If anyone now wants to make a thematic area based on the Kyzylkum Desert, the 15. largest in the world, your welcome.
For cons, its a cat and with the oversaturation of cats in the game i find it hard to see them as exciting new additions, but really of all cat species not in the game, the sandcat was pretty much the most distinct of all of them, so even if its still this low, it doesnt mean its bad, nice 6/10 id say.
20. Lar Gibbon: The Lar Gibbon is also just okay. I understand that frontier wanted to capitalise on the gibbon rig and i see no issue with that, but as this years only primate im very underwhelmed.
Personally, while the Lar Gibbon with its smaller size and many colors is the perfect second gibbon, i prefer the siamang as its one of the few case where a smaller size actually feels like a downside, as your most likly not gonna watch the gibbons from upclose but from a distance and even just behind a water moat the lar gibbons just look tiny.
Ofcourse there are also other ways to frame them besides across a water moat, but atleast to me thats how i know gibbons and even if in real life aswell being kind rough to see is often part of the deal, i vastly prefer the siamang for being allmost twice the size.
Also truth be told, i dont like the gibbon rig that much. Dont get me wrong, im very glad its hear and i think that frontier did a great job, but it feels rather unfinished. While the brachiation animations are all a joy and the enritchment items just as much, one thing i really dont like is its run. The gibbon run is iconic, with the weird and wavey ways that they hold their arms over their heads, but thats something completly missing from the game which does reduce their charm quite a bit.
Another unfortnuate but more understandable meh area is regarding the fact that they only brachiate in a straight line, while real life gibbons are among the most chaotic and energetic buggers you can experience at any zoos. I understand how though it allready must have been and i really appreciate the brachiation update alot, but it all sums up to a primate that is not just underwhelming as this years only new primate as a pick, but also in its execution, which feels like complaining on a very high level, but if we only get one primate per year i want a bang and the lar gibbon really wasnt it.
19. Addax: The Addax is just there. I dont know what to say about it. I said no strong feelings but with the other animals here i still have something to talk about but with the addax?
Its just another desert antelope with kinda neat horns, which is nice for variety sake but its the most nothing animal we got all year. Not bad, its important to have filler flex animals like the addax, but theres just not much interesting to say. Its more or less a less extreme but also there for less interesting scimitar horned oryx, whose historys mirror each other but the addax thankfully never went extinct in the wild, is less colorfull, admitedly has the cooler horns even if the oryxes are not bad and is slightly smaller.
Its a good flex pick to have next to the oryx or instead of it, but thats all it is.
18. Somali Wild Ass: The somali wild ass is the addax but with some more personality. Another critically endangerd desert ungulate, but this time from the so far lacking north east africa and an equinne instead of an antelope, boosted by being only the second on the gorgeous new equinne rig.
The best thing about them is that they actually diversify the african desert ungulates and greatly synergise with the others in that way, but again as a stand alone species kinda boring, especally as they are utility and gameplay wise massivly outclassed by a plain old domestic donkey, but now that they are here a neat species to have.
17. Kiwi: Is the kiwi very very important for new zealand zoos? Yes. Is it relevant for building zoos in any other country? No. Am i interested in building a new zealand zoo? No.
This pretty much sums up my thoughts on the kiwi. Its good that its here as it is really really important for a zoo region of the world, but at the same time it just doesnt interest me.
Also hot take, i personally really do not find kiwis that visually appealing. Its a brown fuzzy ball with 2 legs and a beak, which is kinda charming but it doesnt make them look very eyecatching or interesting. The kiwi is cool for everything besides it appearance, as the iconic flightless bird from new zealand that chares name and looks with a fruit but just appearance wise i would prefer many other birds over the kiwi, be it the stunning victorian crowned pidgeon thats also an iconic zoo animal, or the even less relevant south island takahe which is just much more colorfull and prettier. Its a weird criticism which might be a bit undeserved to be lifted against the kiwi specificly, but when your yearning for another colorfull ground bird like the victorian crowned pidgeon or a pheasent a plumb brown ball can be as cute and nice as it is, but it just does not fill that hole why you even want another small ground bird. Im sure my saltyness towards the kiwi will fade once we actually have those colorfull ground birds, but till then i`ll continue staring at pictures of victorian crowned pidgeons, wishing it would have been him even if i know logically that while an important addition on a macro level the pidgeon doesnt hold a candle to the kiwi.
Pain you win some you loose some and this was a very predictable loss for me, win for new zealand.
16. Blue Penguin: Again, very important for zoos in oceania and nice representation so im glad we got them, buuuuuut not for me. I might use them eventually, but while they defenetly are very distinct from the penguins, i just like the others more. African are just those friendly basic ones that fit any context from highly themed to just an underwater viewing and a bit of land and king penguins are among the most unique and specific animals in the game as they currently hold dips on the title of only animal from Antarctica.
The blue penguin is kind of caught in the middle between the allrounder allstar and the super specific but also super interesting one.
I also again feel like their size is kind of a downside, as penguin habitats tend to have some decently far sightlines, so the smaller the penguins the harder they are to watch, but it isnt as bad as the gibbons.
They are all in all fine, but just not for me.
Tier 4: I like them, but
15. Herrmanns Tortoise: Ohhh i love this one. I love them so so much....but its an exhibit animal.
Pain.
What else is there to say? We got another adorable tortoise, finally a small one, its so cute and teeny tiny and we could have build the cutest and tinyiest adorable habitats for them and they would have been so precious and so cool, but nope, shackled to that box, all the reasons why i wanted them thrown out the window. Above average exhibit animal, but just like the iguanas the moment i start modding a mod that will free them from their shackles will be first on that list.
14. Quokka: A third terrestrial macropod? Finally! Its a great size class, got a new interesting rig, fills the very underrated niche of small filler animal for a region that really needed one and is currently starting to spread outside of australia. All the good stuff for a very neat animal that brought surprisingly much to the table.
The only reason it isnt in good is that eventhough i used it, i headcannonend it hard as a brushtailed brettong and i cant stop thinking about them like that, which is imo quite the clear sign that i wanted a certain other small terrestrial macropod much more in their place. Still, i enjoy them alot so they certanly deserve to be over the rest.
13. Wolverine: i should like the wolverine, in fact i should really really likevthe wolverine, but for some reason i dont, cant tell you why but most likly carnivoran fatigue.
Its a great addition and im happy we finally have it as it excells at everything i want from an animal.
Its range is massive and across 3 different continents, it fills an open niche in all of them as a small to mid size cold climate animal that can also climb, with the most similar animals gameplay wise being the lynx, the badger and the bears, making them quite sn interesting cross habitat design wise.
The fact that they can climb is also a very welcome surprise that is greatly appreciated, giving especally europe finally a second climber.
The wolverine is also quite an icon, so all around a top tier animal that just sadly doesnt click with me like it does for many others.
12. Asian Water Monitor: Getting a third monitor this year was great, as we havent seen them updated since the base game, buuuuut not this one. Dont get me wrong, i actually really like the asian water monitor and want it in the game, with most of the claims of it just being a higher quality nile monitor being pretty much boogus, as both animals look distinct from each other or atleast not more then any of the new big cats or big canids we got did from the rest. What actually bothers me about them is that while i wanted to see them it wasnt as the third monitor but maybe the fifth. Case in point, SEA did not need another monitor and even while i normaly am a big fan of common in zoo animals with a large range and still am, the komodo dragon served us here just fine as pretty much the most iconic monitor. Is another one very nice? Yes but not when certain other spaces that would still need one still got none, case in point australia. As soon as we get an australian monitor, the asian water monitor will rise through the rankings and be not just my favorite animal from the tropical pack, but also easily atleast a tier higher if not 2, but rn im simply still salty. I can forgive non ideal additions once those more needed animals are backfilled later, but rn i would have vastly prefered either a crocodile monitor here or something else and a perentie in the desert pack or a lace monitor in the oceania pack, but welp that didnt happen. Tdlr: Good Animal, very bad timing
11. Tassie Devil
Tier 5: I like them, no but
Saiga
Fossa
8. Dahmas Gazelle: Ahh the dhamas Gazelle, the one animal most people disliked about the arid pack and called a worth less "clone" next to the likes of the somali wild ass and black rhino. Ironic.
Truth be told, not only did i like the dhamas gazelle as an animal anyways cause they are imo among the prettiest antelopes, but have you looked at them next to our basegame antelopes? You can instantly differentiate them in colors, pattern, size and they look just so much more gorgeous. And thats not all, im not only having them so high because of pretty privilige. Africas basegame Antelope selection had quite the issues from the start, most notably that they didnt actually cover that much ground. Of the 9 base game antelopes, only 3 of them were not based in south africa, with the thompson and sable antelope being from south east africa and the bongo being from the tropical center.
This more or less meant that west africa, north africa, the sahel zone and north east africa were all left without antelopes. Guess where all our dlc antelopes besides the blue wilderbeest came from. And guess who covers all 3 that arnt north east africa. Bingo thats the dhamas.
So we got a beautiful, critically endangerd gazelle, which is our first since the base game, that also covers lots of ground not just untouched by the ingame gazelles but ingame antelopes and truth be told just quite devoid of animals in general , that also has a significant zoo conservation background and this THIS is the animal everyone decided to hate collectivly?
I dont get this community at times, but i do not hate the dhamas gazelle, i quite like them and i can cofidently say that they deserve to be in the top 10 of my year.
Porcupine
Dromedary
Takin
Wisent
Wild Boar
Mute Swan
Collared Peccary
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Honestly my main reason for being really disappointed with the flying fox its functionally the same animal as the fruit bat. The exihibit looks the same, there are no new enrichment items, enclosure style or anything. And while playing the game normally, or viewing them from a "guest perspective" you (well i at the very least) cant tell them appart without pausing the game and zooming right up close to them.