I have been in preparation of this post for a while now. In fact I started gathering information and resources since last spring. However I was also highly influenced by some other amazing threads on this forum, props to the creators. I will be linking those threads below. Some of the comments in those threads impacted the way I look at things a bit, like how biomes with marginal suitability should be excluded. I did revise some of my recommendations based on those comments.
In this thread I will be focusing on the inclusion of additional biome tags for animals, and less on the exclusion of them. Therefore, unless the recommendations specifically mention the removal or replacement of a certain biome, all biome recommendations are for the addition of extra biomes without replacing existing ones.
Aardvark: Desert. Also better sand and heat suitability. A simple comparison of the aardvark range and biomes of Africa should be enough to decide on this one, as their range entirely overlaps with desert plants in the game like the Sudanese frankincense tree, so it doesn't make sense why they would have an aversion to them.
1) https://www.researchgate.net/public...or_Animals_in_Arid_and_Semi-Arid_Environments
African Elephant: Tropical, Temperate. Also better dirt (forests) and sand suitability (deserts), as well as better cold suitability due to their presence in temperate South African forests and Ethiopian highlands. It's a common misconception to think only the forest elephant inhabits rainforests.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Loxodonta_africana/
"Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune; savanna or grassland; rainforest; scrub forest.....African elephants are found in many habitats of Africa such as savannas, rain forests, woodlands, scrub forests, occasionally deserts, and beaches.....Across these habitats, the elevation level ranges from sea level (0 meters) to 4000 meters. (Duffy, et al., 2011; Harris, et al., 2008; Laursen and Bekoff, 1978; Mashintonio, et al., 2014)"
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_bush_elephant
"including subtropical and temperate forests, dry and seasonally flooded grasslands and woodlands, wetlands and agricultural land from sea level to mountain slopes. In Mali and Namibia, it also inhabits desert areas.[2] In Ethiopia, the African bush elephant has historically been recorded up to an altitude of 2,500 m (8,200 ft). By the late 1970s, the population had declined to a herd in the Dawa River valley and one close to the Kenyan border."
Aldabra Tortoise: Grasslands. Even its Zoopedia picture depicts the tortoise in a drier environment.
1) https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/aldabra-tortoise
"The largest concentration of tortoises is found in the grasslands called platins."
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldabra_giant_tortoise
"A peculiar habitat has coevolved due to the grazing pressures of the tortoises: "tortoise turf", a comingling of 20+ species of grasses and herbs."
Amazonian Giant Centipede: Grasslands.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Scolopendra_gigantea/
"Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland; forest; scrub forest"
American Bison: Tundra, Taiga. Also better cold suitability and perhaps slightly higher rock suitability. It is a bit strange not being able to use coniferous foliage in bison habitats. Even the Zoopedia properly depicts conifers in the background, probably in reference to the Yellowstone National Park. However, plant coverage requirement should still remain the same (low), as they prefer open areas. Bison also need a snow suitability range of up to 100% as they are more associated with tundra than pronghorn. Perhaps their 80% can be swapped with that of the pronghorn.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/2815/123789863
"1.1. Forest - Boreal, 4.1. Grassland - Tundra, 4.2. Grassland - Subarctic"
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bison
"lightly wooded areas are also known historically to have supported bison. They also graze in hilly or mountainous areas where the slopes are not steep. Though not particularly known as high-altitude animals, bison in the Yellowstone Park bison herd are frequently found at elevations above 8,000 feet and the Henry Mountains bison herd is found on the plains around the Henry Mountains, Utah, as well as in mountain valleys of the Henry Mountains to an altitude of 10,000 feet."
3) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Bison_bison/
"Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland; forest; scrub forest......they were also found from boreal habitats to semi-desert habitats if grazing was suitable. Bison are now more limited in distribution and, therefore, the habitats they occupy."
Arctic Wolf: Removal of Taiga. Their entire range lies north of the treeline, therefore should be removed. They should also have better long grass suitability, as grasses, lichen and moss are the dominant flora in the tundra.
1) http://animalia.bio/arctic-wolf
"They spend their life in the Arctic tundra, higher than the northern tree line."
2) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/North_American_gray_wolf_subspecies_distribution_according_to_Goldman_(1944)_&_MSW3_(2005).png
3) https://ecoregions2017.appspot.com/
Bactrian Camel: Taiga. As well as much better cold tolerance, grass, snow suitability and a lower minimum limit for sand requirement (perhaps 0-100% for both types of grass, sand and snow). Since steppe and savanna are lumped into one biome in the game, I have excluded grasslands, as this would include tropical plants like the baobab tree. Would be pretty strange for an animal in the polar climate zone, the exact opposite of tropical. Plant coverage should remain low, like in the bison example.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactrian_camel
"temperatures are extreme, ranging from as low as −40 °C in winter to 40 °C in summer."
"The Bactrian camel is thought to have been domesticated (independent of the dromedary) sometime before 2500 BC in Northeast Afghanistan[22] or southwestern Turkestan.[23]" (subalpine forest zone, prime Himalayan brown bear habitat)
2) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Camelus_bactrianus_distribution_map.png
As seen here, they range from the taiga in the north (around Lake Baikal), to the coniferous subalpine forests of the Himalayas in the south. The game's distribution map should also be corrected.
3) https://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/72162035.pdf
"The vegetation zones result from 1) a severe continental climate characterized by very cold winter temperatures (as low as –52 °C) and high summer temperatures of >40 °C in the Gobi"
Baird's Tapir: Taiga. A versatile and adaptable species capable of making use of various habitats throughout its range, including mountains; even regions above the treeline. It makes sense for them to be at least coniferous foliage compatible, if not tundra.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tapirus_bairdii/
"Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland; forest; rainforest; mountains.........found in most vegetation types at elevations ranging from sea level to 3,600 meters...... montane cloud forests, and paramo (treeless alpine plateau)."
2) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/21471/45173340
"3.7. Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude - Suitable, 4.7. Grassland - Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude - Suitable............covering the top of medium-altitude mountains; from sea level to 3,620 m"
Brazilian Salmon Pink Tarantula: Grasslands. As seen in the Zoopedia, they are from eastern Brazil, which can be relatively drier. Therefore grasslands could be added as a secondary biome.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasiodora_parahybana
"L. parahybana are endemic to Brazil in the Atlantic forest region of the country; they are known from one area near Campina Grande."
Colombian White-Faced Capuchin: Central instead of North America and Grasslands instead of Temperate. The Panamanian and Colombian white-faced capuchins used to be classified as two subspecies under the same species, now they are different species altogether. But even according to both types of classification the Colombian white-faced capuchin is absent from North America. The blue section on the map is for the Panamanian species. Therefore should only have the South/Central America tag.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombian_white-faced_capuchin
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panamanian_white-faced_capuchin
3) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/81257277/17938441
"2.2. Savanna - Moist - Suitable"
Common Death Adder: Tropical
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_death_adder
"Common death adders are found in forests, woodlands, grasslands and heaths of the eastern coast of Australia."
2) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Common_Death_Adder.png
As the map shows, their range includes the tropical and subtropical rainforests of Australia.
3) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/42492756/42492764
"1.6. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland - Suitable......This species' habitats range from rainforest to shrublands and heaths (Wilson and Swan 2013), as well as grassland (M. Venz pers. comm. 2017)."
Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman: Removal of Temperate. They only inhabit lowland tropical rainforests and riparian gallery forests in savanna/grassland lowland ecosystems of equatorial South America, therefore do not experience any climate outside tropical.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Paleosuchus_palpebrosus/
"Habitat Regions: tropical; terrestrial; freshwater"
2) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/46587/3009946
"Upper Elevation Limit: 500 metres"
Diamondback Terrapin: This is a rather complicated case as one user describes. I would recommend reading the original post instead of me repeating it here.
1) https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/zoopedia-errors-northern-diamondback-terrapin.561409/
Eastern Brown Snake: Tropical
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_brown_snake
As the map shows, their range includes the tropical and subtropical rainforests of Australia.
3) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/42493315/42493324
"1.6. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland - Suitable, 1.8. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Swamp - Suitable, 1.9. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane - Suitable"
Galapagos Giant Tortoise: Grasslands, Desert. Due to the current restrictions, their most staple dietary item, the prickly pear or cacti in general, make them unhappy when placed in their habitat. Galapagos tortoises should be given the desert tag, while prickly pears should also have the South/Central America tag.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Chelonoidis_nigra/
"Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland; forest; scrub forest.......It spends the cooler hours of its day in the warm, but completely dry, lava soils in the lowlands of the islands, where the terrain is usually arid and grassy."
"They may wallow there for hours, drinking and swimming lazily." (They should also be able to swim)
2) https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/nt1307
Classified under "Deserts and Xeric Shrublands"
3) https://books.google.com.tr/books?id=f8T3Dl5tokYC&pg=PA209&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
"Dawson, E.Y. (1966). "Cacti in the Galápagos islands, with special reference to their relations with tortoises". In Bowman, R.I (ed.). The Galápagos. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 209–214."
4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galápagos_tortoise
"The tortoises are herbivores that consume a diet of cacti, grasses, leaves, lichens, berries, melons, oranges, and milkweed.[93]"
"which enables the tortoise to browse tall vegetation such as the Opuntia (prickly pear) cactus that grows in arid environments.[87]"
"Tortoises acquire most of their moisture from the dew and sap in vegetation (particularly the Opuntia cactus); therefore, they can survive longer than 6 months without water. They can endure up to a year when deprived of all food and water,[96] surviving by breaking down their body fat to produce water as a byproduct. Tortoises also have very slow metabolisms.[97]"
Gemsbok: Grasslands. Like the springbok, the gemsbok should also have both biomes. The Zoopedia pic also suggests they are at home in the savanna.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15573/166485425
"2. Savanna - 2.1. Savanna - Dry - Suitable"
2) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Oryx_gazella/
"Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune; savanna or grassland.....in wooded grasslands as well as wetter grasslands."
Gharial: Grasslands, Desert. Historically gharials were present in the Indus river system of Pakistan, which is dominated by desert, xeric scrub, shrub and grassland landscapes, therefore gharials shouldn't have an aversion to desert and grassland plants.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Gavialis_gangeticus/
"Gavialis gangeticus is found in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. It historically inhabits four river systems: the Indus (Pakistan), the Ganges..."
2) http://crocodilian.com/cnhc/cst_ggan_dh_map.htm
The highlighted region on the left shows the historic Indus basin population
3) https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/an-unholy-river-protects-the-last-of-these-rare-crocs
"The Chambal River stretches some 600 miles through three states in northern India. It drains into the Yamuna River, a main tributary of the Ganges. Surrounding the river is a region of steep bluffs, box canyons, and ravines—a blazing-hot desert dominated by thorny scrub...." As seen here, even today not all populations dwell in forests.
Giant Burrowing Cockroach: Tropical instead of Temperate. There has been a lot of feedback about the game's map not having temperate biome for Australia, despite the animals having the tags. Odd enough, the cockroach is the exact opposite example. It is endemic to the only true tropical rainforest in Australia, but has a temperate tag. Therefore needs to removed and replaced with tropical.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland_tropical_rain_forests
"The Queensland tropical rain forests are designated one of the Global 200 ecoregions."
2) https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/aa0117
"Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests"
3) https://ecoregions2017.appspot.com/
Showing the region of the tropical rainforest, which can be compared to the range of the cockroach in the Zoopedia.
Greater Flamingo: Desert. Also better sand and heat suitability. They are found in desert areas like the Middle East and Namibia.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22697360/155527405
Shows distribution map to be compared with any map showing desert regions of the world. It would also be nice to have this map as the updated map for the in-game Zoopedia.
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_flamingo
This link was given particularly for the picture depicting the Namibian landscape: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great...),_Walvis_Bay,_Namibia,_2018-08-05,_DD_22.jpg
Grey Seal: Taiga. Their range includes regions with boreal forests, so they shouldn't have an aversion to coniferous foliage.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_..._Seal_Halichoerus_grypus_distribution_map.png
Grizzly Bear: Grasslands. As well as better long grass suitability. Grasses form an important part of their diet and "in North America they seem to prefer open areas such as tundra, alpine meadows, and coastlines": https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ursus_arctos/
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ursus_arctos/
"Historically, they were common on the Great Plains prior to the arrival of European settlers."
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_bear
"Its original range included much of the Great Plains and the southwestern states, but it has been extirpated in most of those areas."
3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_bear#/media/File:Ursus_arctos_horribilis_map.svg
Hippopotamus: Tropical. They are also found in rainforests, therefore shouldn't have an aversion towards plants with the tropical tag.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/10103/18567364
"1. Forest - 1.6. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland - Suitable"
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopotamus
"They can be found in both savannah and forest areas.[1]"
Indian Rhino: Tropical and perhaps Aquatic. If the Proboscis Monkey is going to keep its aquatic biome category, then it is a must have for the Indian Rhino. They are much more associated with wetlands than any primate, as seen from their IUCN Red List profiles. In terms of forests, they only have temperate in the game right now, which makes sense since their range extends along the foothills of the Himalayas, but then they should also have the tropical category, and shouldn't have an aversion to tropical trees, as this is the most widespread forest type in the region. However forests are still categorized as marginal for this species, so either both types of forests should be excluded, or both included at the same time. Coverage should remain low, at least under 50%, as they are primarily an open grassland species.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19496/18494149
"1.6. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland - Marginal........5. Wetlands (inland) - 5.4. Wetlands (inland) - Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands - Suitable.....5.7. Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) - Suitable....5.8. Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) - Suitable"
Jaguar: Desert. They shouldn't have an aversion towards desert plants of the Americas. However their plant coverage, temperature and sand suitability should remain the same.
1) https://www.northernjaguarproject.org/jaguars-in-northwestern-mexico-find-safe-haven-in-new-reserve/
"have nearly eliminated them from their northern range. An estimated population of 80 to 120 jaguars remains in the Sonoran desert."
Koala: Grasslands. Most of their range corresponds to grassland environments, particularly riparian gallery forests in eucalypt savannas.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/16892/166496779
"1.5. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry - Suitable, 2. Savanna - 2.1. Savanna - Dry - Suitable"
Lesser Antillean Iguana: Grasslands. This species is better adapted to drier habitats than the green iguana. The Lesser Antilles as a region has both tropical wet and tropical dry/semi-arid islands and the iguanas live in both habitats.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/10800/122936983
"1.5. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry - Suitable, 1.6. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland - Suitable, 3.5. Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry - Suitable, 4.5. Grassland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry - Suitable.........The species exists in xeric scrub, dry scrub woodland, littoral woodland, river forests, and mangrove, as well as lower and mid-altitude portions of transitional rainforest. The present condition of these habitats varies from island to island."
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Antillean_iguana
"The Lesser Antillean iguana is found in scrub woodlands, rainforests, and mangroves throughout the Lesser Antilles on Saint Barth, Anguilla, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Martinique.[1]"
Llama: Tundra. Like their wild ancestors, llamas are mostly found in the alpine tundra of the Andes, above the treeline. Not having this tag prevents players from adding several Andean plants that have the tundra tag.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lama_glama/
"Range elevation:2300 to 4000 m....Average elevation: 3000 m.....These plateaus are covered with low growth, including various shrubs, stunted trees and grasses." The grasslands mentioned here are alpine tundra meadows and grasslands, so the grasslands tag for savanna/steppe could be removed, as this is pretty much like the snow leopard having a grasslands tag. The "stunted trees" mentioned in this example, are trees like the polylepis tree, which we sadly can't add to llama habitats right now, due to llamas not having a tundra tag.
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llama
"The link between the Andean biomes of puna and páramo, llama pastoralism and the Inca state is a matter of research.[48]" Both the puna and paramo are alpine tundra habitats.
3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Páramo
"Páramo can refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline".[1]" The puya plant is also native to this habitat, so they should also have the tundra tag in addition to taiga: "and the spectacled bear which occasionally forages in the high páramo for its favored food, Puya bromeliads.[17]".
4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puna_grassland
"The puna grassland ecoregion, of the montane grasslands and shrublands biome, is found in the central Andes Mountains of South America......The puna is found above the treeline at 3200–3500 m elevation, and below the permanent snow line above 4500–5000 m elevation."
Malayan Tapir: Removal of Aquatic and Temperate. They are restricted to the tropical rainforests of the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, which is as tropical as it can get. They don't experience a temperate climate at all, unlike some other Southeast Asian animals (e.g. Clouded leopard). The Malayan tapir is also the least aquatic of all tapirs. It doesn't make sense for it to have the tag when the Baird's tapir does not. Either both should have it, or the tag should be removed from the Malayan tapir. If the decision is to keep the tag, then along with the Baird's tapir, a lot of other animals should be given the aquatic tag (e.g. Jaguar, Indian rhino, Indian elephant, Sulawesi babirusa and Nile monitor).
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tapirus_indicus/
"Habitat Regions: tropical; terrestrial, Terrestrial Biomes: forest; rainforest......Malayan tapirs are forest dwellers that inhabit tropical terrestrial habitats......they are the least aquatic of the extant Tapiridae."
2) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/21472/45173636
"T. indicus is restricted to tropical moist forest areas and occurs in both primary and secondary forest and wetland areas."
Nile Monitor: Temperate. They are found in the temperate forests of South Africa, as well as the Eastern Mediterranean (historically). They should also have better cold suitability than other habitat reptiles in the game.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Varanus_niloticus/
"Habitat Regions: temperate; tropical; terrestrial; freshwater"
North Sulawesi Babirusa: Removal of Grasslands. They are endemic to the island of Sulawesi, where the only available biome is tropical rainforest. Grasslands suitability isn't even marginal for the babirusa.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/136446/44142964
"System: Terrestrial, Freshwater (=Inland waters); Habitat Type: Forest, Wetlands (inland).....The Sulawesi Babirusa inhabits tropical rain forest on the banks of rivers and ponds abounding in water plants."
2) https://ecoregions2017.appspot.com/
As seen here, the only available habitat/biome type in Sulawesi is tropical rainforest.
Polar Bear: Taiga, Asia. It is odd that polar bears are missing the Asia tag in the game, as the majority of their range in the Old World is in Asia. Russia might be considered to be a European state politically, but the majority of its landmass is in Asia, aka Siberia. They should also have better long grass suitability, as the dominant flora in the tundra is grasses. Another issue is heat tolerance. It shouldn't really be lower than the king penguin, the latter which never experiences high temperatures in its natural environment.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22823/14871490
"1. Forest - 1.1. Forest - Boreal - Suitable"
2) https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/resear.../ten-wild-features-of-manitobas-boreal-forest
"Manitoba contains some of the largest, southernmost, and most important polar bear habitat on the planet......Hundreds of polar bear sows move inland to give birth to their cubs in earthen and snow-covered dens on the solitary edges of Manitoba’s boreal forest......their maternal dens in northern Manitoba can be found up to 93 miles (150 kilometers) inland.....This habitat, considered the world’s largest denning area for polar bears, is vital to the long-term health of this iconic northern species."
Proboscis Monkey: Removal of Aquatic. They are indeed very good swimmers, and one of the few primates that regularly does. However classification as semi-aquatic is a little far-fetched. When animals in the game like the jaguar, the two tigers, Nile monitor, Baird's tapir, Indian rhino, Sulawesi babirusa (you can see the differentiation in the system/habitat type compared to the proboscis monkey below) and the two elephants don't have this category, it doesn't make any sense for a primate to have it. The ones listed, except the tigers (which also should have in reality), even have swimming space requirements in the game when the proboscis monkey does not. It is best to be removed before it's too late. Base game and DLC's should have a sense of consistency to them.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/14352/195372486
"System: Terrestrial; Habitat Type: Forest"
2) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Nasalis_larvatus/
"Habitat Regions: tropical; terrestrial"
Pronghorn: Desert, Taiga (instead of Temperate). They should also have better sand and heat suitability. The recommendation to replace the temperate tag with taiga is due to the fact that they are absent from the temperate broadleaf regions of the continent, and according to the game temperate coniferous forests are considered taiga. Like the bison, plant coverage limit should be pretty low and definitely not up to 100% like it is now.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/1677/115056938
"8.2. Desert - Temperate - Suitable.....Upper Elevation Limit: 3,350 metres"
2) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Antilocapra_americana/
"Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune; savanna or grassland; chaparral.....Pronghorns are primarily found in grassland, sage scrub or chaparral, and desert......Pronghorns are particularly dependent on sage brush for forage in these areas......Pronghorn feed primarily on sage, forbs, and grasses.....In winter, northern populations depend heavily on sage brush." It is odd that currently we can't place their favorite food item in their habitats.
3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pronghorn
"Pronghorns prefer open, expansive terrain at elevations varying between 900 and 1,800 m (3,000 and 5,900 ft), with the densest populations in areas receiving around 25–40 cm (9.8–15.7 in) of rainfall per year......cacti comprised 40%, grass 22%, forbs 20%, and shrubs 18%.[21]"
4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_tridentata
"throughout a range of cold desert, steppe, and mountain habitats in the Intermountain West of North America.....Sagebrush provides food and habitat for a variety of species, such as sage grouse, pronghorn antelope...." Took this link from another thread, a good example for the pronghorn-sagebrush pairing.
Puff Adder: Desert.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puff_adder
"The puff adder (Bitis arietans) is a venomous viper species found in savannah and grasslands from Morocco and western Arabia throughout Africa except for the Sahara and rainforest regions.[2]"
2) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Bitis-arietans-range-map.png
As the map shows it is present in the desertic regions of East and South Africa, such as the Kalahari desert.
Ring Tailed Lemur: Grasslands, Desert, Temperate and Taiga. Also better grass, sand, rock, heat and cold suitability. Just like the bison, ring tailed lemur also has a Zoopedia image that is indicative of one of the missing biomes. I would understand if Frontier decides not to assign temperate and taiga at the same time, for the sake of one animal not having too many tags, but would be very cool if they had both. If I was to choose only one from those two, I would prefer temperate, as that tag would add more plant options. However, if we are to get African alpine plants with the addition of animals like the gelada in the future, then taiga would be my pick.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/11496/115565760
"6. Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)....Upper Elevation Limit: 2,600 metres.......including gallery, littoral, and dry deciduous forests, spiny bush, brush and scrub, high-altitude ericoid bush and rocky outcrop vegetation (Sauther et al. 1999, Goodman et al. 2006, Gould 2006, Cameron and Gould 2013, Gould and Gabriel 2014, LaFleur et al. 2014, LaFleur and Sauther 2015). Indeed, at the upper portion of its elevation range on Andringitra, the species occurs in a zone above the forest line and in a vast expanse of vertical rock, with up to 400-m tall talwegs, surrounded by ericoid savanna. It encounters the most extreme climatic conditions on the island from the hottest and driest (Tsimanampesotse) to the coldest (Andringitra Massif)."
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring-tailed_lemur
"Endemic to southern and southwestern Madagascar, the ring-tailed lemur ranges further into highland areas than other lemurs. It inhabits deciduous forests, dry scrub, montane humid forests, and gallery forests (forests along riverbanks)......Depending on location, temperatures within its geographic range can vary from −12 °C (10 °F)[23] at Andringitra Massif to 48 °C (118 °F) in the spiny forests of Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve.[36]"
3) https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/at1311
A major biome within their range, classified as "Deserts and Xeric Shrublands".
4) https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/at1312
Another major biome within their range, classified as "Deserts and Xeric Shrublands".
5) https://ecoregions2017.appspot.com/
These last three sources are to show what biomes dominate the landscape of Southwestern Madagascar, where the ring tailed lemurs are endemic to. We even have the iconic thin and long baobab variant in the game, that sadly can't be incorporated into ring tailed lemur habitats right now (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar_succulent_woodlands).
Saltwater Crocodile: Grasslands. Also higher coverage suitability range as it also has the rainforest biome tag.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Crocodylus_porosus/
"Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland"
Snow Leopard: Tundra. Also better grass suitability, as alpine tundra is defined as the region above the treeline and is dominated by meadows and grasslands, with no trees. Their primary biome is the alpine tundra and not subalpine forests, which corresponds to taiga in the game.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22732/50664030
"Snow Leopards inhabit mountainous rangelands at elevations of 3,000 to over 5,000 m in the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau, but can occur as low as 500 m in the Altai"
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_leopard
"In summer, snow leopards usually live above the tree line on mountainous meadows and in rocky regions at altitudes from 2,700 to 6,000 m (8,900 to 19,700 ft). In winter, they come down into the forests to altitudes around 1,200 to 2,000 m (3,900 to 6,600 ft)."
3) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Uncia_uncia/
"Snow leopards live in alpine and subalpine zones from elevations of 900 to 5,500 meters or higher, but generally at altitudes between 3,000 and 4,500 meters. In the winter they may migrate to lower elevations of 900 meters, following their preferred prey. Snow leopards generally avoid dense forest cover and cultivated fields, but are associated with open coniferous forest, as well as arid and semi-arid shrubland, grassland, alpine meadows and barren habitats."
Spotted Hyena: Desert. Also better sand and heat suitability. They are even found in the Namib desert, the most arid region in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the desertic East Africa, so they shouldn't really have an aversion to desert plants.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_hyena
"The species dwells in semi-deserts, savannah, open woodland, dense dry woodland, and mountainous forests up to 4,000 m in altitude. It is scarce or absent in tropical rainforests and coastal areas. Its preferred habitats in west Africa include the Guinea and Sudan savannahs, and is absent in the belt of dense coastal forest. In the Namib Desert, it occurs in riverine growth along seasonal rivers, the sub-desertic pro-Namib and the adjoining inland plateau."
2) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Crocuta_crocuta/
"Crocuta crocuta is common in many types of open, dry habitat including semi-desert, savannah, acacia bush.....Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune; savanna or grassland..."
Western Chimpanzee: Grasslands. Also better grass suitability.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15935/102327574
"Chimpanzees range further in savanna-dominated landscapes than in mixed forest (Pruetz and Bertolani 2009, Matsuzawa et al. 2011)." (speaking of Western chimpanzees in particular)
2) https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2332/chimpanzeecaremanual2010r.pdf
"Chimpanzees were once widespread across much of Africa from the southern and western edges of the Sahara to the Cape of Good Hope but are now concentrated in the forests and savannas around the equatorial belt."
3) http://savannachimp.blogspot.com/
"Research on West African chimpanzees living in a savanna mosaic at Fongoli, Senegal since 2001, with a focus on the behavioral ecology of apes in a semi-arid environment."
4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimpanzee
"The chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), also known as the common chimpanzee, robust chimpanzee, or simply chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa......It lives in a variety of habitats, including dry savanna, evergreen rainforest, montane forest, swamp forest and dry woodland-savanna mosaic."
Yellow Anaconda: Grasslands. They are found in the Pantanal, the world's largest flooded grasslands. Another major flooded grasslands region, the Everglades, is prone to yellow anaconda invasion.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_anaconda
"from the Pantanal region in Bolivia, Paraguay, and.....becoming an invasive species in areas such as the Florida Everglades."
On my list, I also had some of the animals that were addressed a few patches pack. Since those biomes were already added, I removed those animals from my recommendations draft. However, when those animals received their new biomes, their plant coverage, terrain and temperature suitability were not updated. Please find below my feedback on those:
1) African wild dog, cheetah and ostrich were given the desert tag, but their sand and heat requirements remained low. They could perhaps be given a range up to 42 degrees Celsius like the springbok, another species that has both grasslands and desert tags. 44 degrees would probably be too high, as they are not exclusively desert animals. Sand terrain suitability is another issue on its own, as even animals that already had the desert tag from the beginning, like African elephants and springboks, had very low sand tolerance. These should all be increased. Cheetah also needs the Asia tag, since they are present in Iran, as the Zoopedia map shows.
2) Giant panda and Formosan black bear were given the taiga tag, but their temperature suitability ranges were not updated. In fact, even during snowy nights on the taiga map, they are just fine in shelter, so the figures don't need adjusting. However, what needs adjusting is, they still lose a lot of welfare points for each degree of falling temperature, same as tropical animals (Formosan black bear suffers from this more so than the giant panda). On the other hand, I've noticed that animals that had taiga tags from the beginning can tolerate much lower temperatures than stated in the Zoopedia, purely because of this effect. The red panda also suffers from this, even though it had taiga and temperate tags from the very beginning.
3) There are other strange temperature suitability inconsistencies, like koalas having better heat tolerance over kangaroos and dingoes, even though the former is the only one that doesn't have the grasslands and desert tags. However I will not go deeper into this topic on this thread, as the main focus of this thread is biome suitability.
The inspirational threads I was talking about earlier:
1) https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/carnivore-biome-feedback.554014/
2) https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threa...ck-and-factual-suggestions-megathread.532562/
3) https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/zoopedia-errors-northern-diamondback-terrapin.561409/
In this thread I will be focusing on the inclusion of additional biome tags for animals, and less on the exclusion of them. Therefore, unless the recommendations specifically mention the removal or replacement of a certain biome, all biome recommendations are for the addition of extra biomes without replacing existing ones.
Aardvark: Desert. Also better sand and heat suitability. A simple comparison of the aardvark range and biomes of Africa should be enough to decide on this one, as their range entirely overlaps with desert plants in the game like the Sudanese frankincense tree, so it doesn't make sense why they would have an aversion to them.
1) https://www.researchgate.net/public...or_Animals_in_Arid_and_Semi-Arid_Environments
African Elephant: Tropical, Temperate. Also better dirt (forests) and sand suitability (deserts), as well as better cold suitability due to their presence in temperate South African forests and Ethiopian highlands. It's a common misconception to think only the forest elephant inhabits rainforests.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Loxodonta_africana/
"Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune; savanna or grassland; rainforest; scrub forest.....African elephants are found in many habitats of Africa such as savannas, rain forests, woodlands, scrub forests, occasionally deserts, and beaches.....Across these habitats, the elevation level ranges from sea level (0 meters) to 4000 meters. (Duffy, et al., 2011; Harris, et al., 2008; Laursen and Bekoff, 1978; Mashintonio, et al., 2014)"
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_bush_elephant
"including subtropical and temperate forests, dry and seasonally flooded grasslands and woodlands, wetlands and agricultural land from sea level to mountain slopes. In Mali and Namibia, it also inhabits desert areas.[2] In Ethiopia, the African bush elephant has historically been recorded up to an altitude of 2,500 m (8,200 ft). By the late 1970s, the population had declined to a herd in the Dawa River valley and one close to the Kenyan border."
Aldabra Tortoise: Grasslands. Even its Zoopedia picture depicts the tortoise in a drier environment.
1) https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/aldabra-tortoise
"The largest concentration of tortoises is found in the grasslands called platins."
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldabra_giant_tortoise
"A peculiar habitat has coevolved due to the grazing pressures of the tortoises: "tortoise turf", a comingling of 20+ species of grasses and herbs."
Amazonian Giant Centipede: Grasslands.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Scolopendra_gigantea/
"Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland; forest; scrub forest"
American Bison: Tundra, Taiga. Also better cold suitability and perhaps slightly higher rock suitability. It is a bit strange not being able to use coniferous foliage in bison habitats. Even the Zoopedia properly depicts conifers in the background, probably in reference to the Yellowstone National Park. However, plant coverage requirement should still remain the same (low), as they prefer open areas. Bison also need a snow suitability range of up to 100% as they are more associated with tundra than pronghorn. Perhaps their 80% can be swapped with that of the pronghorn.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/2815/123789863
"1.1. Forest - Boreal, 4.1. Grassland - Tundra, 4.2. Grassland - Subarctic"
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bison
"lightly wooded areas are also known historically to have supported bison. They also graze in hilly or mountainous areas where the slopes are not steep. Though not particularly known as high-altitude animals, bison in the Yellowstone Park bison herd are frequently found at elevations above 8,000 feet and the Henry Mountains bison herd is found on the plains around the Henry Mountains, Utah, as well as in mountain valleys of the Henry Mountains to an altitude of 10,000 feet."
3) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Bison_bison/
"Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland; forest; scrub forest......they were also found from boreal habitats to semi-desert habitats if grazing was suitable. Bison are now more limited in distribution and, therefore, the habitats they occupy."
Arctic Wolf: Removal of Taiga. Their entire range lies north of the treeline, therefore should be removed. They should also have better long grass suitability, as grasses, lichen and moss are the dominant flora in the tundra.
1) http://animalia.bio/arctic-wolf
"They spend their life in the Arctic tundra, higher than the northern tree line."
2) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/North_American_gray_wolf_subspecies_distribution_according_to_Goldman_(1944)_&_MSW3_(2005).png
3) https://ecoregions2017.appspot.com/
Bactrian Camel: Taiga. As well as much better cold tolerance, grass, snow suitability and a lower minimum limit for sand requirement (perhaps 0-100% for both types of grass, sand and snow). Since steppe and savanna are lumped into one biome in the game, I have excluded grasslands, as this would include tropical plants like the baobab tree. Would be pretty strange for an animal in the polar climate zone, the exact opposite of tropical. Plant coverage should remain low, like in the bison example.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactrian_camel
"temperatures are extreme, ranging from as low as −40 °C in winter to 40 °C in summer."
"The Bactrian camel is thought to have been domesticated (independent of the dromedary) sometime before 2500 BC in Northeast Afghanistan[22] or southwestern Turkestan.[23]" (subalpine forest zone, prime Himalayan brown bear habitat)
2) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Camelus_bactrianus_distribution_map.png
As seen here, they range from the taiga in the north (around Lake Baikal), to the coniferous subalpine forests of the Himalayas in the south. The game's distribution map should also be corrected.
3) https://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/72162035.pdf
"The vegetation zones result from 1) a severe continental climate characterized by very cold winter temperatures (as low as –52 °C) and high summer temperatures of >40 °C in the Gobi"
Baird's Tapir: Taiga. A versatile and adaptable species capable of making use of various habitats throughout its range, including mountains; even regions above the treeline. It makes sense for them to be at least coniferous foliage compatible, if not tundra.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tapirus_bairdii/
"Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland; forest; rainforest; mountains.........found in most vegetation types at elevations ranging from sea level to 3,600 meters...... montane cloud forests, and paramo (treeless alpine plateau)."
2) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/21471/45173340
"3.7. Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude - Suitable, 4.7. Grassland - Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude - Suitable............covering the top of medium-altitude mountains; from sea level to 3,620 m"
Brazilian Salmon Pink Tarantula: Grasslands. As seen in the Zoopedia, they are from eastern Brazil, which can be relatively drier. Therefore grasslands could be added as a secondary biome.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasiodora_parahybana
"L. parahybana are endemic to Brazil in the Atlantic forest region of the country; they are known from one area near Campina Grande."
Colombian White-Faced Capuchin: Central instead of North America and Grasslands instead of Temperate. The Panamanian and Colombian white-faced capuchins used to be classified as two subspecies under the same species, now they are different species altogether. But even according to both types of classification the Colombian white-faced capuchin is absent from North America. The blue section on the map is for the Panamanian species. Therefore should only have the South/Central America tag.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombian_white-faced_capuchin
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panamanian_white-faced_capuchin
3) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/81257277/17938441
"2.2. Savanna - Moist - Suitable"
Common Death Adder: Tropical
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_death_adder
"Common death adders are found in forests, woodlands, grasslands and heaths of the eastern coast of Australia."
2) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Common_Death_Adder.png
As the map shows, their range includes the tropical and subtropical rainforests of Australia.
3) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/42492756/42492764
"1.6. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland - Suitable......This species' habitats range from rainforest to shrublands and heaths (Wilson and Swan 2013), as well as grassland (M. Venz pers. comm. 2017)."
Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman: Removal of Temperate. They only inhabit lowland tropical rainforests and riparian gallery forests in savanna/grassland lowland ecosystems of equatorial South America, therefore do not experience any climate outside tropical.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Paleosuchus_palpebrosus/
"Habitat Regions: tropical; terrestrial; freshwater"
2) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/46587/3009946
"Upper Elevation Limit: 500 metres"
Diamondback Terrapin: This is a rather complicated case as one user describes. I would recommend reading the original post instead of me repeating it here.
1) https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/zoopedia-errors-northern-diamondback-terrapin.561409/
Eastern Brown Snake: Tropical
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_brown_snake
As the map shows, their range includes the tropical and subtropical rainforests of Australia.
3) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/42493315/42493324
"1.6. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland - Suitable, 1.8. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Swamp - Suitable, 1.9. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane - Suitable"
Galapagos Giant Tortoise: Grasslands, Desert. Due to the current restrictions, their most staple dietary item, the prickly pear or cacti in general, make them unhappy when placed in their habitat. Galapagos tortoises should be given the desert tag, while prickly pears should also have the South/Central America tag.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Chelonoidis_nigra/
"Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland; forest; scrub forest.......It spends the cooler hours of its day in the warm, but completely dry, lava soils in the lowlands of the islands, where the terrain is usually arid and grassy."
"They may wallow there for hours, drinking and swimming lazily." (They should also be able to swim)
2) https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/nt1307
Classified under "Deserts and Xeric Shrublands"
3) https://books.google.com.tr/books?id=f8T3Dl5tokYC&pg=PA209&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
"Dawson, E.Y. (1966). "Cacti in the Galápagos islands, with special reference to their relations with tortoises". In Bowman, R.I (ed.). The Galápagos. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 209–214."
4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galápagos_tortoise
"The tortoises are herbivores that consume a diet of cacti, grasses, leaves, lichens, berries, melons, oranges, and milkweed.[93]"
"which enables the tortoise to browse tall vegetation such as the Opuntia (prickly pear) cactus that grows in arid environments.[87]"
"Tortoises acquire most of their moisture from the dew and sap in vegetation (particularly the Opuntia cactus); therefore, they can survive longer than 6 months without water. They can endure up to a year when deprived of all food and water,[96] surviving by breaking down their body fat to produce water as a byproduct. Tortoises also have very slow metabolisms.[97]"
Gemsbok: Grasslands. Like the springbok, the gemsbok should also have both biomes. The Zoopedia pic also suggests they are at home in the savanna.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15573/166485425
"2. Savanna - 2.1. Savanna - Dry - Suitable"
2) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Oryx_gazella/
"Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune; savanna or grassland.....in wooded grasslands as well as wetter grasslands."
Gharial: Grasslands, Desert. Historically gharials were present in the Indus river system of Pakistan, which is dominated by desert, xeric scrub, shrub and grassland landscapes, therefore gharials shouldn't have an aversion to desert and grassland plants.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Gavialis_gangeticus/
"Gavialis gangeticus is found in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. It historically inhabits four river systems: the Indus (Pakistan), the Ganges..."
2) http://crocodilian.com/cnhc/cst_ggan_dh_map.htm
The highlighted region on the left shows the historic Indus basin population
3) https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/an-unholy-river-protects-the-last-of-these-rare-crocs
"The Chambal River stretches some 600 miles through three states in northern India. It drains into the Yamuna River, a main tributary of the Ganges. Surrounding the river is a region of steep bluffs, box canyons, and ravines—a blazing-hot desert dominated by thorny scrub...." As seen here, even today not all populations dwell in forests.
Giant Burrowing Cockroach: Tropical instead of Temperate. There has been a lot of feedback about the game's map not having temperate biome for Australia, despite the animals having the tags. Odd enough, the cockroach is the exact opposite example. It is endemic to the only true tropical rainforest in Australia, but has a temperate tag. Therefore needs to removed and replaced with tropical.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland_tropical_rain_forests
"The Queensland tropical rain forests are designated one of the Global 200 ecoregions."
2) https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/aa0117
"Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests"
3) https://ecoregions2017.appspot.com/
Showing the region of the tropical rainforest, which can be compared to the range of the cockroach in the Zoopedia.
Greater Flamingo: Desert. Also better sand and heat suitability. They are found in desert areas like the Middle East and Namibia.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22697360/155527405
Shows distribution map to be compared with any map showing desert regions of the world. It would also be nice to have this map as the updated map for the in-game Zoopedia.
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_flamingo
This link was given particularly for the picture depicting the Namibian landscape: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great...),_Walvis_Bay,_Namibia,_2018-08-05,_DD_22.jpg
Grey Seal: Taiga. Their range includes regions with boreal forests, so they shouldn't have an aversion to coniferous foliage.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_..._Seal_Halichoerus_grypus_distribution_map.png
Grizzly Bear: Grasslands. As well as better long grass suitability. Grasses form an important part of their diet and "in North America they seem to prefer open areas such as tundra, alpine meadows, and coastlines": https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ursus_arctos/
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ursus_arctos/
"Historically, they were common on the Great Plains prior to the arrival of European settlers."
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_bear
"Its original range included much of the Great Plains and the southwestern states, but it has been extirpated in most of those areas."
3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_bear#/media/File:Ursus_arctos_horribilis_map.svg
Hippopotamus: Tropical. They are also found in rainforests, therefore shouldn't have an aversion towards plants with the tropical tag.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/10103/18567364
"1. Forest - 1.6. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland - Suitable"
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopotamus
"They can be found in both savannah and forest areas.[1]"
Indian Rhino: Tropical and perhaps Aquatic. If the Proboscis Monkey is going to keep its aquatic biome category, then it is a must have for the Indian Rhino. They are much more associated with wetlands than any primate, as seen from their IUCN Red List profiles. In terms of forests, they only have temperate in the game right now, which makes sense since their range extends along the foothills of the Himalayas, but then they should also have the tropical category, and shouldn't have an aversion to tropical trees, as this is the most widespread forest type in the region. However forests are still categorized as marginal for this species, so either both types of forests should be excluded, or both included at the same time. Coverage should remain low, at least under 50%, as they are primarily an open grassland species.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19496/18494149
"1.6. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland - Marginal........5. Wetlands (inland) - 5.4. Wetlands (inland) - Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands - Suitable.....5.7. Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) - Suitable....5.8. Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) - Suitable"
Jaguar: Desert. They shouldn't have an aversion towards desert plants of the Americas. However their plant coverage, temperature and sand suitability should remain the same.
1) https://www.northernjaguarproject.org/jaguars-in-northwestern-mexico-find-safe-haven-in-new-reserve/
"have nearly eliminated them from their northern range. An estimated population of 80 to 120 jaguars remains in the Sonoran desert."
Koala: Grasslands. Most of their range corresponds to grassland environments, particularly riparian gallery forests in eucalypt savannas.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/16892/166496779
"1.5. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry - Suitable, 2. Savanna - 2.1. Savanna - Dry - Suitable"
Lesser Antillean Iguana: Grasslands. This species is better adapted to drier habitats than the green iguana. The Lesser Antilles as a region has both tropical wet and tropical dry/semi-arid islands and the iguanas live in both habitats.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/10800/122936983
"1.5. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry - Suitable, 1.6. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland - Suitable, 3.5. Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry - Suitable, 4.5. Grassland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry - Suitable.........The species exists in xeric scrub, dry scrub woodland, littoral woodland, river forests, and mangrove, as well as lower and mid-altitude portions of transitional rainforest. The present condition of these habitats varies from island to island."
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Antillean_iguana
"The Lesser Antillean iguana is found in scrub woodlands, rainforests, and mangroves throughout the Lesser Antilles on Saint Barth, Anguilla, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Martinique.[1]"
Llama: Tundra. Like their wild ancestors, llamas are mostly found in the alpine tundra of the Andes, above the treeline. Not having this tag prevents players from adding several Andean plants that have the tundra tag.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lama_glama/
"Range elevation:2300 to 4000 m....Average elevation: 3000 m.....These plateaus are covered with low growth, including various shrubs, stunted trees and grasses." The grasslands mentioned here are alpine tundra meadows and grasslands, so the grasslands tag for savanna/steppe could be removed, as this is pretty much like the snow leopard having a grasslands tag. The "stunted trees" mentioned in this example, are trees like the polylepis tree, which we sadly can't add to llama habitats right now, due to llamas not having a tundra tag.
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llama
"The link between the Andean biomes of puna and páramo, llama pastoralism and the Inca state is a matter of research.[48]" Both the puna and paramo are alpine tundra habitats.
3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Páramo
"Páramo can refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline".[1]" The puya plant is also native to this habitat, so they should also have the tundra tag in addition to taiga: "and the spectacled bear which occasionally forages in the high páramo for its favored food, Puya bromeliads.[17]".
4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puna_grassland
"The puna grassland ecoregion, of the montane grasslands and shrublands biome, is found in the central Andes Mountains of South America......The puna is found above the treeline at 3200–3500 m elevation, and below the permanent snow line above 4500–5000 m elevation."
Malayan Tapir: Removal of Aquatic and Temperate. They are restricted to the tropical rainforests of the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, which is as tropical as it can get. They don't experience a temperate climate at all, unlike some other Southeast Asian animals (e.g. Clouded leopard). The Malayan tapir is also the least aquatic of all tapirs. It doesn't make sense for it to have the tag when the Baird's tapir does not. Either both should have it, or the tag should be removed from the Malayan tapir. If the decision is to keep the tag, then along with the Baird's tapir, a lot of other animals should be given the aquatic tag (e.g. Jaguar, Indian rhino, Indian elephant, Sulawesi babirusa and Nile monitor).
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tapirus_indicus/
"Habitat Regions: tropical; terrestrial, Terrestrial Biomes: forest; rainforest......Malayan tapirs are forest dwellers that inhabit tropical terrestrial habitats......they are the least aquatic of the extant Tapiridae."
2) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/21472/45173636
"T. indicus is restricted to tropical moist forest areas and occurs in both primary and secondary forest and wetland areas."
Nile Monitor: Temperate. They are found in the temperate forests of South Africa, as well as the Eastern Mediterranean (historically). They should also have better cold suitability than other habitat reptiles in the game.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Varanus_niloticus/
"Habitat Regions: temperate; tropical; terrestrial; freshwater"
North Sulawesi Babirusa: Removal of Grasslands. They are endemic to the island of Sulawesi, where the only available biome is tropical rainforest. Grasslands suitability isn't even marginal for the babirusa.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/136446/44142964
"System: Terrestrial, Freshwater (=Inland waters); Habitat Type: Forest, Wetlands (inland).....The Sulawesi Babirusa inhabits tropical rain forest on the banks of rivers and ponds abounding in water plants."
2) https://ecoregions2017.appspot.com/
As seen here, the only available habitat/biome type in Sulawesi is tropical rainforest.
Polar Bear: Taiga, Asia. It is odd that polar bears are missing the Asia tag in the game, as the majority of their range in the Old World is in Asia. Russia might be considered to be a European state politically, but the majority of its landmass is in Asia, aka Siberia. They should also have better long grass suitability, as the dominant flora in the tundra is grasses. Another issue is heat tolerance. It shouldn't really be lower than the king penguin, the latter which never experiences high temperatures in its natural environment.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22823/14871490
"1. Forest - 1.1. Forest - Boreal - Suitable"
2) https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/resear.../ten-wild-features-of-manitobas-boreal-forest
"Manitoba contains some of the largest, southernmost, and most important polar bear habitat on the planet......Hundreds of polar bear sows move inland to give birth to their cubs in earthen and snow-covered dens on the solitary edges of Manitoba’s boreal forest......their maternal dens in northern Manitoba can be found up to 93 miles (150 kilometers) inland.....This habitat, considered the world’s largest denning area for polar bears, is vital to the long-term health of this iconic northern species."
Proboscis Monkey: Removal of Aquatic. They are indeed very good swimmers, and one of the few primates that regularly does. However classification as semi-aquatic is a little far-fetched. When animals in the game like the jaguar, the two tigers, Nile monitor, Baird's tapir, Indian rhino, Sulawesi babirusa (you can see the differentiation in the system/habitat type compared to the proboscis monkey below) and the two elephants don't have this category, it doesn't make any sense for a primate to have it. The ones listed, except the tigers (which also should have in reality), even have swimming space requirements in the game when the proboscis monkey does not. It is best to be removed before it's too late. Base game and DLC's should have a sense of consistency to them.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/14352/195372486
"System: Terrestrial; Habitat Type: Forest"
2) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Nasalis_larvatus/
"Habitat Regions: tropical; terrestrial"
Pronghorn: Desert, Taiga (instead of Temperate). They should also have better sand and heat suitability. The recommendation to replace the temperate tag with taiga is due to the fact that they are absent from the temperate broadleaf regions of the continent, and according to the game temperate coniferous forests are considered taiga. Like the bison, plant coverage limit should be pretty low and definitely not up to 100% like it is now.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/1677/115056938
"8.2. Desert - Temperate - Suitable.....Upper Elevation Limit: 3,350 metres"
2) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Antilocapra_americana/
"Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune; savanna or grassland; chaparral.....Pronghorns are primarily found in grassland, sage scrub or chaparral, and desert......Pronghorns are particularly dependent on sage brush for forage in these areas......Pronghorn feed primarily on sage, forbs, and grasses.....In winter, northern populations depend heavily on sage brush." It is odd that currently we can't place their favorite food item in their habitats.
3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pronghorn
"Pronghorns prefer open, expansive terrain at elevations varying between 900 and 1,800 m (3,000 and 5,900 ft), with the densest populations in areas receiving around 25–40 cm (9.8–15.7 in) of rainfall per year......cacti comprised 40%, grass 22%, forbs 20%, and shrubs 18%.[21]"
4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_tridentata
"throughout a range of cold desert, steppe, and mountain habitats in the Intermountain West of North America.....Sagebrush provides food and habitat for a variety of species, such as sage grouse, pronghorn antelope...." Took this link from another thread, a good example for the pronghorn-sagebrush pairing.
Puff Adder: Desert.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puff_adder
"The puff adder (Bitis arietans) is a venomous viper species found in savannah and grasslands from Morocco and western Arabia throughout Africa except for the Sahara and rainforest regions.[2]"
2) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Bitis-arietans-range-map.png
As the map shows it is present in the desertic regions of East and South Africa, such as the Kalahari desert.
Ring Tailed Lemur: Grasslands, Desert, Temperate and Taiga. Also better grass, sand, rock, heat and cold suitability. Just like the bison, ring tailed lemur also has a Zoopedia image that is indicative of one of the missing biomes. I would understand if Frontier decides not to assign temperate and taiga at the same time, for the sake of one animal not having too many tags, but would be very cool if they had both. If I was to choose only one from those two, I would prefer temperate, as that tag would add more plant options. However, if we are to get African alpine plants with the addition of animals like the gelada in the future, then taiga would be my pick.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/11496/115565760
"6. Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)....Upper Elevation Limit: 2,600 metres.......including gallery, littoral, and dry deciduous forests, spiny bush, brush and scrub, high-altitude ericoid bush and rocky outcrop vegetation (Sauther et al. 1999, Goodman et al. 2006, Gould 2006, Cameron and Gould 2013, Gould and Gabriel 2014, LaFleur et al. 2014, LaFleur and Sauther 2015). Indeed, at the upper portion of its elevation range on Andringitra, the species occurs in a zone above the forest line and in a vast expanse of vertical rock, with up to 400-m tall talwegs, surrounded by ericoid savanna. It encounters the most extreme climatic conditions on the island from the hottest and driest (Tsimanampesotse) to the coldest (Andringitra Massif)."
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring-tailed_lemur
"Endemic to southern and southwestern Madagascar, the ring-tailed lemur ranges further into highland areas than other lemurs. It inhabits deciduous forests, dry scrub, montane humid forests, and gallery forests (forests along riverbanks)......Depending on location, temperatures within its geographic range can vary from −12 °C (10 °F)[23] at Andringitra Massif to 48 °C (118 °F) in the spiny forests of Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve.[36]"
3) https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/at1311
A major biome within their range, classified as "Deserts and Xeric Shrublands".
4) https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/at1312
Another major biome within their range, classified as "Deserts and Xeric Shrublands".
5) https://ecoregions2017.appspot.com/
These last three sources are to show what biomes dominate the landscape of Southwestern Madagascar, where the ring tailed lemurs are endemic to. We even have the iconic thin and long baobab variant in the game, that sadly can't be incorporated into ring tailed lemur habitats right now (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar_succulent_woodlands).
Saltwater Crocodile: Grasslands. Also higher coverage suitability range as it also has the rainforest biome tag.
1) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Crocodylus_porosus/
"Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland"
Snow Leopard: Tundra. Also better grass suitability, as alpine tundra is defined as the region above the treeline and is dominated by meadows and grasslands, with no trees. Their primary biome is the alpine tundra and not subalpine forests, which corresponds to taiga in the game.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22732/50664030
"Snow Leopards inhabit mountainous rangelands at elevations of 3,000 to over 5,000 m in the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau, but can occur as low as 500 m in the Altai"
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_leopard
"In summer, snow leopards usually live above the tree line on mountainous meadows and in rocky regions at altitudes from 2,700 to 6,000 m (8,900 to 19,700 ft). In winter, they come down into the forests to altitudes around 1,200 to 2,000 m (3,900 to 6,600 ft)."
3) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Uncia_uncia/
"Snow leopards live in alpine and subalpine zones from elevations of 900 to 5,500 meters or higher, but generally at altitudes between 3,000 and 4,500 meters. In the winter they may migrate to lower elevations of 900 meters, following their preferred prey. Snow leopards generally avoid dense forest cover and cultivated fields, but are associated with open coniferous forest, as well as arid and semi-arid shrubland, grassland, alpine meadows and barren habitats."
Spotted Hyena: Desert. Also better sand and heat suitability. They are even found in the Namib desert, the most arid region in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the desertic East Africa, so they shouldn't really have an aversion to desert plants.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_hyena
"The species dwells in semi-deserts, savannah, open woodland, dense dry woodland, and mountainous forests up to 4,000 m in altitude. It is scarce or absent in tropical rainforests and coastal areas. Its preferred habitats in west Africa include the Guinea and Sudan savannahs, and is absent in the belt of dense coastal forest. In the Namib Desert, it occurs in riverine growth along seasonal rivers, the sub-desertic pro-Namib and the adjoining inland plateau."
2) https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Crocuta_crocuta/
"Crocuta crocuta is common in many types of open, dry habitat including semi-desert, savannah, acacia bush.....Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune; savanna or grassland..."
Western Chimpanzee: Grasslands. Also better grass suitability.
1) https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15935/102327574
"Chimpanzees range further in savanna-dominated landscapes than in mixed forest (Pruetz and Bertolani 2009, Matsuzawa et al. 2011)." (speaking of Western chimpanzees in particular)
2) https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2332/chimpanzeecaremanual2010r.pdf
"Chimpanzees were once widespread across much of Africa from the southern and western edges of the Sahara to the Cape of Good Hope but are now concentrated in the forests and savannas around the equatorial belt."
3) http://savannachimp.blogspot.com/
"Research on West African chimpanzees living in a savanna mosaic at Fongoli, Senegal since 2001, with a focus on the behavioral ecology of apes in a semi-arid environment."
4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimpanzee
"The chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), also known as the common chimpanzee, robust chimpanzee, or simply chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa......It lives in a variety of habitats, including dry savanna, evergreen rainforest, montane forest, swamp forest and dry woodland-savanna mosaic."
Yellow Anaconda: Grasslands. They are found in the Pantanal, the world's largest flooded grasslands. Another major flooded grasslands region, the Everglades, is prone to yellow anaconda invasion.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_anaconda
"from the Pantanal region in Bolivia, Paraguay, and.....becoming an invasive species in areas such as the Florida Everglades."
On my list, I also had some of the animals that were addressed a few patches pack. Since those biomes were already added, I removed those animals from my recommendations draft. However, when those animals received their new biomes, their plant coverage, terrain and temperature suitability were not updated. Please find below my feedback on those:
1) African wild dog, cheetah and ostrich were given the desert tag, but their sand and heat requirements remained low. They could perhaps be given a range up to 42 degrees Celsius like the springbok, another species that has both grasslands and desert tags. 44 degrees would probably be too high, as they are not exclusively desert animals. Sand terrain suitability is another issue on its own, as even animals that already had the desert tag from the beginning, like African elephants and springboks, had very low sand tolerance. These should all be increased. Cheetah also needs the Asia tag, since they are present in Iran, as the Zoopedia map shows.
2) Giant panda and Formosan black bear were given the taiga tag, but their temperature suitability ranges were not updated. In fact, even during snowy nights on the taiga map, they are just fine in shelter, so the figures don't need adjusting. However, what needs adjusting is, they still lose a lot of welfare points for each degree of falling temperature, same as tropical animals (Formosan black bear suffers from this more so than the giant panda). On the other hand, I've noticed that animals that had taiga tags from the beginning can tolerate much lower temperatures than stated in the Zoopedia, purely because of this effect. The red panda also suffers from this, even though it had taiga and temperate tags from the very beginning.
3) There are other strange temperature suitability inconsistencies, like koalas having better heat tolerance over kangaroos and dingoes, even though the former is the only one that doesn't have the grasslands and desert tags. However I will not go deeper into this topic on this thread, as the main focus of this thread is biome suitability.
The inspirational threads I was talking about earlier:
1) https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/carnivore-biome-feedback.554014/
2) https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threa...ck-and-factual-suggestions-megathread.532562/
3) https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/zoopedia-errors-northern-diamondback-terrapin.561409/
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