Possible packs and animal additions (plus a few other things, note its big)

[Robo-birdie]

Here is some ideas for packs:
Australia/Oceania:

Animals: (Habitat)
-Red and Grey Kangaroo
-Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby
-Common Wallaroo
-Red-necked Wallaby
-Agile Wallaby
-Swamp Wallaby
-Tasmanian Devil
-Cassawary
-Emu
-Wombat
-perenti (type of monitor lizard)
-Tree Kangaroo
-Black Swan

Animals: (Exhibit)
-frilled lizard
-huntsman spider
-Sydney funnel web
-Sugar-glider
-Geckos
-Bearded Dragon
-Maybe a frog or two

Plants:
-a few types of Eucalyptus/gum trees such as Rainbow eucalyptus, blue gum, red gum, etc
-cycads, ferns and tree ferns
-unique grasses
-Norfolk pine

North America:

Animals: (habitat)
-cougar
-moose
-beaver
-elk
-big horn sheep
-Lynx/Bobcat
-American Alligator
-snapping turtle (they can get huge, for a turtle that is)
-trumpeter swan
-raccoon

Animals: (exhibit)
-Wood Frog
-Spotted Salamander
-Painted Turtle
-axolotl
-hellbender
-Anole lizards
-Whiptail lizard

Plants:
-prairie grass
-cedar trees
-Redwoods
-cypress trees

South America

Animal: (habitat)
-Jaguar
-Ocelot or Margay
-Vicuna/Guanaco
-Coati
-giant ant-eater
-tamandua ant-eater
-Rhea
-black caiman
-black-necked swan
-peccary
-mountain tapir
-spectacled bear
-White-headed Capuchin
-Squirrel Monkey
-Geoffroys Spider Monkey
-White bellied Spider Monkey
-Red Howler

Animal: (exhibit)
-some beetles
-some frogs
-Pink Fairy Armadillo (yes that’s a thing)
-Small marsupials

Aviaries:

Function much like exhibits for birds and some bats. Could be different sizes i.e. small one for single species and other larger building sized ones for multiple species though you have to watch which species you mix i.e you cannot mix birds of prey or owls with other species. The critters have simple looped animations.
A list of possible species by type/size:

Birds (small):
-Zebra Finch
-Java Rice Sparrow
-Conures (these are small relatives to the macaw family. Common aviary species include: Sun, Jendaya, Nanday, Green Cheeked, Pearly, Peach-fronted, Cherry-headed and Blue-Crowned. Other interesting but less common members include: Crimson Bellied, White-eared, Grey-breasted, Painted, Golden capped, Dusky and Golden)
-Lorikeets and Lories (there are many species to choose from)
-Scarlet Tanager, other tanagers
-Kookaburra
-Aracari and Toucanets
-Green Jay
-doves (diamoned)
-quails
-Rosellas (a small Australian parakeet)
-lovebirds
-starlings (hildebrants, superb, violet backed, rosy, emerald)
-rose ringed, mustached and plum headed parakeets
-canary
-king fishers
-oriels
-turacos
-society finch
-weavers
-finches (blue capped waxbill, red cheeked cordon bleu, red headed, orange cheeked waxbill, red billed fire finch, strawberry finch, red throated parrot, Gouldian, owl, star, Cuban, American Gold)

Birds (large, need big aviaries):
-macaws (green-winged, blue and gold, military, red shouldered, Chestnut-fronted, great green, hyacinth, Spix’s this one was the one that inspired the movie Rio)
-Amazons (Yellow headed, Blue fronted, Cuban, Red-lored, Saint vincent)
-Scarlet Ibis
-Toucans
-Congo African Grey (there are two species of African Greys this is the one more commonly seen)
-doves (pied imperial, fruit, crowned, nicobar)
-Pesquets parrot (a parrot that looks like a vulture)
-eclectus parrot
-cockatoo (sulphur crested, umbrella, salmon crested, major mitchells, galah, red tailed black, carnabys, palm, gang-gang, yellow tailed black)
-pied crow

Birds (predators, have to be housed as separate species):
-eagles (bald, fishing)
-Kestrals
-Barn Owl
-Gryphons vulture
-condors
-boobook owl
- Osprey

Bats:
-Flying Foxes. There are several species including Golden Crowned, Spectacled, Little Red, Bismark Masked, Indian, etc
-Egyptian Fruit bat
-Straw colored fruit bat
-Spotted Winged Fruit Bat

Here are a few lists for animals that could be added based off their types:

Habitat bird species:
-Oscillated Turkey
-pheasants
-crowned pigeon
-green peafowl
-Emu
-Cassawary
-Rhea
-Secretary Bird
-waterfowl such as various ducks, geese and swans (the flamingoes swim so it should be easy to do these swimming birds)

Small Cats:
-Clouded Leopard
-Asian Golden Cat
-Bay Cat
-Pampas Cat
-Ocelot
-Eurasian Lynx
-Bobcat
-Pallas Cat
-Leopard Cat
-Jungle Cat

Primates:
Some primates that would make a good addition to the zoo
-olive baboon
-Gelada Baboon
-Vervet Monkey
-White-headed Capuchin
-Golden-bellied Capuchin
-Tufted Capuchin
-Squirrel Monkey
-Geoffroys Spider Monkey
-White bellied Spider Monkey
-Brown Spider Monkey
-Red Howler
-Ursine Howler
-Barbary Macaque
-Crab-eating Macaque
-Rhesus Macaque
-Blue-eyed Black Lemur
-Ruffed Lemur
-Bamboo-Lemur
-Indri
-Verreaux’s Sifaka
-White handed Gibbon
-Gray Langur

Exhibit animals:
-some more beetles
-more poison frogs
-tree frogs
-toads
-small mammals
-maybe some butterflies/moths
-stick insects
-salamanders
-river turtles
-cicadas
-some more snakes

Ungulates:
Some ungulates that would make a good addition to the zoo (this is a big one plus there are two enrichment items that are ungulate based that were missed from the original game)

Animals:
-Prezwalskys wild horse
-Saiga Antelope
-Malayan Tapir
-Addax
-Kudu
-Eland
-Blackbuck
-Fallow Deer
-Moose
-American Elk
-Big Horn Goat
-Musk Deer
-Chineese Water Deer
-Muntjac
-Duiker
-Dik-Dik
-Impala
-Sitatunga
-Sumatran Rhino
-Bushbuck
-Nilgai
-Yak
-Musk Ox
-Black and White Rhinos
-Gerenuk
-Bontebok
-Blesbok
-Topi
-Scimitar Oryx
-Roan Antelope
-Saola
-Waterbuck
-Congo Buffalo
-Japanese Serow
-Blue Wildabeest
-Red Deer
-Dama Gazelle
-Rhim Gazelle
-Southern Reedbuck
-Goitered Gazelle
-Masai Giaraffe
-Onagar
-African wild donkey

Enrichment Items:
-Salt Lick, because their diets are often salt poor many ungulates need sources of sodium.
-Dust bath
-Hot Pools enrichment for the macaques would be cool. This enrichment could also be used for some other animals. Bison and many other animals for example use hot springs in Yellowstone park as a reprieve from the winter, flamingos have been known to feed in them so they would like it too. Reptiles could enjoy them and other animals who enjoy a swim could enjoy them especially if they are warm climate animals living in cold climate zoos (the hot springs could also add some warmth to the area).
-Clay Licks. A lot of animals from animals as big as elephants to as small as butterflies from animals as diverse as antelope, kangaroos, primates and parrots all use clay licks in the wild as a means to acquire nutrients they cannot get normally and as a means to neutralize toxins in their diets.
-Heat lamps. Habitat reptiles can enjoy them but warm loving animals, particularly small ones could enjoy them too especially in colder climates.

Here are also some topics that could be added to the conservation boards that I feel were missing:
exotic pet trade
habitat destruction
mass extinctions
biodiversity
human encroachment
pollution
impacts of war (this is actual a major one that few seem to care or acknowledge about)
birds vs windows (this is actually the biggest killer of birds in the world, deaths by cats isn't even as close as damaging as window strikes are)
vehicular impacts
non-vaccinated pets (yes this is huge particularly with dogs which are the most diseased and disease spreading of pets)
impacts of farming
hybridization
fishing hooks and nets
snares and other hunting traps
invasive species
radioactive waste (like Chernobyl and improper disposal)
Trap-Neuter programs for domestic animals
Lead poisoning
Effects of mining (most mining brings lots of toxic materials to the surface)
The impacts of Fires
Light pollution (yes this is a thing)
The dangers of hydro wires (this is a thing too especially in heavily forested areas such as Central and parts of South America)
Urban Wildlife
Inbreeding (the game warns you when animals are going to inbreed why not elaborate more about it and why it is so detrimental to animal populations)
Genetic Bottle-necking
The use of Pesticides/Herbicides

Can we also fix a few issues that I think really need fixing:
One is the absurdly low population threshold for Spotted Hyenas. They average clans of between ten to eighty members with clans of up to 120 members being reported in some areas. While groups kept in captivity are smaller than the wild they can be kept in groups of up to 20 individuals in captivity. They are much more social wolves, only wild dogs, fruit bats and primates beat them with sociability. Also they tend to live for over 30 years in captivity not 20.
Secondly could we make it so the Macaques, and other primates, will actually swim. They swim in the wild and some primates often forage in water for food so it seems reasonable that they should be able to do so in game.
Also some animals such as spotted hyenas, zebra, African buffalo, some antelopes, baboons, lions and even elephants can handle temperatures down to zero and below quite well. These examples are often found above the snow line in mountain ranges in Africa and both spotted hyenas and Lions used to roam throughout Eurasia even within the Arctic circle as recently as 10 000 years ago before being wiped out by human impacts.

 

[avietar]

Great list!

I doubt we'll get DLCs as large as what you're suggesting (though I wouldn't mind!) but there are great suggestions and ideas here. I'd especially appreciate an ungulates or small cats pack!

 

[NL_Mutso]

Nice list

One popped up, which most likely never show up:

-Pink Fairy Armadillo (yes that’s a thing)

That one that doesn't survive in captivity (stress) - saw that comment in a 'request animal' topic on steam or reddit?

And someone on this forum mentioned small exhibit mammals are confirmed not to be added to the game - searched for it but can't find it (maybe using the wrong keywords)
Still would like to see them, though

 

[LN]

And someone on this forum mentioned small exhibit mammals are confirmed not to be added to the game.

That would be a first for me to hear about that.
Anyone claiming anything without it being backed up by a source is just useless information for me.

So maybe someone said that, but without a source, you already forgot about it in an instant .

 

[NL_Mutso]

Oh, i agree.. I don't see it as a confirmation of anything.
Could just be user assumptions..or could be the same user on different platforms/forums

It's still something to consider, especially since none of this is included.

I would say the same about birds, but the addition of Pterosaurs in JWE leaves more room for discussion.

Hot Pools enrichment for the macaques

Personally I hope they include this one.. The hot spring macaque photos are a bit iconic for these monkeys...

 

[NZFanatic]

That would be a first for me to hear about that.
Anyone claiming anything without it being backed up by a source is just useless information for me.

So maybe someone said that, but without a source, you already forgot about it in an instant .

Frontier said it, though I don't remember where. There's a realistic reason and a meta-reason.

The realistic reason is that mammals don't typically do well in glass-fronted terraria due to the inability to regulate their temperature as efficiently as ectotherms.

The meta-reason is that mammals move around constantly due to having high metabolism, whereas reptiles and amphibians quite often remain in the same spot for hours at a time. Given how they have handled exhibit animals already (they only move in a limited animation in a singular spot), it's fairly likely they decided animating mammals to move around a lot in a smaller exhibit would eat up too much of the game's framerate.

 

[NL_Mutso]

https://www.reddit.com/r/PlanetZoo/comments/d6aq1c Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/PlanetZoo/comments/d6aq1c/no_mammals_and_birds_in_exhibits/


From this comment: Exhibit animals are reptiles and creepy crawlers, but (imo) this doesn't mean small mammals will never be included.
I didn't want to post this because some people have trouble to read objectively and like this reddit user; translated their comment into something else.
(same discussion as some people translated unique animal into unique coat patterns).

The realistic reason is that mammals don't typically do well in glass-fronted terraria due to the inability to regulate their temperature as efficiently as ectotherms.

Mice/rats and other small similar animals are present in IRL zoos in a small glass fronted indoor exhibit but ofcourse this isn't the same as the current in-game terrarium.

The meta-reason is that mammals move around constantly due to having high metabolism, whereas reptiles and amphibians quite often remain in the same spot for hours at a time

That actually makes a lot of sense.. Did not consider this yet...

 

[NZFanatic]

Mice/rats and other small similar animals are present in IRL zoos in a small glass fronted indoor exhibit but ofcourse this isn't the same as the current in-game terrarium.

Glass-box enclosures for small mammals can often cause respiratory problems. That said, if the rest of the enclosure is ventilated enough and the window is out of direct sunlight, I think it would work, but replicating that in-game would be a challenge. If we use the realistic reason for them not doing it, it could be that micromanaging the exact position of these 'mammal exhibits' to avoid the problems they might face is something Frontier anticipates the community not enjoying.

It is a tough nut to crack, IMO. It also raises the question of where the line is drawn between habitat animal and exhibit animal and how it is decided which animal goes where. Given the space requirements they applied to the Nile monitor, as an example, I'm not sure their judgement is sound. Monitor lizards, even bigger ones, don't need such massive enclosures in real zoos.

That actually makes a lot of sense.. Did not consider this yet...

I could be wrong. I make no claim to speak for Frontier, on this or any matter. I usually just try to consider what the actual job is (adding animals, in this case), and what the possible limitations might be (constant movement, in this case), and draw a logical conclusion.

 

[NL_Mutso]

I could be wrong. I make no claim to speak for Frontier, on this or any matter. I usually just try to consider what the actual job is (adding animals, in this case), and what the possible limitations might be (constant movement, in this case), and draw a logical conclusion.

Like i mentioned before, I don't see user info as confirmation.. But I do consider it...

Lifeless/almost non moving small mammals in a similar exhibit, would be boring.. Spiders/snakes/reptiles are slow or don't move much..
Your POV makes sense to me.

 

[NZFanatic]

Like i mentioned before, I don't see user info as confirmation.. But I do consider it...

Neither do I, but until we get an official response from Frontier I always try to draw the most logical conclusion based on the information we do have. More often than not it winds up being the correct conclusion anyway, and when it doesn't, oh well, it never hurts to be wrong.