- Arctic: Favorite is Dall Sheep, least is Polar Bear
- South America: Favorite is Llama, least is Capuchin
- Australia: Favorite is Red Kangaroo, least is Dingo
- Aquatic: Favorite is Grey Seal, least is Giant Otter
- Southeast Asia: Favorite is Dhole, least is Probiscis Monkey
- Africa: Favorite is Fennec Fox, least is White Rhino
- North America: Favorite is Arctic Fox, least is Alligator
- Europe: Favorite is Badger, least is Ibex
- Wetlands: Favorite is Red-crowned Crane, least is Caiman
- Conservation: Favorite is Horse, least is Oryx
- Twilight: Favorite is fox, least is skunk
- Grasslands: Favorite is I'm going to go with Maned Wolf, least is Wallaby
- Tropical: Favorite is Fossa, least is AWM.
- Arid: Favorite is Sand Cat, least is Black Rhino
- Oceania: Aside from the exhibit my favorite is Quokka, least is Penguin
- Eurasia: favorite is Sloth Bear, least is saiga.
What is your favourite and least favourite animal of each pack?
- Thread starter Fallax
- Start date
Favorite and Least Favorite
- Deluxe: I like having these animals.
- Favorite: Thomson's gazelle were one of my go-to animals from ZT2. I'm happy they showed up.
- Least Favorite: Komodo dragon, I guess? They are still pretty essential for SEA though and a great animal to have.
- Arctic: Not bad, but the absence of the walrus and musk ox has been noted.
- Favorite: Arctic Wolves go in so many of my zoos. They were an oddball I was hoping for.
- Least Favorite: Dall Sheep took the NA goat slot from the bighorn or perhaps mountain goat. The latter two are much more important.
- South America: Love them. They all could have been base game. I use them all the time.
- Favorite: Giant anteaters are one of my favorites.
- Least Favorite: Capuchin, I guess, because I would have preferred a different monkey, but I use them a bunch. They're still good!
- Australia: Love them all. Australia needed a kangaroo, koala, croc, and ratite for minimal coverage. Those 3 could have been in the base game with the croc.
- Favorite: Cassowaries are beautiful and fun to build for. I see them in my local zoos sometimes.
- Least Favorite: Dingos were the least essential, but they're still iconic for the region.
- Aquatic: I use their counterparts more.
- Favorite: King Penguin is a good, classic penguin.
- Least Favorite: Dwarf Caimans are less useful with the spectacled. Habitat reqs are too big.
- Southeast Asia: Ok lineup, but I was missing my otters, gibbons, and fishing cats.
- Favorite: Malayan Tapirs look so much better now. I'm happy it can finally be number 1!
- Least Favorite: Dholes were new to me but not exciting. I'd never seen or heard of one. I didn't and don't need this animal.
- Africa: Great Roster. An African rhino could have been base game, but it's great to have one now.
- Favorite: White Rhinos look awesome and I use them a lot.
- Least Favorite: Meerkats are probably the ones I use least, but all of these animals were good. They are all welcome.
- North America: I still miss my black bears, but this is probably the best-chosen roster of any animal pack. Moose could have been base game.
- Favorite: Prairie Dogs are adorable and local zoo staples. I'm so happy they're in the game
- Least Favorite: Arctic Foxes seemed a bit unnecessary. I would have loved a black bear. A wolverine, bird, or red fox would probably have been better, too.
- Europe: This was a pretty good lineup for the continent. The absence of a swan was noted.
- Favorite: Lynxes are my bobcat subs. They look great, and I love them.
- Least Favorite: Badgers aren't super useful to me. They're pretty cute, though.
- Wetlands: ASCO and capybara were great. The others aren't bad but seemed a bit oddball-y. Still a good group, though.
- Favorite: ASCO are adorable. I love the addition of a "normal" river otter.
- Least Favorite: Nile Lechwe aren't that bad. It's nice to have an aquatic antelope for Nile sections.
- Conservation: Would have loved to see some rep from other regions, but all of the animals here are good, popular, and needed.
- Favorite: Przewalski's Horses are one of my loves. They were in my post-continent big 5. Still missing the GLT, ABB, and serval.
- Least Favorite: Amur Leopard is probably the least useful to me of the big cats, but it's still a welcome addition.
- Twilight: Kind of an odd pack
- Favorite: Wombats are adorable
- Least Favorite: Raccoons have a very low presence in local zoos. I would have preferred something else.
- Grasslands: Fills out a lot of regions.
- Favorite: Maned Wolves are beautiful and great for South America.
- Least Favorite: Blue wildebeests are a nice replacement for the black, but a blackbuck or bird would have been much better.
- Tropical: Where is South America?
- Favorite: Lar gibbons were one of my most wanted, post-continent big 5. They sound amazing and come in so many colors.
- Least Favorite: Fossa creep me out a little.
- Arid: Love most of the animals, but not together
- Favorite: Porcupines are very useful. I'm glad they showed up.
- Least Favorite: Dama gazelles, though not horrible, seem like a missed oppurtunity for a baboon, bird, or even a tortoise.
- Oceania: Happy for that part of the world, but doesn't do too much for me personally. Still sad about the tree kangaroo.
- Favorite: Kiwi are adorable. I love their little squeaks!
- Least Favorite: Tasmanian Devils creep me out, and their lifespan is too short.
- Euraisa: Happy for Europe, but the rest of Asia still needs some stuff albeit less urgently than SA.
- Favorite: Mute swans are awesome. I love having them in the game.
- Least Favorite: Wild boar creep me out. It sounds like the European players needed them, though.
- Barnyard: Some odd breed choices, but a great lineup of deserving species.
- Favorite: Highland cows are my favorite domestic in zoos. This one is a little small, but it works ok if I don't let the guests walk too close to it. I'm glad it got the color morphs. The donkey and goat aren't far behind as classic petting zoo animals. It's fun trying to get the rare donkey/goat variants.
- Least Favorite: Tamworth Pigs never had much of a chance with me. I don't really like pigs in general, and the breed choice was odd. I like that they're orange.
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Favorites
- Deluxe: Pygmy Hippo
- Arctic: Dall Sheep
- South America: Llama
- Australia: Red Kangaroo
- Aquatic: Grey Seal
- Southeast Asia: Dhole
- Africa: Fennec
- North America: Arctic Fox
- Europe: Badger
- Wetlands: Red-crowned Crane
- Conservation: Wild Horse
- Twilight: Red Fox
- Grasslands: Maned Wolf (Hyena is close though! <3 this whole DLC)
- Tropical: Fossa
- Arid: Sand Cat
- Oceania: Quokka
- Eurasia: Sloth Bear
- Barnyard: Hill Radnor Sheep
- Deluxe: Komodo Dragon
- South America: Capuchin
- Australia: Dingo*
- Aquatic: Giant Otter
- Southeast Asia: Probiscis MOnkey**
- Africa: White Rhino
- North America: Alligator*
- Europe: Ibex
- Wetlands: Caiman**
- Conservation: Oryx
- Twilight: Skunk*
- Grasslands: Wallaby*
- Tropical: AWM**
- Arid: Black Rhino
- Oceania: Penguin
- Eurasia: Saiga
- Barnyard: Pig
**I personally don't see the appeal in the animal...
Favourites:
Deluxe: Komodo Dragon
Arctic: Polar Bear
South America: Giant Anteater
Australia: Cassowary
Aquatic: Giant Otter
SEA: Clouded Leopard
Africa: White Rhino
North America: Moose
Europe: Lynx
Wetlands: Otter
Conservation: Leopard
Twilight: Wombat
Grasslands: Maned Wolf
Tropical: Gibbon
Arid: Porcupine
Oceania: Tasmanian Devil
Eurasia: Wolverine
Barnyard: Cow
Least Favourite:
Deluxe: Gazelle
Arctic: Arctic Wolf
South America: Llama
Australia: Dingo
Aquatic: Seal
SEA: Proboscis Monkey
Africa: Fennec Fox I guess
North America: Prairie Dog
Europe: Badger
Wetlands: Buffalo
Conservation: Oryx
Twilight: Skunk
Grasslands: Hyena
Tropical: Monitor
Arid: Rhino
Oceania: Quokka
Eurasia: Saiga
Barnyard: Alpaca
Deluxe: Komodo Dragon
Arctic: Polar Bear
South America: Giant Anteater
Australia: Cassowary
Aquatic: Giant Otter
SEA: Clouded Leopard
Africa: White Rhino
North America: Moose
Europe: Lynx
Wetlands: Otter
Conservation: Leopard
Twilight: Wombat
Grasslands: Maned Wolf
Tropical: Gibbon
Arid: Porcupine
Oceania: Tasmanian Devil
Eurasia: Wolverine
Barnyard: Cow
Least Favourite:
Deluxe: Gazelle
Arctic: Arctic Wolf
South America: Llama
Australia: Dingo
Aquatic: Seal
SEA: Proboscis Monkey
Africa: Fennec Fox I guess
North America: Prairie Dog
Europe: Badger
Wetlands: Buffalo
Conservation: Oryx
Twilight: Skunk
Grasslands: Hyena
Tropical: Monitor
Arid: Rhino
Oceania: Quokka
Eurasia: Saiga
Barnyard: Alpaca
Favorites:
Deluxe: Komodo dragon
Arctic: Polar Bear
South America: Jaguar
Australia: Red Kangaroo
Aquatic: Giant Otter
Southeast Asia: Malayan Tapir
Africa: African Penguin
North America: North American Beaver
Europe: Alpine Ibex
Wetlands: Asian Small Clawed Otter
Conservation: Przewalski's Horse
Twilight: Raccoon
Grasslands: Caracal
Tropical: Asian Water Monitor
Arid: Addax
Oceania: Tasmanian Devil
Eurasia: Sloth Bear
Barnyard: Highland Cattle
Least Favorites:
Deluxe: Pygmy Hippo
Arctic: Arctic Wolf
South America: Llama
Australia: Koala
Aquatic: Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman (still love the pick)
Southeast Asia: Proboscis Monkey
Africa: Fennec Fox
North America: Cougar
Europe: Fallow Deer
Wetlands: Wild Water Buffalo
Conservation: Scimitar Horned Oryx
Twilight: Wombat
Grasslands: Striped Hyena
Tropical: Lar Gibbon
Arid: Sand cat
Oceania: Quokka
Eurasia: Saiga
Barnyard: Tamworth Pig
Deluxe: Komodo dragon
Arctic: Polar Bear
South America: Jaguar
Australia: Red Kangaroo
Aquatic: Giant Otter
Southeast Asia: Malayan Tapir
Africa: African Penguin
North America: North American Beaver
Europe: Alpine Ibex
Wetlands: Asian Small Clawed Otter
Conservation: Przewalski's Horse
Twilight: Raccoon
Grasslands: Caracal
Tropical: Asian Water Monitor
Arid: Addax
Oceania: Tasmanian Devil
Eurasia: Sloth Bear
Barnyard: Highland Cattle
Least Favorites:
Deluxe: Pygmy Hippo
Arctic: Arctic Wolf
South America: Llama
Australia: Koala
Aquatic: Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman (still love the pick)
Southeast Asia: Proboscis Monkey
Africa: Fennec Fox
North America: Cougar
Europe: Fallow Deer
Wetlands: Wild Water Buffalo
Conservation: Scimitar Horned Oryx
Twilight: Wombat
Grasslands: Striped Hyena
Tropical: Lar Gibbon
Arid: Sand cat
Oceania: Quokka
Eurasia: Saiga
Barnyard: Tamworth Pig
Oceania
- Favourite - Tasmanian Devil
- Least favourite - Quokka
Eurasia
- Favourite - Mute Swan
- Least favourite - Saiga
Barnyard
- Favourite - Highland cow
- Least favourite - Alpine Goat
Arctic
Favorite: Polar Bear
Least Favorite: Arctic Wolf
South America
Favorite: Capuchin
Least Favorite: Llama (but I do really like the llamas)
Australia
Favorite: Koala
Least Favorite: None!
Aquatic
Favorite: Giant Otter
Least Favorite: Caiman (he cool tho)
SE Asia
Favorite: Binturong
Least Favorite: Tapir
Africa
Favorite: Meerkat
Least Favorite: Rhino (idk i like them all)
North America
Favorite: Beaver
Least Favorite: Arctic Fox (was a weird choice to me to be honest)
Europe
Favorite: hmm tie between lynx and ibex
Least Favorite: Fallow Deer (deer don't excite me)
Wetlands
Favorite: Red crowned crane
Least Favorite: Caiman (this was a missed opportunity for a swamp monkey cmon)
Conservation
Favorite: Siamang
Least Favorite: Przewalski’s horse (i like them tho, was happy to have)
Twilight
Favorite: Raccoon
Least Favorite: Skunk (I don't think I've ever seen a skunk in a zoo? Also a missed opportunity for a nocturnal primate. CMON)
Grassland
Favorite: Maned Wolf
Least Favorite: Blue wildebeest (missed opportunity for a baboon)
Tropical
Favorite: Gibbon
Least Favorite: Asian Water Monitor
Arid
Favorite: Porcupine
Least Favorite: Dama Gazelle
Oceana
Favorite: Little Blues!
Least Favorite: I dunno, they are all cool
Eurasia
Favorite: Swan
Least Favorite: Wild hog (I love pigs but I can't recall ever seeing a wild hog in a zoo [in the USA]) Should have been another bird or something.
Favorite: Polar Bear
Least Favorite: Arctic Wolf
South America
Favorite: Capuchin
Least Favorite: Llama (but I do really like the llamas)
Australia
Favorite: Koala
Least Favorite: None!
Aquatic
Favorite: Giant Otter
Least Favorite: Caiman (he cool tho)
SE Asia
Favorite: Binturong
Least Favorite: Tapir
Africa
Favorite: Meerkat
Least Favorite: Rhino (idk i like them all)
North America
Favorite: Beaver
Least Favorite: Arctic Fox (was a weird choice to me to be honest)
Europe
Favorite: hmm tie between lynx and ibex
Least Favorite: Fallow Deer (deer don't excite me)
Wetlands
Favorite: Red crowned crane
Least Favorite: Caiman (this was a missed opportunity for a swamp monkey cmon)
Conservation
Favorite: Siamang
Least Favorite: Przewalski’s horse (i like them tho, was happy to have)
Twilight
Favorite: Raccoon
Least Favorite: Skunk (I don't think I've ever seen a skunk in a zoo? Also a missed opportunity for a nocturnal primate. CMON)
Grassland
Favorite: Maned Wolf
Least Favorite: Blue wildebeest (missed opportunity for a baboon)
Tropical
Favorite: Gibbon
Least Favorite: Asian Water Monitor
Arid
Favorite: Porcupine
Least Favorite: Dama Gazelle
Oceana
Favorite: Little Blues!
Least Favorite: I dunno, they are all cool
Eurasia
Favorite: Swan
Least Favorite: Wild hog (I love pigs but I can't recall ever seeing a wild hog in a zoo [in the USA]) Should have been another bird or something.
Arctic
Favorite: Polar Bear (the icon of polar region, the main motivation to buy this DLC)
Least Favorite: Arctic Wolf (just reskin of timber wolf, doesn't excite me at all)
Alternative: Walrus
South America
Favorite: Giant Anteater (iconic species of South America with very distinctive appearance)
Least Favorite:Capuchin (Capuchin is fine, but I just prefer Spider Monkey due to their amazing actions)
Alternative: Spider Monkey
Australia
Favorite: Koala (very iconic of Australian theme, and super adorable)
Least Favorite: Dingo (looks like a house dog, not interested in it)
Alternative: Short-beaked Echidna
Aquatic
Favorite: King Penguin (since it is the first penguin in the game)
Least Favorite: Cuvier's Caiman (although it is the first small crocodilian in the game, this one is less exciting to me compared to other species in the pack)
SE Asia
Favorite: Clouded Leopard (beautiful and cool medium cat)
Least Favorite: Giant Leaf Insect (hard to find in the tank and short-lived)
Alternative: King Cobra
Africa
Favorite: Meerkat (nothing need to say)
Least Favorite: Sacred Scarab (WTH is this....I know the Frontier wanted to attach with the Egyptian theme, but I would prefer another African herptiles)
Alternative: Chameleon (Either Parson, Jackson or Panther is fine, my preference is Parson)
North America
Favorite: Californian Sea Lion (you are not exciting with Sea Lion?)
Least Favorite: American Alligator (like copy & paste of Saltwater Crocodile, since I am not American it is meaningless to me)
Alternative: Sea Otter
Europe
Favorite: Eurasian Lynx
Least Favorite: Fallow Deer (I am OK with this, just less interesting to me compared to other species in this pack)
Wetlands
Favorite: Red-crowned Crane (graceful bird that is highly essential for East Asian theme)
Least Favorite: Caiman (another copy & paste Crocodilian and I really don't need the second Caiman, never use it)
Alternative: Shoebill
Conservation
Favorite: Siamang (finally we have the first primate that can swing on the branches)
Least Favorite: Scimitar-horned Oryx (I am fine with it, just less interesting compared to other species in this pack)
Twilight
Favorite: Egyptian Fruit Bat (the first flyer in the game, very exciting species)
Least Favorite: Skunk (I am not saying that I hate skunk, it is cute, but I just think other nocturnal species are better)
Alternative: Aye Aye or Southern Tamandua
Grassland
Favorite: Armadillo (the iconic New World species that belongs to the unique order, can fit with many themes, great to have in the game)
Least Favorite: Blue wildebeest (I don't need two wildebeests)
Alternative: Secretary Bird
Tropical
Favorite: Fossa (Lar Gibbon is less exciting since offered after the Siamang, Fossa as the first Madagascar predator in the game comes to top of the list)
Least Favorite: Asian Water Monitor (Another Asian monitor is not necessary especially we already have Komodo Dragon)
Alternative: Coati
Arid
Favorite: Porcupine (cute, cool, decent worked in detail, very representative of desert theme)
Least Favorite: Dama Gazelle (Although the rig looks pretty, I just don't need another African gazelle)
Alternative: Hamadryas Baboon
Oceana
Favorite: Kiwi (very iconic, unique and adorable bird of Oceania, especially it is bird and exotic bird)
Least Favorite: Quokka (After the announcement of Wallaby, I think Quokka is not necessary especially it takes the slot of Tree Kangaroo)
Alternative: Tree Kangaroo (either Goodfellow or Matschie is fine)
Eurasia
Favorite: Swan (finally, first waterfowl in the game!)
Least Favorite: Wisent (I am not European so this one is just a clone of American Bison that doesn't excite me at all)
Alternative: Golden Snub-nosed Monkey
Barnyard
Favorite: Chicken (well at least we have another new bird)
Least Favorite: American Standard Donkey (like copy & paste of Somali Ass, although most species fit the barnyard theme are ungulate, we still can have other choices)
Alternative: Muscovy Duck
Favorite: Polar Bear (the icon of polar region, the main motivation to buy this DLC)
Least Favorite: Arctic Wolf (just reskin of timber wolf, doesn't excite me at all)
Alternative: Walrus
South America
Favorite: Giant Anteater (iconic species of South America with very distinctive appearance)
Least Favorite:Capuchin (Capuchin is fine, but I just prefer Spider Monkey due to their amazing actions)
Alternative: Spider Monkey
Australia
Favorite: Koala (very iconic of Australian theme, and super adorable)
Least Favorite: Dingo (looks like a house dog, not interested in it)
Alternative: Short-beaked Echidna
Aquatic
Favorite: King Penguin (since it is the first penguin in the game)
Least Favorite: Cuvier's Caiman (although it is the first small crocodilian in the game, this one is less exciting to me compared to other species in the pack)
SE Asia
Favorite: Clouded Leopard (beautiful and cool medium cat)
Least Favorite: Giant Leaf Insect (hard to find in the tank and short-lived)
Alternative: King Cobra
Africa
Favorite: Meerkat (nothing need to say)
Least Favorite: Sacred Scarab (WTH is this....I know the Frontier wanted to attach with the Egyptian theme, but I would prefer another African herptiles)
Alternative: Chameleon (Either Parson, Jackson or Panther is fine, my preference is Parson)
North America
Favorite: Californian Sea Lion (you are not exciting with Sea Lion?)
Least Favorite: American Alligator (like copy & paste of Saltwater Crocodile, since I am not American it is meaningless to me)
Alternative: Sea Otter
Europe
Favorite: Eurasian Lynx
Least Favorite: Fallow Deer (I am OK with this, just less interesting to me compared to other species in this pack)
Wetlands
Favorite: Red-crowned Crane (graceful bird that is highly essential for East Asian theme)
Least Favorite: Caiman (another copy & paste Crocodilian and I really don't need the second Caiman, never use it)
Alternative: Shoebill
Conservation
Favorite: Siamang (finally we have the first primate that can swing on the branches)
Least Favorite: Scimitar-horned Oryx (I am fine with it, just less interesting compared to other species in this pack)
Twilight
Favorite: Egyptian Fruit Bat (the first flyer in the game, very exciting species)
Least Favorite: Skunk (I am not saying that I hate skunk, it is cute, but I just think other nocturnal species are better)
Alternative: Aye Aye or Southern Tamandua
Grassland
Favorite: Armadillo (the iconic New World species that belongs to the unique order, can fit with many themes, great to have in the game)
Least Favorite: Blue wildebeest (I don't need two wildebeests)
Alternative: Secretary Bird
Tropical
Favorite: Fossa (Lar Gibbon is less exciting since offered after the Siamang, Fossa as the first Madagascar predator in the game comes to top of the list)
Least Favorite: Asian Water Monitor (Another Asian monitor is not necessary especially we already have Komodo Dragon)
Alternative: Coati
Arid
Favorite: Porcupine (cute, cool, decent worked in detail, very representative of desert theme)
Least Favorite: Dama Gazelle (Although the rig looks pretty, I just don't need another African gazelle)
Alternative: Hamadryas Baboon
Oceana
Favorite: Kiwi (very iconic, unique and adorable bird of Oceania, especially it is bird and exotic bird)
Least Favorite: Quokka (After the announcement of Wallaby, I think Quokka is not necessary especially it takes the slot of Tree Kangaroo)
Alternative: Tree Kangaroo (either Goodfellow or Matschie is fine)
Eurasia
Favorite: Swan (finally, first waterfowl in the game!)
Least Favorite: Wisent (I am not European so this one is just a clone of American Bison that doesn't excite me at all)
Alternative: Golden Snub-nosed Monkey
Barnyard
Favorite: Chicken (well at least we have another new bird)
Least Favorite: American Standard Donkey (like copy & paste of Somali Ass, although most species fit the barnyard theme are ungulate, we still can have other choices)
Alternative: Muscovy Duck
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I strongly prefer exotic species, particularly the ones we don't have in zoos here in Australia - I think that shows in my ratings!
Deluxe
Top: Komodo - model is stunning, staple zoo species
Bottom: Thomson's - too close to Springbok
Arctic
Top: Polar bear - iconic
Bottom: Dall Sheep - I always forget it exists
South America
Top: Giant anteater - cute, unique animal, exotic to me (none in Aussie zoos)
Bottom: Llama - don't like domestics, should have at least been a Guanaco...
Australia
Top: Red kangaroo - the animations are so lifelike, made me feel patriotic
Bottom: Blue tongued skink - it's great, I just always forget about exhibit reptiles
Aquatic
Top: King penguin - iconic penguin, fun animations and great model
Bottom: Caiman - always forget about it, even though it's a nice model and good species
Southeast Asia
Top: Sun bear... binturong... all of them! Models and animations are perfect!
Bottom: None, I love this pack!! I worked with most of these as a zookeeper
Africa
Top: Meerkat? White rhino? Fennec? All iconic!
Bottom: Scarab beetle - again, exhibit boxes are boring
North America
Top: Moose - I just love moose, and we don't have any in Australia
Bottom: Bullfrog - snapping turtle would have been more interesting
Europe
Top: Lynx - great model, interesting animal
Bottom: Ibex - another one I forget about
Wetlands
Top: Platypus and otter! Great models and animations, iconic. Never thought we'd get a platypus!
Bottom: Capybara - sorry, I think they're boring! They're just lazy overgrown guinea pigs.
Conservation
Top: Przewalski's Horse - iconic, conservation success story! The foals are super cute.
Bottom: Amur - model is off, but I can't explain how. This pack is brilliant though.
Twilight
Top: Raccoon - exotic to me, great model and animations, fun animal
Bottom: Wombat - boring local to me, just a sentient rock. Should have been Tas Devil.
Grasslands
Top: Maned wolf - one of my top wishlist animals! Great model and animations.
Bottom: Wallaby - model could be more realistic, another boring local (yellow tailed rock wallaby is better!)
Tropical
Top: Fossa - another top wishlist animal, great model
Bottom: Water monitor - too similar to Nile, just a better model
Arid
Top: Sand cat - interesting small cat, or Somali wild ass - stunning model
Bottom: They're all great, just boring in the same pack - too similar.
Oceania
Top: Tasmanian devil - a top wishlist animal, brilliant model and animations
Bottom: Quokka - such a boring animal, I know everyone loves them... but why?
Eurasia
Top: Swan - brand new bird type, beautiful model and animations
Bottom: Wisent - sorry, just not an interesting animal to me, though beautifully done
Barnyard
Top: None
Bottom: All of them. Domestics are boring and a waste of zoo space (and FPS in a zoo game). Not even a duck or rabbit.
Deluxe
Top: Komodo - model is stunning, staple zoo species
Bottom: Thomson's - too close to Springbok
Arctic
Top: Polar bear - iconic
Bottom: Dall Sheep - I always forget it exists
South America
Top: Giant anteater - cute, unique animal, exotic to me (none in Aussie zoos)
Bottom: Llama - don't like domestics, should have at least been a Guanaco...
Australia
Top: Red kangaroo - the animations are so lifelike, made me feel patriotic
Bottom: Blue tongued skink - it's great, I just always forget about exhibit reptiles
Aquatic
Top: King penguin - iconic penguin, fun animations and great model
Bottom: Caiman - always forget about it, even though it's a nice model and good species
Southeast Asia
Top: Sun bear... binturong... all of them! Models and animations are perfect!
Bottom: None, I love this pack!! I worked with most of these as a zookeeper
Africa
Top: Meerkat? White rhino? Fennec? All iconic!
Bottom: Scarab beetle - again, exhibit boxes are boring
North America
Top: Moose - I just love moose, and we don't have any in Australia
Bottom: Bullfrog - snapping turtle would have been more interesting
Europe
Top: Lynx - great model, interesting animal
Bottom: Ibex - another one I forget about
Wetlands
Top: Platypus and otter! Great models and animations, iconic. Never thought we'd get a platypus!
Bottom: Capybara - sorry, I think they're boring! They're just lazy overgrown guinea pigs.
Conservation
Top: Przewalski's Horse - iconic, conservation success story! The foals are super cute.
Bottom: Amur - model is off, but I can't explain how. This pack is brilliant though.
Twilight
Top: Raccoon - exotic to me, great model and animations, fun animal
Bottom: Wombat - boring local to me, just a sentient rock. Should have been Tas Devil.
Grasslands
Top: Maned wolf - one of my top wishlist animals! Great model and animations.
Bottom: Wallaby - model could be more realistic, another boring local (yellow tailed rock wallaby is better!)
Tropical
Top: Fossa - another top wishlist animal, great model
Bottom: Water monitor - too similar to Nile, just a better model
Arid
Top: Sand cat - interesting small cat, or Somali wild ass - stunning model
Bottom: They're all great, just boring in the same pack - too similar.
Oceania
Top: Tasmanian devil - a top wishlist animal, brilliant model and animations
Bottom: Quokka - such a boring animal, I know everyone loves them... but why?
Eurasia
Top: Swan - brand new bird type, beautiful model and animations
Bottom: Wisent - sorry, just not an interesting animal to me, though beautifully done
Barnyard
Top: None
Bottom: All of them. Domestics are boring and a waste of zoo space (and FPS in a zoo game). Not even a duck or rabbit.
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I haven't played with them since i won't be buying the pack until next sale but for what i've seen:Arctic Pack
1. Least favorite: arctic wolf, redundante. Should've been the arctic fox instead or the musk ox.
2. Favorite: Polar bear. Iconic, was very needed. Looks good.
South América
1. Least favorite: Llama, i still like it and defend it's inclusion but out of the four habitat animals is the one i like the least i guess.
2. Favorite: Jaguar. My favorite big cat.
Australia
1. Least favorite: Dingo. I mean is the least unique. We later got other Australian icons so is fine that we got it but is still just a dog.
2. Favorite: Cassowary. Even today is still one of the best looking animals. Is also really cool bird.
Aquatic
1. Least favorite: Cuvier's dwarf caiman. It looks pretty but i always choose the spectacled caiman over it.
2. Favorite: hard tie between Gian otter and grey seal. So unique both of them and i was just beyond happy that we got the Gian otter. The seals are also very cute and fun to watch.
South East Asia
1. Least favorite: dhole. Just a Dingo clone at first, now it has a more unique model, but is still the less interesting animals of the bunch.
2. Favorite: clouded leopard without a doubt. One of the best looking cats in game and now is fixed
África:
1. Least favorite: fenec fox. I don't hate dogs i swear. I love them. I have one as pet lol but out of the roster is the one i choose. I still love them. They are fun and cute.
2. Favorite: meerkats! One of my favorite animals irl, they are so good and i was so happy to see them for the game. Super entertaining to play with, cute animations and they introduced digging.
North América
1. Least favorite: moose. Don't get me wrong it looks very cool, is just the least useful for me. I prefer other deer.
2. Favorite: californian sea lion. Different enough from the seals and still fun to build for and watch.
Europe:
1. Least favorite: none? I love them all. I think is one of those few scenery packs with a perfect roster.
2. Favorite: Eurasian lynx. Our first small(ish) cat and still the best looking cat in the game.
Wetlands
1. Least favorite: Nile lechwe. Like, why? SO niche. Waterbuck and Pére David deer were better options for a wetlands ungulates.
2. Favorite: Capybara ofc. So chill and cool. And very needed. Essential zoo animal. Platypus comes close though.
Conservation
1. Least favorite: amur leopard. See i can dislike cats too lol i mean it looks fine... Never really looked like an amur leopard to me and besides the resting animation in the logs is pretty much just another Big cat clone.
2. Favorite: Prezwalsky horse. It was at the time one of my most wanted animals for the game and the delivered. The lip animations and the overall design is so good.
Twilight
1. Least favorite: skunk. Sorry is just boring. Doesn't even have a spray animation and it just drags it's tail.
2. Favorite: trully it was the egyptian fruits bat (the only reason i bought this pack), but since we got the spectacled flying fox and i've seen the raccoon in action i have to say now is the raccoon (funny right? I was very anti raccoon for the game lol i still think this whole pack is underwhelming and probably the worst one in my eyes but the raccoon have grown on me)
Grasslands
1. Least favorite: striped hyena. Never really cared about it making it into the game or not. Is fine, just not something i use a lot.
2. Favorite: the nine-banded armadillo. It was the porcupine of the this pack. So unique and detailed. And very useful for both SA and NA sections.
Tropical
1. Least favorite: AWM. Is fine. Looks better than the Nile monitor, but i would've prefer a bird and for now it can't even climb.
2. Favorite: gibbons. I love gibbons. They are so fun.
Arid
1. Least favorite: the sand cat. Yes all the ungulates come before the sand cat for me, they all look that good. The somalí wild ass was close to being the bottom one though since i never really cared about wild asses in general but it looks great.
2. Favorite: african crested porcupine. Duh.
Oceania
1. Least favorite: quokka? I mean this is another pack in which i love all animals, even the quokka ( and i also love them irl), but we have to choose one and it was the least interesting of the bunch. Still super cute.
2. Favorite: kiwi. Despite being another ratite it felt as unique as the swan in the Eurasia pack. Maybe more niche but was necessary for NZ rep. And also is wonderfully designed.
Eurasia
1. Least favorite: saiga. Sure great model, cool no se. Still just there because of that. Most of the time i will have no use for them. Even though i still think the wisent was just anniversary material i can see myself using it more than the saiga.
2. Favorite: the mute swan. Finally a waterfowl, a new bird rig and it is great. Here is for more waterfowls to come!
1. Favorite: chicken. I love their animations, they are so well done. The rest of the animals are just good old regular ungulates without any innovatión from what we already have. Model wise though the sheep and the llama look fantastic.
2. Least favorite: probably the pig in general. Fine model, boring animal. We have to many pigs that behave the same way and way more interesting. The Highland cow is the lowest quality animal in the pack though. Skin and hair should be improved but i like them too much irl to pick them as least favorite. Also think the donkey was not needed at all not even in this pack and we could've gotten a duck instead to add one more domestics bird and another waterfowl that was actually requested.
Ok revised version with a couple changes. Also im not taking exhibit animals into consideration
Arctic
Favorite: Reindeer, nice to have animal, but honestly none of the Arctic animals stands out to me
Least: Arctic wolf, can hardly call it a reskin since its basicly a just a color change. And with Arctic having no exhibit animal and being the first DLC this feels especially lazy
SA
Favorite: Capuchin: nice to finally have a new world monkey in game
Least: Was the jaguar before but now with some more domestics and especially the alpaca, which can basicly do everything the llama can while looking a hundred times better, i dont really see myself using the llama anymore
Australia
Favorite: Red kangaroo, super nice animal that was definetly missing in the game
Least: Dingo, from all the animals australia has to offer this is by far the lamest to me. I get that they needed a clone tho, and now that we have most of the iconic australian animals im not really bother by it anymore.
Aquatic
Favorite: Tie between penguin and seal. Just super well made and essential animals
Least: Dwarf caiman, kinda pains me to put it here but it just cant compete withe the others.
SEA
Favorite: Proboscis monkey, while its super niche and absent in captivity outside its range, i cant deny that its a fun and well done inclusion.
Least: Was the tapir before, but now with it being redone im actually not quite sure what to put here, either the clouded leopard or dhole, not because any of them are bad additions but just because i like the rest more.
Africa
Favorite: African penguin, among my favorite animals ingame
Least: White rhino, nothing wrong with it, i just like the others more .
NA
Favorite: Beaver, unique and fun inclusion
Least: Cougar, i just dont have much use for it
EU
Favorite: Fallow deer, nice to finally have a normal deer
Least: Lynx, nothing wrong with it, i just like the rest more
Wetlands
Favorite: Capybara, its the capybara
Least: Nile lechwe, with so many cool animals in the pack this one fallls short
Conservation
Favorite: Siamang, wasnt amazing at launch, but with the update its super cool.
Least: Leopard, nothing really wrong with it i just enjoy the others more
Twilight
Favorite: Raccoon, nice to get what is to me the Essential NA zoo animal
Least: Red fox, not a really exciting animal but a usefull inclusion anyways
Grasslands
Favorite: Armadillo, easily among the best made animals
Least: Wildebeest, just the weakest pick imo
Tropical
Favorite: Gibbon, an animal i did a complete 180 on, was super annoyed with it at first because the anual primate spot went to another gibbon but it slowly became one of my favorite animals in game
Least: Gibbon and monitor where here before but both grew on me so much that i have to put the hog here now, i still really like it tho
Arid:
Favorite: Porcupine, duh
Least: Dama gazelle, doesnt do anything for me, sad to have this over other possible inclusions /Edit: actually its the rhino, i always for get it exists)
Oceania:
Favorite: Devil, A long awaited addition that came out amazing
Least: Penguin, its cute and all but i dont have much use for it
Eurasia:
Favorite: Swan, one of the most usefull animals they ever added imo.
Least: Sloth bear, looks absolutely stunning, just never had the need for a 4th indian bear, especially not when it doesnt have a monkey or antelope
Barnyard:
Favorite: Chicken, because its a bird and the only animal in the pack i dont have atleast a slight issue with, also will hopefully spawn alot of fowl mods
Least: Tie between the donkey, sheep and pig, for different reasons tho. The pig partially because i much prefered other breeds, and the others because while a petting zoo pack is bound to have, and should have alot of ungulates, 6 was just one to much. Especially since a rabbit and/or duck are so painfully missing here.
I mean on the one hand like that we have a domestic pig, sheep and donkey but on the other hand there were a couple way better picks and especially the sheep and donkey i could have done without. Idk its hard for me to put in words.
The goat, alpaca and cow i have no strong feelings either way. The goat, while a bizarre breed choice still looks genericly goat like enough to not be that big of an issue, the alpaca is nice for petting zoos and is still exotic (from my viewpoint) enough to be use aside from them. And the cow is just a cool animal, although form my personall intended usecases i would have much prefered a larger variant.
Arctic
Favorite: Reindeer, nice to have animal, but honestly none of the Arctic animals stands out to me
Least: Arctic wolf, can hardly call it a reskin since its basicly a just a color change. And with Arctic having no exhibit animal and being the first DLC this feels especially lazy
SA
Favorite: Capuchin: nice to finally have a new world monkey in game
Least: Was the jaguar before but now with some more domestics and especially the alpaca, which can basicly do everything the llama can while looking a hundred times better, i dont really see myself using the llama anymore
Australia
Favorite: Red kangaroo, super nice animal that was definetly missing in the game
Least: Dingo, from all the animals australia has to offer this is by far the lamest to me. I get that they needed a clone tho, and now that we have most of the iconic australian animals im not really bother by it anymore.
Aquatic
Favorite: Tie between penguin and seal. Just super well made and essential animals
Least: Dwarf caiman, kinda pains me to put it here but it just cant compete withe the others.
SEA
Favorite: Proboscis monkey, while its super niche and absent in captivity outside its range, i cant deny that its a fun and well done inclusion.
Least: Was the tapir before, but now with it being redone im actually not quite sure what to put here, either the clouded leopard or dhole, not because any of them are bad additions but just because i like the rest more.
Africa
Favorite: African penguin, among my favorite animals ingame
Least: White rhino, nothing wrong with it, i just like the others more .
NA
Favorite: Beaver, unique and fun inclusion
Least: Cougar, i just dont have much use for it
EU
Favorite: Fallow deer, nice to finally have a normal deer
Least: Lynx, nothing wrong with it, i just like the rest more
Wetlands
Favorite: Capybara, its the capybara
Least: Nile lechwe, with so many cool animals in the pack this one fallls short
Conservation
Favorite: Siamang, wasnt amazing at launch, but with the update its super cool.
Least: Leopard, nothing really wrong with it i just enjoy the others more
Twilight
Favorite: Raccoon, nice to get what is to me the Essential NA zoo animal
Least: Red fox, not a really exciting animal but a usefull inclusion anyways
Grasslands
Favorite: Armadillo, easily among the best made animals
Least: Wildebeest, just the weakest pick imo
Tropical
Favorite: Gibbon, an animal i did a complete 180 on, was super annoyed with it at first because the anual primate spot went to another gibbon but it slowly became one of my favorite animals in game
Least: Gibbon and monitor where here before but both grew on me so much that i have to put the hog here now, i still really like it tho
Arid:
Favorite: Porcupine, duh
Least: Dama gazelle, doesnt do anything for me, sad to have this over other possible inclusions /Edit: actually its the rhino, i always for get it exists)
Oceania:
Favorite: Devil, A long awaited addition that came out amazing
Least: Penguin, its cute and all but i dont have much use for it
Eurasia:
Favorite: Swan, one of the most usefull animals they ever added imo.
Least: Sloth bear, looks absolutely stunning, just never had the need for a 4th indian bear, especially not when it doesnt have a monkey or antelope
Barnyard:
Favorite: Chicken, because its a bird and the only animal in the pack i dont have atleast a slight issue with, also will hopefully spawn alot of fowl mods
Least: Tie between the donkey, sheep and pig, for different reasons tho. The pig partially because i much prefered other breeds, and the others because while a petting zoo pack is bound to have, and should have alot of ungulates, 6 was just one to much. Especially since a rabbit and/or duck are so painfully missing here.
I mean on the one hand like that we have a domestic pig, sheep and donkey but on the other hand there were a couple way better picks and especially the sheep and donkey i could have done without. Idk its hard for me to put in words.
The goat, alpaca and cow i have no strong feelings either way. The goat, while a bizarre breed choice still looks genericly goat like enough to not be that big of an issue, the alpaca is nice for petting zoos and is still exotic (from my viewpoint) enough to be use aside from them. And the cow is just a cool animal, although form my personall intended usecases i would have much prefered a larger variant.
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I'm surprised I never joined this previously...
Ok, I'd like to try:
Arctic
Ok, I'd like to try:
Arctic
- Favorite: Dall sheep - I've been sleeping on these. I can't believe I've never used them before
- Least Favorite: Polar bear - I like them, but I barely use them
- Favorite: Jaguar - my favorite cat
- Least Favorite: Llama - but even then, it's not that much behind the Jaguar
- Favorite: Southern cassowary - the coolest animal in the pack, hands down
- Least Favorite: Koala - I like them, but I use the rest more because I just like them more
- Favorite: Giant otter - my favorite in the pack. I love them in-game and real-life
- Least Favorite: Grey seal - again, it's not that I don't like them, I just barely use them compared to the rest
- Favorite: North Sulawesi babirusa - just a beautiful animal. I was excited about having these after seeing them at the Houston Zoo many years ago
- Least Favorite: Dhole - y'all sensing a pattern, huh? But really, they require too much space like most canines in-game. I still like them, though
- Favorite: Fennec fox - just an adorable little dude
- Least Favorite: Southern white rhinoceros - I really like them, but they require so much room and never really fit into my plans of world domination
- Favorite: AMERICAN ALLIGATOR - hands down the best reptile in-game. I love them and add them as often as I can
- Least Favorite: Arctic fox - just, if there was a bad animal, I'd feel like this is it. I would've gone with a red fox or gray fox (
), but now that we have the red fox, I'm kinda ok with the Arctic fox
- Favorite: European fallow deer - I love deer. Enough said
- Least Favorite: Alpine ibex - the ibex is alright. I would've chosen another animal because I don't use it. I much prefer the Dall sheep and the Hill Radnor sheep
- Favorite: Capybara - the capybara is just real flexible, and it's good for South American sections. Can go in so many mixed habitats and I'm a variety of ecosystems
- Least Favorite: Platypus - it's a beautiful animal, love how it looks in-game, but I barely use them
- Favorite: Scimitar horned oryx - a great animal, perfect for combining with camels and/or addaxes. One of my favorite ungulates
- Least Favorite: Amur leopard - I rarely use them, despite them being lovely animals
- Favorite: Raccoon - raccoons are a personality. Seeing them in real-life in the wild is also great fun. They're like monkeys mixed with cats
- Least Favorite: Common wombat - it's nice, but again I don't use them that much
- Favorite: Maned wolf - just an awesome animal period. I've seen them in real-life, although they were always sleeping
- Least Favorite: Emu - this was tough, and I only went with the emu because it's the one I use the least. However, o view everything after the maned wolf equal
- Favorite: Asian water monitor - the monitor is just real cool. Fight me, but I think it's the best animal in the pack
- Least Favorite: Lar gibbon - a cool animal, I love the vocalizations. But, again I don't use them that often
- Favorite: African crested porcupine - I'm honestly surprised at how often I use these little guys. They are just fun to have
- Least Favorite: Dama gazelle - it's not bad at all, just again(
) I rarely use it
- Favorite: Little blue penguin - my personal favorite in the pack. Penguins are always fun, and these little dudes never fail to disappoint
- Least Favorite: Quokka - the happiest animal ever. I wish I used them more often, but I just don't. But I plan to change that
- Favorite: Sloth bear - hate me if you want, but the sloth near is my favorite on this pack. The fur, the face, it's all just so great. If it were food, Gordon Ramsay would love it
- Least Favorite: Saiga - just, again, never used it. The animal is nice, unique animations, but I genuinely have no use for it
- Favorite: Sussex chicken - I love chickens. And chicken is a funny word. So, yeah...
- Least Favorite: Tamworth pig - I wish we got another type of pig. It's not ugly, but I won't really use it that often
Oceania:
Favorite: Little blue penguin
Least favorite: Spectacled flying fox (Don't think many people were asking for a second bat, and certainly not this one )
Replacement: Rainbow lorikeet WTE--if disallowed, eyelash crested gecko
Eurasia:
Favorite: Mute swan
Least favorite: Saiga
Replacement: Himalayan monal
Barnyard:
Favorite: Sussex chicken
Least favorite: Alpine goat
Replacement: African pygmy goat (entirely a breed pick)
Sometimes I am just too excited for new animals that I am not really thinking critical of the choices, so this is a nice excercise. I am limiting myself to habitat animals, since mostly the exhibit animals cannot really compete with them.
Arctic:
Favorite: Polar Bear - Even with the atrocious space requirments, this is just a classic animal, it also gets points for being given diving behaviour later.
Least Favorite: Arctic Wolf - As much as I like them, I do not like the way it was implemented, being technically already in game as the Timber wolf.
South America:
Favorite: Giant Anteater - I just love everything about the anteater, it is very unique animal and being relatively big, I would not class it as a filler animal. But I admit it could use some retouch, mainly on the long tail hair.
Least Favorite: Llama - Okay, I was debating between the Llama and Jaguar (only because I feel like the Jaguar model is not the best, it is my favourite big cat...), but now that we got Alpacas, I think Guanaco or Vikuňa would be better choice and we could have one wild and one domesticated South American camelids.
Australia:
Favorite: Red Kangaroo - Iconic species, even if I use wallabies more, a classical big Kangaroo is a must have and I remember being so excited when I first seen them hopping around.
Least Favorite: Koala - It was my favourite when the pack launched, but as time passed I think the model has not aged well. I love the animal itself, but it is one of few animals where I just have to use a remaster mod to enjoy. Looking at it from the vanilla point of view, I had to choose the Koala.
Aquatic:
Favorite: King Penguin - Fist ever penguin, oh how happy I was. I do not use it as much now,, but the model, the sounds and animations...It all works great together.
Least Favorite: Dwarf Caiman - I have nothing against it really, having a small crocodillian is great, but it just cannot rival the rest of them.
Southeast Asia:
Favorite: Sun Bear - I think alot of love was put into the Sun Bear animations wise and Frontier made it really stand out from the other bears. That plus its dog size and a new niche of a tropical bear further distinguished it.
Least Favorite: Proboscis Monkey - A very unique and interesting monkey, sadly its captive presence limited to its native range makes it hard to use for me. I would not mind it that much if we had alot of different monkeys, sadly it being our only option for the region does not help.
Africa:
Favorite: Fennec Fox - I...just love foxes, okay? Other than that, it is a great animal for all kinds of indoor houses - nocturnal, desert, small mammal house. Even if people were kind of tired of canids, this was a good pick in my opinion and the fox has its uses.
Least Favorite: White Rhinocers - This was incredibly hard to pick,as I think the Africa pack roster is just amazing and all the animals are very useful. Objectively, an African Rhinoceros was a must, but subjectively I still have not used it in my zoos, so that is what I picked.
North America:
Favorite: California Sea Lion - sea lions are among my favourite animals, and after being dissaponited that they were not includedin the Aquatic pack, it was a releaf to see them here. Having both a true seal and a sea lion is just great, they are both iconic animals in the end.
Least Favorite: Cougar - I admit, I had it on my wishlist, but once they arrived I suddenly found out that I really had not much use for them so far in my builds. I was a victim of good old nostalgia from ZT2 that made me want them in game.
Europe:
Favorite: European Badger - not the most common animal in big zoos, even in Europe, but it is one of the more interesting European animals visually and we did not have a badger species yet in game.
Least Favorite: Alpine Ibex - not a bad pick at all, I just prefer other caprids more.
Wetlands:
Favorite: Capybara - I mean, it is a capybara, a fan favourite and a meme animal that was picked right for a change. It provides a wide range of south america interspecies enrichment and it is a filler animal that is also not boring.
Least Favorite: Wild Water Buffalo - You know, I am not even sure why I picked it, the model is beautiful, but it just kind of...exists for me.
Conservation:
Favorite: Siamang - I prefer Lar Gibbon, but it is still a great animal, moreso now that it was updated to brachiate on ropes and climbing pieces. Their chorus behaviour can be loud as hell, but when you hear those call from the opposite of your zoo, it is just charming.
Least Favorite: Amur Leopard - I was never that interested in getting a leopard, but I am glad they chose the Amur subspecies. I love its coat and its resting on logs. Not a bad pick either, but it is just the least interesting to me.
Twillight:
Favorite: Common Wombat - I think this is a great model with alot of great animations and a much needed Australian representation. This was the only case where I really was mostly excited by the exhibit species, but since I excluded them, wombat it is.
Least Favorite: Raccoon - I have nothing against Racoons, but I greatly prefer Coatis. It is still greatly animated and Frontier gave it alot of personality, but I had to pick one.
Grasslands:
Favorite: Maned Wolf - Me and canids, oh boy. I just love those dogs on stilts. More interestingly, it can be housed with Giant Anteaters which make it very interesting for me personally. Such an odd mix, but it works great to showcase the South American Grasslands.
Least Favorite: Blue Wildebeest - I think the model is stunning and it is THE wildebeest from nature documentaries, but the other animals are just more interesting to me.
Tropical:
Favorite: Red River Hog - I was advocating for them alot. They can be combined with HUGE number of african species in real life and in game but they also work as a great standalone filler species, that is interesting and fun to look at due to their colourful coats.
Least Favorite: Asian Water Monitor - The model itself is amazing, but I think there were other monitors more interesting to pick from. This one is really similar to the Nile monitor. Or, at least would be if the Nile monitor model was not so outdated.
Arid:
Favorite: African Crested Porcupine - I guess this is not a surprise. This is just an amazing African filler species with many great uses and another classical zoo animal (from my European viewpoint of course).
Least Favorite: Black Rhinioceros - Hard to pick, at first it was the Dama Gazelle, but they grew so much on me, due to their amazing model. I like the Black rhino, but I was content with just the White Rhino.
Oceania:
Favorite: Kiwi - It is really nice to see NZ being represented in a zoo game and I liked this bird since I was a little. A little bit rare outside its native range but not unheard of.
Least Favorite: Quokka - Adorable little marsupials, but they were probably chosen for their meme popularity. I would prefer Tree Kangaroo, Echidna or even another Wallaby in its place.
Eurasia:
Favorite: Takin - I wish that in this case, it would be specified as Sichuan Takin, but other that that I really like this animal. Great for sections with Snow Leopards, Red Pandas and the likes. It is a pretty interesting looking caprid.
Least Favorite: Saiga - Another weird choice, they are incredibly hard to keep in captivity, which limits its use for me, like with some previous animals. For Asian ungulate, I would have prefer something more universal, like a Reeves Muntjac or even the Blackbuck.
Barnyard:
Favorite: Alpaca - Surprised how much I like them. Even if it is a domesticated animal, it still has this exotic feel to me and they are used in South American sections in zoos. The possibility to mix them with sheeps as a guardian against foxes and other predators is an interesting concept and one that I will use for sure.
Least Favorite: American Standard Donkey - I would prefer the miniature version to further distinguish them from theit wild cousins. I would pefer a duck, but I feel like a Mallard would not really fit into this domesticated theme of the pack. Peking duck would probably be chosen which is a little bland to be honest.
This is a huge wall of texts. Kudos to anyone who read the whole thread! Took me a while.
Arctic:
Favorite: Polar Bear - Even with the atrocious space requirments, this is just a classic animal, it also gets points for being given diving behaviour later.
Least Favorite: Arctic Wolf - As much as I like them, I do not like the way it was implemented, being technically already in game as the Timber wolf.
South America:
Favorite: Giant Anteater - I just love everything about the anteater, it is very unique animal and being relatively big, I would not class it as a filler animal. But I admit it could use some retouch, mainly on the long tail hair.
Least Favorite: Llama - Okay, I was debating between the Llama and Jaguar (only because I feel like the Jaguar model is not the best, it is my favourite big cat...), but now that we got Alpacas, I think Guanaco or Vikuňa would be better choice and we could have one wild and one domesticated South American camelids.
Australia:
Favorite: Red Kangaroo - Iconic species, even if I use wallabies more, a classical big Kangaroo is a must have and I remember being so excited when I first seen them hopping around.
Least Favorite: Koala - It was my favourite when the pack launched, but as time passed I think the model has not aged well. I love the animal itself, but it is one of few animals where I just have to use a remaster mod to enjoy. Looking at it from the vanilla point of view, I had to choose the Koala.
Aquatic:
Favorite: King Penguin - Fist ever penguin, oh how happy I was. I do not use it as much now,, but the model, the sounds and animations...It all works great together.
Least Favorite: Dwarf Caiman - I have nothing against it really, having a small crocodillian is great, but it just cannot rival the rest of them.
Southeast Asia:
Favorite: Sun Bear - I think alot of love was put into the Sun Bear animations wise and Frontier made it really stand out from the other bears. That plus its dog size and a new niche of a tropical bear further distinguished it.
Least Favorite: Proboscis Monkey - A very unique and interesting monkey, sadly its captive presence limited to its native range makes it hard to use for me. I would not mind it that much if we had alot of different monkeys, sadly it being our only option for the region does not help.
Africa:
Favorite: Fennec Fox - I...just love foxes, okay? Other than that, it is a great animal for all kinds of indoor houses - nocturnal, desert, small mammal house. Even if people were kind of tired of canids, this was a good pick in my opinion and the fox has its uses.
Least Favorite: White Rhinocers - This was incredibly hard to pick,as I think the Africa pack roster is just amazing and all the animals are very useful. Objectively, an African Rhinoceros was a must, but subjectively I still have not used it in my zoos, so that is what I picked.
North America:
Favorite: California Sea Lion - sea lions are among my favourite animals, and after being dissaponited that they were not includedin the Aquatic pack, it was a releaf to see them here. Having both a true seal and a sea lion is just great, they are both iconic animals in the end.
Least Favorite: Cougar - I admit, I had it on my wishlist, but once they arrived I suddenly found out that I really had not much use for them so far in my builds. I was a victim of good old nostalgia from ZT2 that made me want them in game.
Europe:
Favorite: European Badger - not the most common animal in big zoos, even in Europe, but it is one of the more interesting European animals visually and we did not have a badger species yet in game.
Least Favorite: Alpine Ibex - not a bad pick at all, I just prefer other caprids more.
Wetlands:
Favorite: Capybara - I mean, it is a capybara, a fan favourite and a meme animal that was picked right for a change. It provides a wide range of south america interspecies enrichment and it is a filler animal that is also not boring.
Least Favorite: Wild Water Buffalo - You know, I am not even sure why I picked it, the model is beautiful, but it just kind of...exists for me.
Conservation:
Favorite: Siamang - I prefer Lar Gibbon, but it is still a great animal, moreso now that it was updated to brachiate on ropes and climbing pieces. Their chorus behaviour can be loud as hell, but when you hear those call from the opposite of your zoo, it is just charming.
Least Favorite: Amur Leopard - I was never that interested in getting a leopard, but I am glad they chose the Amur subspecies. I love its coat and its resting on logs. Not a bad pick either, but it is just the least interesting to me.
Twillight:
Favorite: Common Wombat - I think this is a great model with alot of great animations and a much needed Australian representation. This was the only case where I really was mostly excited by the exhibit species, but since I excluded them, wombat it is.
Least Favorite: Raccoon - I have nothing against Racoons, but I greatly prefer Coatis. It is still greatly animated and Frontier gave it alot of personality, but I had to pick one.
Grasslands:
Favorite: Maned Wolf - Me and canids, oh boy. I just love those dogs on stilts. More interestingly, it can be housed with Giant Anteaters which make it very interesting for me personally. Such an odd mix, but it works great to showcase the South American Grasslands.
Least Favorite: Blue Wildebeest - I think the model is stunning and it is THE wildebeest from nature documentaries, but the other animals are just more interesting to me.
Tropical:
Favorite: Red River Hog - I was advocating for them alot. They can be combined with HUGE number of african species in real life and in game but they also work as a great standalone filler species, that is interesting and fun to look at due to their colourful coats.
Least Favorite: Asian Water Monitor - The model itself is amazing, but I think there were other monitors more interesting to pick from. This one is really similar to the Nile monitor. Or, at least would be if the Nile monitor model was not so outdated.
Arid:
Favorite: African Crested Porcupine - I guess this is not a surprise. This is just an amazing African filler species with many great uses and another classical zoo animal (from my European viewpoint of course).
Least Favorite: Black Rhinioceros - Hard to pick, at first it was the Dama Gazelle, but they grew so much on me, due to their amazing model. I like the Black rhino, but I was content with just the White Rhino.
Oceania:
Favorite: Kiwi - It is really nice to see NZ being represented in a zoo game and I liked this bird since I was a little. A little bit rare outside its native range but not unheard of.
Least Favorite: Quokka - Adorable little marsupials, but they were probably chosen for their meme popularity. I would prefer Tree Kangaroo, Echidna or even another Wallaby in its place.
Eurasia:
Favorite: Takin - I wish that in this case, it would be specified as Sichuan Takin, but other that that I really like this animal. Great for sections with Snow Leopards, Red Pandas and the likes. It is a pretty interesting looking caprid.
Least Favorite: Saiga - Another weird choice, they are incredibly hard to keep in captivity, which limits its use for me, like with some previous animals. For Asian ungulate, I would have prefer something more universal, like a Reeves Muntjac or even the Blackbuck.
Barnyard:
Favorite: Alpaca - Surprised how much I like them. Even if it is a domesticated animal, it still has this exotic feel to me and they are used in South American sections in zoos. The possibility to mix them with sheeps as a guardian against foxes and other predators is an interesting concept and one that I will use for sure.
Least Favorite: American Standard Donkey - I would prefer the miniature version to further distinguish them from theit wild cousins. I would pefer a duck, but I feel like a Mallard would not really fit into this domesticated theme of the pack. Peking duck would probably be chosen which is a little bland to be honest.
This is a huge wall of texts. Kudos to anyone who read the whole thread! Took me a while.
Well time to do mine shall i?
Arctic:
Best: Easily the reindeer for me, very generally usefull animal that is not only among the most iconic and versatile tundra animals and the new encounters just boosted them even further
Worst: The polar bear is just very unwieldly and hard to build for, while also being "just" another bear, but too iconic to exclude. The dall sheep would be next on the cutting block but id argue it has the best model of the pack and with our lack of caprines i wouldnt want it gone. The arctic wolf actually is my second favorite, but thats mostly because its model is leagues better then whatever the basegame timberwolf is
South America:
Best: Giant anteater is easily the animal of the pack that holds up the best. Its still unique, cool and something truly special that cant be replaced by a leopard or alpaca
Worst: truth be told, does anyone actually like the capuchin? I know its our only new world monkey but man its such a boring choice. I get that this was to early for truly interesting monkeys like tamarins or spiders and that the white faced saki isnt what most people think of when thinking about a monkey, but why wasnt this a howler or squirrel monkey? Or even the much more visually interesting tufted capuchin? If the capuchin was a spice it would be flour and most likly the most boring one they could have choosen
Australia:
Best: How couldnt it be the kangaroo? You know why its the kangaroo, its a kangaroo
Worst: Dingo is important for the region but even then not even properly implemented with things like the lacking colorvariations
Aquatic:
Best: Id say its the seal for me. The only one that hasnt been "replaced" and still as cute as a button
Worst: Tough one as all are great but i have to say king penguin. I wouldnt want to miss it but if we are real this might be the most gimmicky animal in the game theming wise as its the only animal thats truly on its own with nothing else to connect to. The caiman also fill the important role of small crocodillian, something many people might dissmiss but isnt any less important then when it came out.
South East Asia:
Best: I love the dhole for its flexibility. I got many nit picks, for example that i would have prefered a fluffier version, especally as its an Ussuri dhole from russia, which makes it completly stupid as the chosen subspecies, but i cant be to annoyed as thats just semantics and the animal we got still looks good, distinct and fills a unique role in its very large range as the only social carnivore.
Worst: If we had more primates id be actually pretty cool with the proboscis monkey, but as we do not id prefer literally any other more generic SEA monkey, be it a crested macaque, a pig tailed monkey, a red shanked douc, a javan langur, literally any other monkey would have been better
Africa:
Best: African Penguins are just such a good species, fun and versatile to use and adds something completly different to africa and completly replaced the king penguin for me
Worst; The White Rhino didnt do anything wrong on its own, i just think the rest is better
North America:
Best; Prariedogs are just so usefull, such a good small filler animal that fits small and big zoos alike.
Worst: Actually rough one, mostly because im pretty indifferent to all the animals besides the prariedog but i think i go with the cougar. The cougar is a solid addition but the only reason im even debating that it couldnt be the worst is its presence in south america while all the other animals work as standalone animals for me.
Europe:
Best: Fallow Deer, my most wanted animal at the time and i still remember how amazed i was that it wasnt the red deer. Very colorfull animal and the new encounter just makes it even more usefull
Worst: Another hard one but i gotta give it to the badger. The badger is a cool choice but of all 4 the only one i could do without
Wetlands:
Red Crowned Crane: Maybe the most important addition of the entire year of 2022 its still one of only 4 non ratite non penguin birds and its propaply my favorite of the bunch. Just nice to be able to have another featherd friend in my zoos and a shame that we havent seen another crane since
Worst: Theres one animal i allways forget when thinking about this pack and its the platypus. I know how iconic and unique it is, but the black swan is also from australia and im sure i wouldnt forget that one. Platypus passes uniquness but not much else, but im glad its here for the people that like it. Not bad just nothing id use personally
Conservation:
Best: Hard races between the horse and the siamang but in the end the horse wins out. One of the best models in the game, a desperatly needed asian ungulate and finally something for northern asia that isnt either european or north american
Worst: Spotted cat nr 2
Twillight:
Best: Racoon, it was my most wanted animal at the time and it was announced a few days before my birthday. All hail the trash panda rebellion
Worst: Genuinly hard, all the animals in this pack are pretty great dispite its meme status as the roadkill pack, but i gotta give it to the skunk for being the least nessecary. Mr worldwide just coverd yk 2/3 of the globe and the wombat is from australia so a NA locked animal kinda looses by default
Grasslands:
Best: The emu is just delightfull. For what could easily have been just an ostrich clone there was so much attention to detail like their unique and very goofy run animation
Worst: Of all antelopes, black buck, dik dik, common ealand, kudu, why did we get another wilderbeast that really should have been in the base game? Sure we got a not sucky wilderbeast now, but if the situation was reversed and we got the black one now no one would be happy
Tropical:
Best: tough call but i think id give it to the lar gibbon. Perfect second gibbon to the siamang and their size difference and color variations really make them stand out in quite the standout pack
Worst: While going for the exhibit animal is the low hanging fruit, WOW does this one suck. So whats not wrong with it....nothing! The species chosen is wrong, the exhibit way to large and unflexible, the climbing frame ugly and uneditable and a premade climbing frame ruins all the fun a sloth could have brought. Id go so far and say that this is the worst animal in the game.
Arid:
Best: Hmm which one do i choose? The unique animal thats awesome or the camel that is such a high quality and a perfect addition? Both are deserving but id be lying if the porcupine wasnt the saving grace of this pack
Worst: Hmm which one do i choose? African antelope 1 and 2, the feline fenec or the redundant donkey and rhino? Personally the rhino is the worst offender here but all 5 are valid choices for being equally fine choices clogging up this pack to make it a mediocre mess
Oceania:
Tassmanian Devil: Hes just cool, no strong feelings for any of them though
Kiwi: A moment of silence for the way more usefull nene that could have been. Oh well the kiwi isnt bad its just another meh choice only usefull for building in literally one country and i would have taken any other bird in its place, but cant be mad about it when its that imporant to its country. Just overall not a pack for me
Eurasia:
Best: Might be blasphemie to not put the swan here but i cant stretch enough how much the wisent conquerd my heart. From an animal i was annoyed by and perfectly fine to substitute with american bison to my favorite model in game they are just gorgeous and were the animal i didnt want but would never give away ever again
Worst: Hello Mr Slothbear, i had lengthy talks about why you suck, i wont have another one, but man you really should have just been a monkey
Barnyard
Best: If we go by being the only animal i dont have nit pick about we got the alpaca, but thats hella mid so i take the chicken. I love the addition of a domestic bird and am very happy with the chicken and its breed is also good enough, but man the color variation. Why are they only in black and white? There are so many colorvariations of these chickens, why limited us like that?
Worst; If the pig was kunekune or pot belly id be the best but no its the worst. Goat looks generic enough and its german ingame name of "Hausziege" or house goat, which is one step away from domestic goat kinda softens the blow that its not the dwarf goat. Im in general pro distinct breeds but in this case where the breed was chosen that poorly yet still looks so generic im fine with it, even if its a bummer that they didnt just choose the right one.
Arctic:
Best: Easily the reindeer for me, very generally usefull animal that is not only among the most iconic and versatile tundra animals and the new encounters just boosted them even further
Worst: The polar bear is just very unwieldly and hard to build for, while also being "just" another bear, but too iconic to exclude. The dall sheep would be next on the cutting block but id argue it has the best model of the pack and with our lack of caprines i wouldnt want it gone. The arctic wolf actually is my second favorite, but thats mostly because its model is leagues better then whatever the basegame timberwolf is
South America:
Best: Giant anteater is easily the animal of the pack that holds up the best. Its still unique, cool and something truly special that cant be replaced by a leopard or alpaca
Worst: truth be told, does anyone actually like the capuchin? I know its our only new world monkey but man its such a boring choice. I get that this was to early for truly interesting monkeys like tamarins or spiders and that the white faced saki isnt what most people think of when thinking about a monkey, but why wasnt this a howler or squirrel monkey? Or even the much more visually interesting tufted capuchin? If the capuchin was a spice it would be flour and most likly the most boring one they could have choosen
Australia:
Best: How couldnt it be the kangaroo? You know why its the kangaroo, its a kangaroo
Worst: Dingo is important for the region but even then not even properly implemented with things like the lacking colorvariations
Aquatic:
Best: Id say its the seal for me. The only one that hasnt been "replaced" and still as cute as a button
Worst: Tough one as all are great but i have to say king penguin. I wouldnt want to miss it but if we are real this might be the most gimmicky animal in the game theming wise as its the only animal thats truly on its own with nothing else to connect to. The caiman also fill the important role of small crocodillian, something many people might dissmiss but isnt any less important then when it came out.
South East Asia:
Best: I love the dhole for its flexibility. I got many nit picks, for example that i would have prefered a fluffier version, especally as its an Ussuri dhole from russia, which makes it completly stupid as the chosen subspecies, but i cant be to annoyed as thats just semantics and the animal we got still looks good, distinct and fills a unique role in its very large range as the only social carnivore.
Worst: If we had more primates id be actually pretty cool with the proboscis monkey, but as we do not id prefer literally any other more generic SEA monkey, be it a crested macaque, a pig tailed monkey, a red shanked douc, a javan langur, literally any other monkey would have been better
Africa:
Best: African Penguins are just such a good species, fun and versatile to use and adds something completly different to africa and completly replaced the king penguin for me
Worst; The White Rhino didnt do anything wrong on its own, i just think the rest is better
North America:
Best; Prariedogs are just so usefull, such a good small filler animal that fits small and big zoos alike.
Worst: Actually rough one, mostly because im pretty indifferent to all the animals besides the prariedog but i think i go with the cougar. The cougar is a solid addition but the only reason im even debating that it couldnt be the worst is its presence in south america while all the other animals work as standalone animals for me.
Europe:
Best: Fallow Deer, my most wanted animal at the time and i still remember how amazed i was that it wasnt the red deer. Very colorfull animal and the new encounter just makes it even more usefull
Worst: Another hard one but i gotta give it to the badger. The badger is a cool choice but of all 4 the only one i could do without
Wetlands:
Red Crowned Crane: Maybe the most important addition of the entire year of 2022 its still one of only 4 non ratite non penguin birds and its propaply my favorite of the bunch. Just nice to be able to have another featherd friend in my zoos and a shame that we havent seen another crane since
Worst: Theres one animal i allways forget when thinking about this pack and its the platypus. I know how iconic and unique it is, but the black swan is also from australia and im sure i wouldnt forget that one. Platypus passes uniquness but not much else, but im glad its here for the people that like it. Not bad just nothing id use personally
Conservation:
Best: Hard races between the horse and the siamang but in the end the horse wins out. One of the best models in the game, a desperatly needed asian ungulate and finally something for northern asia that isnt either european or north american
Worst: Spotted cat nr 2
Twillight:
Best: Racoon, it was my most wanted animal at the time and it was announced a few days before my birthday. All hail the trash panda rebellion
Worst: Genuinly hard, all the animals in this pack are pretty great dispite its meme status as the roadkill pack, but i gotta give it to the skunk for being the least nessecary. Mr worldwide just coverd yk 2/3 of the globe and the wombat is from australia so a NA locked animal kinda looses by default
Grasslands:
Best: The emu is just delightfull. For what could easily have been just an ostrich clone there was so much attention to detail like their unique and very goofy run animation
Worst: Of all antelopes, black buck, dik dik, common ealand, kudu, why did we get another wilderbeast that really should have been in the base game? Sure we got a not sucky wilderbeast now, but if the situation was reversed and we got the black one now no one would be happy
Tropical:
Best: tough call but i think id give it to the lar gibbon. Perfect second gibbon to the siamang and their size difference and color variations really make them stand out in quite the standout pack
Worst: While going for the exhibit animal is the low hanging fruit, WOW does this one suck. So whats not wrong with it....nothing! The species chosen is wrong, the exhibit way to large and unflexible, the climbing frame ugly and uneditable and a premade climbing frame ruins all the fun a sloth could have brought. Id go so far and say that this is the worst animal in the game.
Arid:
Best: Hmm which one do i choose? The unique animal thats awesome or the camel that is such a high quality and a perfect addition? Both are deserving but id be lying if the porcupine wasnt the saving grace of this pack
Worst: Hmm which one do i choose? African antelope 1 and 2, the feline fenec or the redundant donkey and rhino? Personally the rhino is the worst offender here but all 5 are valid choices for being equally fine choices clogging up this pack to make it a mediocre mess
Oceania:
Tassmanian Devil: Hes just cool, no strong feelings for any of them though
Kiwi: A moment of silence for the way more usefull nene that could have been. Oh well the kiwi isnt bad its just another meh choice only usefull for building in literally one country and i would have taken any other bird in its place, but cant be mad about it when its that imporant to its country. Just overall not a pack for me
Eurasia:
Best: Might be blasphemie to not put the swan here but i cant stretch enough how much the wisent conquerd my heart. From an animal i was annoyed by and perfectly fine to substitute with american bison to my favorite model in game they are just gorgeous and were the animal i didnt want but would never give away ever again
Worst: Hello Mr Slothbear, i had lengthy talks about why you suck, i wont have another one, but man you really should have just been a monkey
Barnyard
Best: If we go by being the only animal i dont have nit pick about we got the alpaca, but thats hella mid so i take the chicken. I love the addition of a domestic bird and am very happy with the chicken and its breed is also good enough, but man the color variation. Why are they only in black and white? There are so many colorvariations of these chickens, why limited us like that?
Worst; If the pig was kunekune or pot belly id be the best but no its the worst. Goat looks generic enough and its german ingame name of "Hausziege" or house goat, which is one step away from domestic goat kinda softens the blow that its not the dwarf goat. Im in general pro distinct breeds but in this case where the breed was chosen that poorly yet still looks so generic im fine with it, even if its a bummer that they didnt just choose the right one.
Barnyard:
- Favorite: Highland Cattle
- Least Favorite: Tamworth Pig (Nothing really stood out as something special)
May as well add the new ones:
Oceania: Kiwi, quokka.
Eurasia: Swan, wisent.
Barnyard: Chicken, donkey.*
*It wouldn't be my least favourite if it was actually a donkey. As it stands it's a horse wearing a dokey costume. An incomplete donkey costume. Unusable, IMO.
My opinions as of 2024 (habitat animals only):
Arctic
Favourite: Polar Bear - arguably held back from the base game for this very pack to exist, far ahead of the other three species with reindeer a distant second.
Least Favourite: Arctic Wolf - Least favourite DLC species in general. I’m a fan of having multiple subspecies of more iconic animals like tigers and brown bears where both are more common in captivity, but having a generic grey wolf and then a specific subspecies when we really should’ve had the Arctic Fox instead doesn’t sit great with me.
South America
Favourite: Jaguar - Closely followed by the Capuchin and the Giant Anteater but like the Polar Bear this felt like an iconic species that was intentionally held back to be a DLC spotlight.
Least Favourite: Llama - it’s aged better now it has colour variation and we have more domestics and South American animals, but at the time it felt very disappointing given how few SA species we had and the fact we had no other domestics to go with it either. The other three are still miles ahead though.
Australia
Favourite: Southern Cassowary - gorgeous model and fits great with both an Australian and Southeast Asian theme. It’s also another bird!
Least Favourite: Dingo - from a region of iconic marsupials, a third ‘wolf’ didn’t feel great. It’s aged better now we have received more marsupials, monotremes and birds from the region.
Aquatic
Favourite: Giant Otter - honestly all of the animals from this pack have aged fairly poorly for me. All four have a counterpart I prefer more (ASCO, African Penguin, California Sea Lion, Spectacled Caiman) but it’s nice to have diversity and occasionally I’ll use one of these guys instead. Giant otters win out as they’re a species I’ve seen irl and add to South America.
Least Favourite: King Penguin? - I don’t actively dislike any species in this pack but it’s a toss up between the penguin and the seal. Generally if I ever build for penguins it’s for a small species whereas I’ll sometimes swap out sea lions for the native grey seal as a European so King Penguin gets the least use.
Southeast Asia
Favourite: North Sulawesi Babirusa? - Honestly this could be any of the Babirusa, clouded leopard, sun bear, binturong or tapir. I like them all a lot! Babirusa wins simply on how lovely the model is and how nice a surprise its inclusion was.
Least Favourite: Proboscis Monkey - I love primates but was and still am underwhelmed by this choice. Would’ve preferred a gibbon at the time and now we have two gibbons, I which it was a langur or a Celebes Macaque.
Africa
Favourite: Southern White Rhino - the third and final DLC species for me that feels like it was intentionally left off the base roster to be a DLC headliner. An essential species who’s additional was finally a huge relief.
Least Favourite: Fennec Fox - still love it though, but African Penguins and Meerkats are essential zoo animals.
North America
Favourite: California Sea Lion - so iconic and creates new build opportunities. Moose is a close second as such a unique and formidable animal.
Least Favourite: Arctic Fox - I still like it, but it feels like it sticks out in this pack and really should’ve been in the Arctic Pack. It’s fairly forgettable.
Europe
Favourite: European Fallow Deer - an unexpected favourite but an essential zoo animal and great for deer parks. Love it even more now it can be combined with the Red Deer.
Least Favourite: European Badger - Don’t overly use it as don’t generally consider it a zoo animal. Was more underwhelmed at the time of release but it has grown on me as we’ve received more European species in other packs.
Wetlands
Favourite: Capybara - At the point of its inclusion it was my most wanted animal. An essential species closely followed by the ASCO. These two arguably are the most essential zoo animals from the DLCs for realistic builders, alongside maybe the meerkat.
Least Favourite: Platypus - I can appreciate the uniqueness and deservedness of its inclusion, nonetheless I rarely use it or wish to build for it. It deserves its spot on the roster though definitely as an iconic Australian species.
Conservation
Favourite: Scimitar-Horned Oryx - a fan favourite of mine, was on my wishlist and wasn’t 100% convinced it would make the roster so was really chuffed when it made it. But all four species in this pack are some of my favourites in the game.
Least Favourite: Amur Leopard - draws the short straw as I really like it, but arguably just misses out to the siamang and the wild horse on the basis that they were our first proper horse and first gibbon and so brought really new things.
Twilight
Favourite: Raccoon - a great and charismatic common zoo species.
Least Favourite: Common Wombat - I rarely build for zoos outside Europe and these fall into the obscure Australian species bracket. Would’ve preferred the hairy-nosed wombat of any species and in general doesn’t really fit the theme with the other animals in the pack, feels out of place. Not to mention it’s such a non-descript species, it has no defining features on the surface, a brown herbivorous ball of four small legs and a head. The basic b**** of the DLC roster.
Grasslands
Favourite: Emu - another close one as I like a lot of animals in this pack. But to me the emu was the species that was the biggest relief to finally get as it was a long time coming, it’s also another bird. Close runners up include the wallaby and the maned wolf.
Least Favourite: Nine-Banded Armadillo - simply on the basis that I rarely will use it. Had it been a six-banded I probably would use it a lot but I like to build realistic, primarily European zoos, and these aren’t found here. I can appreciate it still though. I just think six would’ve been better as it’s found in zoos across continents.
Tropical
Favourite: Red River Hog - this is another close one with three front runners for favourite as all were high on my wishlist, the red river hog is gorgeous however!
Least Favourite: Asian Water Monitor - underwhelming on announcement. It’s nice to get it and it looks great, but when tropical was announced it was already underwhelming not to be getting a Tropical animal pack given how many species are missing from this biome, and then to not get any South American species either. I wouldn’t have minded this guy so much if Tropical had been a larger animal pack.
Arid
Favourite: African Crested Porcupine - I’m still a big fan of all the ungulates but this animal is another zoo essential and looks fantastic. I use it a lot in mixed desert exhibits.
Least Favourite: Sand Cat? - a difficult one for me as unlike most, I actually really enjoy the animals in this pack. I guess the sand cat is the one I’ll use the least and there’s other small cat species I wanted more than this guy like the serval, Pallas cat, European wildcat and ocelot.
Oceania
Favourite: Tasmanian Devil - clear favourite for me, although I’m not too fussed by any of the species in this pack. But Tasmanian Devil was a long time coming.
Least Favourite: Little Penguin - rarely if ever going to use this guy over the other penguins in game. But respect it for what it brings for Oceanian players.
Eurasia
Favourite: Mute Swan - I appreciate a lot of the animals in this pack but the mute swan was the most welcome surprise! Looks great, is very unique in the roster in what it brings and another European species.
Least Favourite: Saiga - This was an animal on the wish list I generally argued against given the rarity in captivity. I actually quite like it now we have it but still not going to argue that it’s a very niche pick and we only get one coat type which makes it even less realistic/versatile. I probably would’ve shoe-horned the blackbuck in instead if we had to have an ungulae given the sloth bear also from India made it in, would’ve maybe made that inclusion feel less oddball too.
Barnyard
Favourite: Hill Radnor Sheep? - arguably I like all seven species pretty equally in this pack as they all complement each other and I feel you need all of them for petting zoos. But this sheep is amazing looking.
Least Favourite: American Standard Donkey - Looks great and very pleased we got a donkey but would’ve maybe preferred a different breed and can see some arguments it should’ve been a pony of some sort.
Arctic
Favourite: Polar Bear - arguably held back from the base game for this very pack to exist, far ahead of the other three species with reindeer a distant second.
Least Favourite: Arctic Wolf - Least favourite DLC species in general. I’m a fan of having multiple subspecies of more iconic animals like tigers and brown bears where both are more common in captivity, but having a generic grey wolf and then a specific subspecies when we really should’ve had the Arctic Fox instead doesn’t sit great with me.
South America
Favourite: Jaguar - Closely followed by the Capuchin and the Giant Anteater but like the Polar Bear this felt like an iconic species that was intentionally held back to be a DLC spotlight.
Least Favourite: Llama - it’s aged better now it has colour variation and we have more domestics and South American animals, but at the time it felt very disappointing given how few SA species we had and the fact we had no other domestics to go with it either. The other three are still miles ahead though.
Australia
Favourite: Southern Cassowary - gorgeous model and fits great with both an Australian and Southeast Asian theme. It’s also another bird!
Least Favourite: Dingo - from a region of iconic marsupials, a third ‘wolf’ didn’t feel great. It’s aged better now we have received more marsupials, monotremes and birds from the region.
Aquatic
Favourite: Giant Otter - honestly all of the animals from this pack have aged fairly poorly for me. All four have a counterpart I prefer more (ASCO, African Penguin, California Sea Lion, Spectacled Caiman) but it’s nice to have diversity and occasionally I’ll use one of these guys instead. Giant otters win out as they’re a species I’ve seen irl and add to South America.
Least Favourite: King Penguin? - I don’t actively dislike any species in this pack but it’s a toss up between the penguin and the seal. Generally if I ever build for penguins it’s for a small species whereas I’ll sometimes swap out sea lions for the native grey seal as a European so King Penguin gets the least use.
Southeast Asia
Favourite: North Sulawesi Babirusa? - Honestly this could be any of the Babirusa, clouded leopard, sun bear, binturong or tapir. I like them all a lot! Babirusa wins simply on how lovely the model is and how nice a surprise its inclusion was.
Least Favourite: Proboscis Monkey - I love primates but was and still am underwhelmed by this choice. Would’ve preferred a gibbon at the time and now we have two gibbons, I which it was a langur or a Celebes Macaque.
Africa
Favourite: Southern White Rhino - the third and final DLC species for me that feels like it was intentionally left off the base roster to be a DLC headliner. An essential species who’s additional was finally a huge relief.
Least Favourite: Fennec Fox - still love it though, but African Penguins and Meerkats are essential zoo animals.
North America
Favourite: California Sea Lion - so iconic and creates new build opportunities. Moose is a close second as such a unique and formidable animal.
Least Favourite: Arctic Fox - I still like it, but it feels like it sticks out in this pack and really should’ve been in the Arctic Pack. It’s fairly forgettable.
Europe
Favourite: European Fallow Deer - an unexpected favourite but an essential zoo animal and great for deer parks. Love it even more now it can be combined with the Red Deer.
Least Favourite: European Badger - Don’t overly use it as don’t generally consider it a zoo animal. Was more underwhelmed at the time of release but it has grown on me as we’ve received more European species in other packs.
Wetlands
Favourite: Capybara - At the point of its inclusion it was my most wanted animal. An essential species closely followed by the ASCO. These two arguably are the most essential zoo animals from the DLCs for realistic builders, alongside maybe the meerkat.
Least Favourite: Platypus - I can appreciate the uniqueness and deservedness of its inclusion, nonetheless I rarely use it or wish to build for it. It deserves its spot on the roster though definitely as an iconic Australian species.
Conservation
Favourite: Scimitar-Horned Oryx - a fan favourite of mine, was on my wishlist and wasn’t 100% convinced it would make the roster so was really chuffed when it made it. But all four species in this pack are some of my favourites in the game.
Least Favourite: Amur Leopard - draws the short straw as I really like it, but arguably just misses out to the siamang and the wild horse on the basis that they were our first proper horse and first gibbon and so brought really new things.
Twilight
Favourite: Raccoon - a great and charismatic common zoo species.
Least Favourite: Common Wombat - I rarely build for zoos outside Europe and these fall into the obscure Australian species bracket. Would’ve preferred the hairy-nosed wombat of any species and in general doesn’t really fit the theme with the other animals in the pack, feels out of place. Not to mention it’s such a non-descript species, it has no defining features on the surface, a brown herbivorous ball of four small legs and a head. The basic b**** of the DLC roster.
Grasslands
Favourite: Emu - another close one as I like a lot of animals in this pack. But to me the emu was the species that was the biggest relief to finally get as it was a long time coming, it’s also another bird. Close runners up include the wallaby and the maned wolf.
Least Favourite: Nine-Banded Armadillo - simply on the basis that I rarely will use it. Had it been a six-banded I probably would use it a lot but I like to build realistic, primarily European zoos, and these aren’t found here. I can appreciate it still though. I just think six would’ve been better as it’s found in zoos across continents.
Tropical
Favourite: Red River Hog - this is another close one with three front runners for favourite as all were high on my wishlist, the red river hog is gorgeous however!
Least Favourite: Asian Water Monitor - underwhelming on announcement. It’s nice to get it and it looks great, but when tropical was announced it was already underwhelming not to be getting a Tropical animal pack given how many species are missing from this biome, and then to not get any South American species either. I wouldn’t have minded this guy so much if Tropical had been a larger animal pack.
Arid
Favourite: African Crested Porcupine - I’m still a big fan of all the ungulates but this animal is another zoo essential and looks fantastic. I use it a lot in mixed desert exhibits.
Least Favourite: Sand Cat? - a difficult one for me as unlike most, I actually really enjoy the animals in this pack. I guess the sand cat is the one I’ll use the least and there’s other small cat species I wanted more than this guy like the serval, Pallas cat, European wildcat and ocelot.
Oceania
Favourite: Tasmanian Devil - clear favourite for me, although I’m not too fussed by any of the species in this pack. But Tasmanian Devil was a long time coming.
Least Favourite: Little Penguin - rarely if ever going to use this guy over the other penguins in game. But respect it for what it brings for Oceanian players.
Eurasia
Favourite: Mute Swan - I appreciate a lot of the animals in this pack but the mute swan was the most welcome surprise! Looks great, is very unique in the roster in what it brings and another European species.
Least Favourite: Saiga - This was an animal on the wish list I generally argued against given the rarity in captivity. I actually quite like it now we have it but still not going to argue that it’s a very niche pick and we only get one coat type which makes it even less realistic/versatile. I probably would’ve shoe-horned the blackbuck in instead if we had to have an ungulae given the sloth bear also from India made it in, would’ve maybe made that inclusion feel less oddball too.
Barnyard
Favourite: Hill Radnor Sheep? - arguably I like all seven species pretty equally in this pack as they all complement each other and I feel you need all of them for petting zoos. But this sheep is amazing looking.
Least Favourite: American Standard Donkey - Looks great and very pleased we got a donkey but would’ve maybe preferred a different breed and can see some arguments it should’ve been a pony of some sort.
Arctic
Favorite: Dall sheep. Sort of an unexpected favorite, and counterintuitive to my general preference for common zoo species/species I've seen, but they're just so fun.
Least: Arctic wolf. Just a completely unnecessary subspecies of a species we already have. It's not distinctive, interesting, common, or popular enough to justify having two.
South America
Favorite: Colombian white-faced capuchin. It is utterly absurd that this is still our only new world monkey, over 4 years later. Like, outright laughable.
Least: Llama. It's fine, really, but it could've been so many other things instead.
Australia
Favorite: Cassowary. Just a great model and a fun animal. I was initially disappointed that it wasn't the emu, but now it's able to shine for what it is.
Least: Koala. I like koalas a lot, I just don't think this game does a remotely good representation of them.
Aquatic
Favorite: King penguin? Honestly, none of these picks are super exciting in hindsight. We have a better otter, the caiman was always good but not great, and I especially wish we'd have gotten the harbor seal instead. No real complaints about the penguin, at least.
Least: Gray seal. I don't hate it, but to repeat: I really wish this had been the harbor seal instead.
Southeast Asia
Favorite: Binturong. Just a favorite animal of mine in general, and after the redesign it's basically just perfect in-game too.
Least: Proboscis monkey. It's the only real option here. It's criminal that the last proper monkey we've gotten is one whose zoo distribution is so limited that it's unrealistic for 99% of zoos.
Africa
Favorite: Meerkat. Another genuinely wonderful inclusion, quintessential zoo animal.
Least: Southern white rhino. Incredibly tough decision, because every animal in this pack is more or less perfect. I went rhino simply because the babies probably should've been modeled after a somewhat older individual.
North America
Favorite: Black-tailed prairie dog. This is another pack with a ton of amazing animals, but I think I use and enjoy these guys slightly more than any of the others.
Least: Moose. Really the only weak link in the pack imo. I know it's a popular animal so I can't begrudge it too much, but man I would've preferred the white-tailed deer.
Europe
Favorite: Fallow deer. Super versatile, and similar to the capuchin they wind up filling in for the "mundane North American deer" niche better than either of our two actual NA deer.
Least: European badger. It's fine, just less so than the others. There aren't any kept in the US where I typically build, so it doesn't see much use.
Wetlands
Favorite: Capybara. The otter is super close tbh, and both of them are just obviously essential and super fun inclusions.
Least: Wild water buffalo. Whyyyyy did they not use the domestic species? That would've probably would've been enough to bump it over the caiman and platypus.
Conservation
Favorite: Amur leopard. Just a beautiful animal. I've realized recently that it's my favorite of the big cats irl.
Least: Scimitar-horned oryx. Absolutely nothing against this excellent inclusion, it's just maybe slightly less excellent than the other three.
Twilight
Favorite: Red fox. Just a wonderful animal, insanely charismatic, and boy did they ever do it justice with all the color morphs.
Least: Common wombat. Would've preferred the much more common southern hairy nosed species, and in general it just feels a bit out of place in this pack. That's not to say that it is out of place, but it sure does stick out like a sore thumb when lined up with the raccoon, fox, and skunk.
Grasslands
Favorite: Red-necked wallaby. The most essential Australian species, at last! They're really just great little guys.
Least: Striped hyena. This is my favorite pack overall, so I don't really dislike any of the animals, but if I had to pick this one's a no-brainer. I still would've preferred a different armadillo species too, but at least that model is impeccable.
Tropical
Favorite: Red river hog. Just lovely little guys. I'd been rooting for them for so long.
Least: Asian water monitor. I'm not including habitat species, or else this would've been the sloth. Still, despite an amazing model, I really don't think we needed a third monitor and a 200th Southeast Asian species when we could've gotten a nice tropical tortoise or a South American species instead.
Arid
Favorite: Crested porcupine. I mean, obviously. Fantastic inclusion and fantastic model.
Least: Somali wild ass. Perhaps a contentious pick, but this one really doesn't do much for me. This is another pack where I think every single animal is a genuinely great inclusion, though, so this isn't exactly a condemnation.
Oceania
Favorite: North Island brown kiwi. Bird, I guess. Great model. This pack is just totally not for me in general, though.
Least: Quokka. I adore quokkas like any reasonable person, but man what an underwhelming pick here. Especially considering that the short-beaked echidna and Matschie's tree kangaroo continue to exist in my top 10 and top 2 respectively.
Eurasia
Favorite: Mute swan. In any other pack, the sloth bear or takin might have swept, but this one's just not fair. The swan brings too much to the table to not get the nod.
Least: Saiga. Meme animal. No questions.
Barnyard
Favorite: Sheep. Just a stunning model. Possibly the best in the game. It's funny, because a sheep was the member of this pack's roster I was least eager for prior to the model reveal.
Least: Goat and pig. Just an utterly bizarre breed choice for both of them. I can't even decide on one to throw under the bus over the other because they're both just so bad.
Favorite: Dall sheep. Sort of an unexpected favorite, and counterintuitive to my general preference for common zoo species/species I've seen, but they're just so fun.
Least: Arctic wolf. Just a completely unnecessary subspecies of a species we already have. It's not distinctive, interesting, common, or popular enough to justify having two.
South America
Favorite: Colombian white-faced capuchin. It is utterly absurd that this is still our only new world monkey, over 4 years later. Like, outright laughable.
Least: Llama. It's fine, really, but it could've been so many other things instead.
Australia
Favorite: Cassowary. Just a great model and a fun animal. I was initially disappointed that it wasn't the emu, but now it's able to shine for what it is.
Least: Koala. I like koalas a lot, I just don't think this game does a remotely good representation of them.
Aquatic
Favorite: King penguin? Honestly, none of these picks are super exciting in hindsight. We have a better otter, the caiman was always good but not great, and I especially wish we'd have gotten the harbor seal instead. No real complaints about the penguin, at least.
Least: Gray seal. I don't hate it, but to repeat: I really wish this had been the harbor seal instead.
Southeast Asia
Favorite: Binturong. Just a favorite animal of mine in general, and after the redesign it's basically just perfect in-game too.
Least: Proboscis monkey. It's the only real option here. It's criminal that the last proper monkey we've gotten is one whose zoo distribution is so limited that it's unrealistic for 99% of zoos.
Africa
Favorite: Meerkat. Another genuinely wonderful inclusion, quintessential zoo animal.
Least: Southern white rhino. Incredibly tough decision, because every animal in this pack is more or less perfect. I went rhino simply because the babies probably should've been modeled after a somewhat older individual.
North America
Favorite: Black-tailed prairie dog. This is another pack with a ton of amazing animals, but I think I use and enjoy these guys slightly more than any of the others.
Least: Moose. Really the only weak link in the pack imo. I know it's a popular animal so I can't begrudge it too much, but man I would've preferred the white-tailed deer.
Europe
Favorite: Fallow deer. Super versatile, and similar to the capuchin they wind up filling in for the "mundane North American deer" niche better than either of our two actual NA deer.
Least: European badger. It's fine, just less so than the others. There aren't any kept in the US where I typically build, so it doesn't see much use.
Wetlands
Favorite: Capybara. The otter is super close tbh, and both of them are just obviously essential and super fun inclusions.
Least: Wild water buffalo. Whyyyyy did they not use the domestic species? That would've probably would've been enough to bump it over the caiman and platypus.
Conservation
Favorite: Amur leopard. Just a beautiful animal. I've realized recently that it's my favorite of the big cats irl.
Least: Scimitar-horned oryx. Absolutely nothing against this excellent inclusion, it's just maybe slightly less excellent than the other three.
Twilight
Favorite: Red fox. Just a wonderful animal, insanely charismatic, and boy did they ever do it justice with all the color morphs.
Least: Common wombat. Would've preferred the much more common southern hairy nosed species, and in general it just feels a bit out of place in this pack. That's not to say that it is out of place, but it sure does stick out like a sore thumb when lined up with the raccoon, fox, and skunk.
Grasslands
Favorite: Red-necked wallaby. The most essential Australian species, at last! They're really just great little guys.
Least: Striped hyena. This is my favorite pack overall, so I don't really dislike any of the animals, but if I had to pick this one's a no-brainer. I still would've preferred a different armadillo species too, but at least that model is impeccable.
Tropical
Favorite: Red river hog. Just lovely little guys. I'd been rooting for them for so long.
Least: Asian water monitor. I'm not including habitat species, or else this would've been the sloth. Still, despite an amazing model, I really don't think we needed a third monitor and a 200th Southeast Asian species when we could've gotten a nice tropical tortoise or a South American species instead.
Arid
Favorite: Crested porcupine. I mean, obviously. Fantastic inclusion and fantastic model.
Least: Somali wild ass. Perhaps a contentious pick, but this one really doesn't do much for me. This is another pack where I think every single animal is a genuinely great inclusion, though, so this isn't exactly a condemnation.
Oceania
Favorite: North Island brown kiwi. Bird, I guess. Great model. This pack is just totally not for me in general, though.
Least: Quokka. I adore quokkas like any reasonable person, but man what an underwhelming pick here. Especially considering that the short-beaked echidna and Matschie's tree kangaroo continue to exist in my top 10 and top 2 respectively.
Eurasia
Favorite: Mute swan. In any other pack, the sloth bear or takin might have swept, but this one's just not fair. The swan brings too much to the table to not get the nod.
Least: Saiga. Meme animal. No questions.
Barnyard
Favorite: Sheep. Just a stunning model. Possibly the best in the game. It's funny, because a sheep was the member of this pack's roster I was least eager for prior to the model reveal.
Least: Goat and pig. Just an utterly bizarre breed choice for both of them. I can't even decide on one to throw under the bus over the other because they're both just so bad.