I would love to see the American alligator, capybara and California sea lion be included - many of the posts above have made good points about why they should be included. There are a few other species I would appreciate that deviate from these more desired species:
The fishing cat is probably the most aquatic of all felines and is capable of diving and swimming underwater; they would be my preferred representation for an Asian freshwater diving mammal as it would add a small cat (so far a group unrepresented in the game) that is also widely kept in captivity and also has a strong conservation need.
A species of cormorant - undecided between either the great cormorant (the most widespread species) or the white-breasted cormorant (found only in Africa, but has been kept with African penguins in zoos and would have an interspecies bonus with them); they seem like the best option for a non-penguin diving bird because of their size.
Another aquatic herptile - either the pig nosed turtle (a unique freshwater turtle from Oceania with flippers instead of feet that is correspondingly more active than most freshwater turtles) or the Chinese giant salamander (a Critically Endangered salamander about the same size as a Cuvier's dwarf caiman but nearly four times as massive, weighing more on average than a clouded leopard) would be my top choices for this.
Finally, for a bit of fun (not entirely a serious suggestion), how about the Turopolje pig - a very rare breed of domestic pig from Croatia that is unique among pigs in foraging by diving underwater in order to collect the roots of water lilies and freshwater mussels. A wildlife park in Germany that displays this breed does so with an extensive pond.
The fishing cat is probably the most aquatic of all felines and is capable of diving and swimming underwater; they would be my preferred representation for an Asian freshwater diving mammal as it would add a small cat (so far a group unrepresented in the game) that is also widely kept in captivity and also has a strong conservation need.
A species of cormorant - undecided between either the great cormorant (the most widespread species) or the white-breasted cormorant (found only in Africa, but has been kept with African penguins in zoos and would have an interspecies bonus with them); they seem like the best option for a non-penguin diving bird because of their size.
Another aquatic herptile - either the pig nosed turtle (a unique freshwater turtle from Oceania with flippers instead of feet that is correspondingly more active than most freshwater turtles) or the Chinese giant salamander (a Critically Endangered salamander about the same size as a Cuvier's dwarf caiman but nearly four times as massive, weighing more on average than a clouded leopard) would be my top choices for this.
Finally, for a bit of fun (not entirely a serious suggestion), how about the Turopolje pig - a very rare breed of domestic pig from Croatia that is unique among pigs in foraging by diving underwater in order to collect the roots of water lilies and freshwater mussels. A wildlife park in Germany that displays this breed does so with an extensive pond.
ZooLex Exhibit - Turopolje Pigs
zoolex.org
Last edited by a moderator:
