I wanted to see and try how difficult it would be the design an animal roster for a game like Planet zoo. Turns out it's pretty hard when you are restricted to 50. Still I was in my opinion able to create much more diverse roster than what Frontier initially did. Admittedly there is probably a lot more to be considered in reality than just diversity. In this thread I will have the full list of species and explain some things at the end of the thread. I'm also interested in hearing other your opinions and feedback. This only includes habitat animals but I also did one for the exhibit animals. I restricted myself to 50 species. That is what Planet zoo launched with excluding the deluxe.
When considering the species count for each continent I took into consideration the size of the continent, biodiversity and representation in real zoos. North America, Europe and Oceania are all not represented much outside of their native zoos, this is reflected in the roster.
Number of species per continent:
Africa: 16
Asia: 14
South America: 7
North America: 5
Europe: 4
Oceania: 4
Africa:
1. African Bush Elephant [Loxodonta africana] Savanna, Desert
2. African Lion [Panthera leo melanochaita] Savanna, Desert
3. Chimpanzee [Pan troglodytes] Rainforest, Savanna
4. Western Lowland Gorilla [Gorilla gorilla gorilla] Rainforest
5. Masai Giraffe [Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchii] Savanna
6. Hippopotamus [Hippopotamus amphibius] Savanna, Rainforest
7. White Rhinoceros [Ceratotherium simum] Savanna
8. Plains Zebra [Equus guagga] Savanna
9. Saharan Cheetah [Acinonyx jubatus hecki] Desert
10. Blue Wildebeest [Connochaetes taurinus] Savanna
11. Ring-tailed Lemur [Lemur catta] Desert, Rainforest
12. Common Warthog [Phacochoerus africanus] Savanna, Desert
13. Rock Hyrax [Procavia capensis capensis] Mediterranean, Desert, Montane
14. North African Ostrich [Struthio camelus camelus] Savanna, Desert
15. Greater Flamingo [Phoenicopterus roseus] Savanna, Mediterranean, Desert
16. African Spurred Tortoise [Centrochelys sulcata] Desert, Savanna
Asia:
1. Mainland Tiger [Panthera tigris tigris] Rainforest, Dryforest, Temperate, Taiga
2. Indian Elephant [Elephas maximus indicus] Rainforest, Dryforest
3. Indian Rhinoceros [Rhinoceros unicornis] Rainforest, Dryforest
4. Bornean Orangutan [Pongo pygmaeus] Rainforest
5. Giant Panda [Ailuropoda melanoleuca] Rainforest, Temperate
6. Red Panda [Ailurus fulgens] Temperate
7. Snow leopard [Panthera uncia] Montane
8. Sun Bear [Helarctos malayanus] Rainforest
9. Amur Leopard [Panthera pardus orientalis] Temperate
10. Malayan Tapir [Acrocodia indica] Rainforest
11. Siamang [Symphalangus syndactylus] Rainforest
12. Komodo Dragon [Varanus komodoensis] Savanna, Dryforest
13. Gharial [Gavialis gangeticus] Dryforest, Rainforest
14. Indian Peafowl [Pavo cristatus] Dryforest, Rainforest
South America:
1. Jaguar [Panthera onca] Rainforest, Savanna, Dryforest
2. Giant Anteater [Myrmecophaga tridactyla] Savanna, Rainforest, Dryforest, Desert
3. Black Howler [Alouatta caraya] Rainforest
4. Capybara [Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris] Rainforest, Savanna
5. Maned Wolf [Chrysocyon brachyurus] Savanna, Dryforest
6. Galapagos Tortoise [Chelonoidis porteri] Savanna, Rainforest
7. Spectacled Caiman [Caiman crocodilus] Rainforest, Savanna
North America:
1. American Bison [Bison bison] Steppe, Temperate, Taiga
2. Pronghorn [Antilocapra americana] Steppe, Desert, Dryforest, Mediterranean
3. Grizzly Bear [Ursus arctos horriblis] Taiga, Temperate, Tundra
4. Alaskan Moose [Alces alces gigas] Taiga, Temperate
5. American Alligator [Alligator mississippiensis] Temperate, Savanna
Europe:
1. Alpine Ibex [Capra ibex] Montane
2. Eurasian Lynx [Lynx lynx] Temperate, Taiga
3. Alpine Marmot [Marmota marmota] Montane
4. Eurasian Wolf [Canis lupus lupus] Temperate, Taiga, Steppe
Oceania:
1. Red Kangaroo [Ospharanter rufus] Desert, Savanna, Steppe
2. Koala [Phascolarctos cinereus] Temperate, Savanna
3. Southern Cassowary [Casuarius casuarius] Rainforest
4. Saltwater Crocodile [Crocodylus porosus] Rainforest, Savanna
Deluxe
1. Pygmy hippopotamus [Hexaprotodon liberiensis] Rainforest
2. Bactrian camel [Camelus bactrianus] Desert, Steppe, Montane
3. Guanaco [Lama guanicoe] Steppe, Montane, Desert
4.Wolverine [Gulo gulo luscus] Taiga, Tundra
5. Central European Boar [Sus scrofa scrofa] Temperate, Mediterranean, Steppe
6. Red-necked Wallaby [Macropus rufogriseus] Temperate, Mediterranean, Steppe, Savanna
Biomes
I used Olson & Dinersteins terrestial biomes for WWF. I came up with simple one word tags for each biome for the sake of clarity. Biomes are fully explained in brackets. I merged temperate broadleaf & mixed forest with temperate coniferous forest. And subtropical & tropical dry broardleaf forests with subtropical & tropical coniferous forests. This way the biomes are little more broad and round out nicely at ten. Merging these also doesn't interfere too much with realism since these biomes are fairly similar and usually next to each other anyway. So if a species inhabits one it most likely inhabits the other one aswell. I also excluded both aquatic biomes; mangrove and flooded grasslands & shrublands. These are both very niche biomes and wouldn't get much use. On top of that all animals that could have these biomes can be represented in other biomes as well. All biomes will have some aquatic plants. And if a species is aquatic it will be expressed in water requirement. Also many species visit these biomes and it would get really hard choosing which animals should have aquatic biome tags. For example lions inhabit the Okavango Delta (which is a flooded grassland) but are in no way aquatic animals. Animals have their suitable biomes listed in order of preference if they have multiple.
Usability among the roster (base+deluxe)
1. Savanna (Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas & shrublands) 23+1
2. Rainforest (Tropical & subtropical moist broadleaf forests) 22+1
3. Desert (Desert & xeric shrublads) 12+2
4. Temperate (Temperate broadleaf, coniferous & mixed forests) 11+2
5. Dryforest (Subtropical & Tropical dry broadleaf- & coniferous forests) 10
6. Steppe (Temperate grasslands & shrublands) 5+4
7. Taiga (Boreal forest) 6+1
8. Montane (Montane grasslands & shrublands) 4+2
9. Mediterranean (Mediterranean forests, woodlands & scrub) 3+2
10. Tundra 1+1
Choosing subspecies
I always went with a specific subspecies if the species inhabits multiple continents. For example lion, cheetah, grey wolf, brown bear. Or if the subspecies had major anatomical differences for example ostrich and leopard.
Deluxe
Trying to fit the roster to 50 species was really hard so decided to boost the deluxe edition from three animals to seven. One species from each continent to keep the species spread. All deluxe animals are in my opinion exciting but not necessarily must haves. This is in my opinion exactly what a deluxe edition should accomplish.
No Arctic or Aquatic animals?
Frontiers choice of not including arctic or aquatic animals in the base roster was in my opinion good. I would also do this and the first four DLCs would be in order Arctic, Mountains, Islands and Aquatic. This model would boost representation in the most lacking biomes; tundra, montane, mediterranean. And add the missing iconic zoo animals such as polar bears, penguins and pinnipeds.
Explaining some of the more debatable picks and big changes
Africa
Asia
South America
North America
Europe
Oceania
Deluxe
When considering the species count for each continent I took into consideration the size of the continent, biodiversity and representation in real zoos. North America, Europe and Oceania are all not represented much outside of their native zoos, this is reflected in the roster.
Number of species per continent:
Africa: 16
Asia: 14
South America: 7
North America: 5
Europe: 4
Oceania: 4
Africa:
1. African Bush Elephant [Loxodonta africana] Savanna, Desert
2. African Lion [Panthera leo melanochaita] Savanna, Desert
3. Chimpanzee [Pan troglodytes] Rainforest, Savanna
4. Western Lowland Gorilla [Gorilla gorilla gorilla] Rainforest
5. Masai Giraffe [Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchii] Savanna
6. Hippopotamus [Hippopotamus amphibius] Savanna, Rainforest
7. White Rhinoceros [Ceratotherium simum] Savanna
8. Plains Zebra [Equus guagga] Savanna
9. Saharan Cheetah [Acinonyx jubatus hecki] Desert
10. Blue Wildebeest [Connochaetes taurinus] Savanna
11. Ring-tailed Lemur [Lemur catta] Desert, Rainforest
12. Common Warthog [Phacochoerus africanus] Savanna, Desert
13. Rock Hyrax [Procavia capensis capensis] Mediterranean, Desert, Montane
14. North African Ostrich [Struthio camelus camelus] Savanna, Desert
15. Greater Flamingo [Phoenicopterus roseus] Savanna, Mediterranean, Desert
16. African Spurred Tortoise [Centrochelys sulcata] Desert, Savanna
Asia:
1. Mainland Tiger [Panthera tigris tigris] Rainforest, Dryforest, Temperate, Taiga
2. Indian Elephant [Elephas maximus indicus] Rainforest, Dryforest
3. Indian Rhinoceros [Rhinoceros unicornis] Rainforest, Dryforest
4. Bornean Orangutan [Pongo pygmaeus] Rainforest
5. Giant Panda [Ailuropoda melanoleuca] Rainforest, Temperate
6. Red Panda [Ailurus fulgens] Temperate
7. Snow leopard [Panthera uncia] Montane
8. Sun Bear [Helarctos malayanus] Rainforest
9. Amur Leopard [Panthera pardus orientalis] Temperate
10. Malayan Tapir [Acrocodia indica] Rainforest
11. Siamang [Symphalangus syndactylus] Rainforest
12. Komodo Dragon [Varanus komodoensis] Savanna, Dryforest
13. Gharial [Gavialis gangeticus] Dryforest, Rainforest
14. Indian Peafowl [Pavo cristatus] Dryforest, Rainforest
South America:
1. Jaguar [Panthera onca] Rainforest, Savanna, Dryforest
2. Giant Anteater [Myrmecophaga tridactyla] Savanna, Rainforest, Dryforest, Desert
3. Black Howler [Alouatta caraya] Rainforest
4. Capybara [Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris] Rainforest, Savanna
5. Maned Wolf [Chrysocyon brachyurus] Savanna, Dryforest
6. Galapagos Tortoise [Chelonoidis porteri] Savanna, Rainforest
7. Spectacled Caiman [Caiman crocodilus] Rainforest, Savanna
North America:
1. American Bison [Bison bison] Steppe, Temperate, Taiga
2. Pronghorn [Antilocapra americana] Steppe, Desert, Dryforest, Mediterranean
3. Grizzly Bear [Ursus arctos horriblis] Taiga, Temperate, Tundra
4. Alaskan Moose [Alces alces gigas] Taiga, Temperate
5. American Alligator [Alligator mississippiensis] Temperate, Savanna
Europe:
1. Alpine Ibex [Capra ibex] Montane
2. Eurasian Lynx [Lynx lynx] Temperate, Taiga
3. Alpine Marmot [Marmota marmota] Montane
4. Eurasian Wolf [Canis lupus lupus] Temperate, Taiga, Steppe
Oceania:
1. Red Kangaroo [Ospharanter rufus] Desert, Savanna, Steppe
2. Koala [Phascolarctos cinereus] Temperate, Savanna
3. Southern Cassowary [Casuarius casuarius] Rainforest
4. Saltwater Crocodile [Crocodylus porosus] Rainforest, Savanna
Deluxe
1. Pygmy hippopotamus [Hexaprotodon liberiensis] Rainforest
2. Bactrian camel [Camelus bactrianus] Desert, Steppe, Montane
3. Guanaco [Lama guanicoe] Steppe, Montane, Desert
4.Wolverine [Gulo gulo luscus] Taiga, Tundra
5. Central European Boar [Sus scrofa scrofa] Temperate, Mediterranean, Steppe
6. Red-necked Wallaby [Macropus rufogriseus] Temperate, Mediterranean, Steppe, Savanna
Biomes
I used Olson & Dinersteins terrestial biomes for WWF. I came up with simple one word tags for each biome for the sake of clarity. Biomes are fully explained in brackets. I merged temperate broadleaf & mixed forest with temperate coniferous forest. And subtropical & tropical dry broardleaf forests with subtropical & tropical coniferous forests. This way the biomes are little more broad and round out nicely at ten. Merging these also doesn't interfere too much with realism since these biomes are fairly similar and usually next to each other anyway. So if a species inhabits one it most likely inhabits the other one aswell. I also excluded both aquatic biomes; mangrove and flooded grasslands & shrublands. These are both very niche biomes and wouldn't get much use. On top of that all animals that could have these biomes can be represented in other biomes as well. All biomes will have some aquatic plants. And if a species is aquatic it will be expressed in water requirement. Also many species visit these biomes and it would get really hard choosing which animals should have aquatic biome tags. For example lions inhabit the Okavango Delta (which is a flooded grassland) but are in no way aquatic animals. Animals have their suitable biomes listed in order of preference if they have multiple.
Usability among the roster (base+deluxe)
1. Savanna (Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas & shrublands) 23+1
2. Rainforest (Tropical & subtropical moist broadleaf forests) 22+1
3. Desert (Desert & xeric shrublads) 12+2
4. Temperate (Temperate broadleaf, coniferous & mixed forests) 11+2
5. Dryforest (Subtropical & Tropical dry broadleaf- & coniferous forests) 10
6. Steppe (Temperate grasslands & shrublands) 5+4
7. Taiga (Boreal forest) 6+1
8. Montane (Montane grasslands & shrublands) 4+2
9. Mediterranean (Mediterranean forests, woodlands & scrub) 3+2
10. Tundra 1+1
Choosing subspecies
I always went with a specific subspecies if the species inhabits multiple continents. For example lion, cheetah, grey wolf, brown bear. Or if the subspecies had major anatomical differences for example ostrich and leopard.
Deluxe
Trying to fit the roster to 50 species was really hard so decided to boost the deluxe edition from three animals to seven. One species from each continent to keep the species spread. All deluxe animals are in my opinion exciting but not necessarily must haves. This is in my opinion exactly what a deluxe edition should accomplish.
No Arctic or Aquatic animals?
Frontiers choice of not including arctic or aquatic animals in the base roster was in my opinion good. I would also do this and the first four DLCs would be in order Arctic, Mountains, Islands and Aquatic. This model would boost representation in the most lacking biomes; tundra, montane, mediterranean. And add the missing iconic zoo animals such as polar bears, penguins and pinnipeds.
Explaining some of the more debatable picks and big changes
Africa
- White rhinoceros; One of the African rhinos is a must for the base roster.
- Saharan cheetah; I decided to go for the Saharan cheetah subspecies instead of the South African savanna variants. Adds an strictly desert dwelling predator for the roster.
- Blue wildebeest; One of the quintessential African savanna animals. Probably the most iconic antelope.
- Rock hyrax; Probably one of the most controversial picks. Added to boost small animal diversity to the African roster and Mediterranean biome representation. Hyrax also has interesting habitat building possibilities with its biome combinations and its need for cliffs and outcrops.
- North African ostrich; Biggest ostrich subspecies and I like the bright pink skin.
- African spurred tortoise; Largest mainland tortoise in the world and a better species for variety over the Aldabra.
Asia
- Mainland tiger; Tiger subspecies are now divided to only two. The mainland which includes the Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese, South Chinese, Siberian and Caspian populations, and island variety comprising the Javan, Bali and Sumatran populations.
- Sun bear; Two bear species for the base roster is good in my opinion. Sun bear contrast the brown bear nicely.
- Amur leopard; Big cats are one of the most represented animal groups in zoos which should be reflected in the roster. Lions, jaguars, and most tiger populations are tropical so a tropical leopard subspecies wouldn't have made sense.
- Malayan tapir; Chose to have the tapir from Asia rather than South America.
- Siamang; Felt that Asia needed more than just one primate. And I just prefer the siamang over other gibbons for their size and calls.
South America
- Jaguar; The most famous South American animal deserves its spot in the base roster.
- Black Howler; South America is famous for its monkeys. Howlers are iconic and well represented in real zoos.
- Maned wolf; The Cerrado is one of the largest ecosystems in South America and deserves atleast one animal from it. Adds a canid as well.
- Spectacled caiman; Four crocodilians in the base roster might be pushing it, but crocodilians are really iconic South American animals so I didn't feel right excluding them. Spectacled also adds a small crocodilian.
North America
- Alaskan moose; At least one deer for the base roster. Alaskan is the largest subspecies.
- Grizzly bear; Decided to have the brown bear from North America. Can be still easily used as Eurasian subspecies with anatomical differences being very minor in most subspecies.
- American alligator; Everglades is a very famous ecosystem from North America and alligators are arguably the most famous Everglades animal.
Europe
- Alpine marmot; Just like the hyrax probably not too high in peoples minds. But again adds important small animals to the roster that is stacked with megafauna. And in my opinion very charismatic animals. Highly represented in European zoos.
- Eurasian wolf; Just like the brown bear had to choose one subspecies. Eurasian is the nominate subspecies and has the most generic "wolf look". Can be again used as most North American or Asian subspecies.
Oceania
- Southern cassowary; I chose the cassowary over the emu for representation from Papua New Guinea. Also both the red kangaroo and koala already represent the savanna biome, emu would add another decreasing biome variety in Oceania.
Deluxe
- Bactrian camel; Gotta have at least one camel in the roster but just couldn't fit in base. Bactrian is more diverse in terms of habitat building over the dromedary.
- Guanoca; Adds an Andean animal to the roster. In my opinion more exciting than domestic llamas.
- Central European boar; Again the nominate subspecies. Wild boars are adaptable and inhabit almost all biomes in Europe and that allows nice variety in habitat building. Also very common in European zoos.
- Red-necked wallaby; Wallybies are the most represented animals from Australia in zoos world wide. But I felt that the red kangaroo should still take the macropod spot in the base roster. Red-necked wallabies also inhabit the temperate South and East Australia adding some nice biome variety for the Oceanian sections
