Analyzing required animals by Taxonomical group
My eyes yoav , my eyes. That's my yearly dose of bug pictures with my post updated
Felines:
The only one that I regard as essential is the ocelot, as a charismatic and fairly common zoo animal, with certain other tropical felines like the fishing cat having some of the same appeal but probably competing for the same slot in a rainforest animal pack roster (and I think Latin America is more "needy" than Southeast Asia). If the highlands pack comes to fruition, the Pallas's cat is a reasonable candidate for inclusion, especially as an animal with a lot of online popularity. The serval is as popular as the ocelot but I don't think it's necessary to have both it and the caracal with a finite number of roster slots left.
Xenarthrans:
Almost forgot that this included sloths, and of course a two-toed sloth (Hoffmann's or Linne's) is a crucial zoo animal, albeit one that might be difficult to implement in an accurate way. There aren't many options otherwise, but a southern tamandua would be a solid inclusion as well for another tropical South American species with a strong captive presence.
Geckos:
If we ever get more exhibit box animals, I think there are a few species that would work like the crested gecko (my top pick), the tokay gecko, and the Madagascar giant day gecko. I think walkthrough birds and habitat animals take priority though.
Insects:
The worst of all with regard to the problems in the exhibit system. Have fun finding your leaf insects when they die every week! The walkthrough butterflies are a bit better but otherwise I think we're done here.
The only one that I regard as essential is the ocelot, as a charismatic and fairly common zoo animal, with certain other tropical felines like the fishing cat having some of the same appeal but probably competing for the same slot in a rainforest animal pack roster (and I think Latin America is more "needy" than Southeast Asia). If the highlands pack comes to fruition, the Pallas's cat is a reasonable candidate for inclusion, especially as an animal with a lot of online popularity. The serval is as popular as the ocelot but I don't think it's necessary to have both it and the caracal with a finite number of roster slots left.
Xenarthrans:
Almost forgot that this included sloths, and of course a two-toed sloth (Hoffmann's or Linne's) is a crucial zoo animal, albeit one that might be difficult to implement in an accurate way. There aren't many options otherwise, but a southern tamandua would be a solid inclusion as well for another tropical South American species with a strong captive presence.
Geckos:
If we ever get more exhibit box animals, I think there are a few species that would work like the crested gecko (my top pick), the tokay gecko, and the Madagascar giant day gecko. I think walkthrough birds and habitat animals take priority though.
Insects:
The worst of all with regard to the problems in the exhibit system. Have fun finding your leaf insects when they die every week! The walkthrough butterflies are a bit better but otherwise I think we're done here.
Ok so my take
Small cats
I think we just need like 2 or 3. Pallas cat is the main for me along with either an ocelot or maraguay. The other one should probably be a desert one like sand cat, Bobcat or serval.
Xeretherans
I would love more of these. While I think sloth is really important for SA I think the tamandua is just as equally important. I've seen tamanduas in a fair amount of zoos and their honestly just really cool animals.
For a third one I wouldn't be opposed to another Armadillo. Preferably a giant or Hairy variety.
Insects
The only one I want is the lord Howe Island stuck insect. Probably the best pacific island rep we can get aside from crustaceans, Turtles and pinnipeds.
Also I didn't notice they were apart of that group before so I didn't mention Swamphens in the last discussion but yes I think theyd be good. Also found this range map for them. LOOK HOW MANY AREAS THEYD ADD TO. Middle east, mediterrain, African savanhah, Australia, sea, india and new guinea all in one.
Small cats
I think we just need like 2 or 3. Pallas cat is the main for me along with either an ocelot or maraguay. The other one should probably be a desert one like sand cat, Bobcat or serval.
Xeretherans
I would love more of these. While I think sloth is really important for SA I think the tamandua is just as equally important. I've seen tamanduas in a fair amount of zoos and their honestly just really cool animals.
For a third one I wouldn't be opposed to another Armadillo. Preferably a giant or Hairy variety.
Insects
The only one I want is the lord Howe Island stuck insect. Probably the best pacific island rep we can get aside from crustaceans, Turtles and pinnipeds.
Also I didn't notice they were apart of that group before so I didn't mention Swamphens in the last discussion but yes I think theyd be good. Also found this range map for them. LOOK HOW MANY AREAS THEYD ADD TO. Middle east, mediterrain, African savanhah, Australia, sea, india and new guinea all in one.
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Cats... We have so many cats already, but I need three more to round out the group. From the Americas we need the Ocelot with its striking color pattern. From Asia give us stern-faced "Mr Grumpy" Pallas's cat, and from the deserts of Africa & Asia the lovely little sand cat for our drylands builds. All essentials.
Xenarthrans... I consider a sloth necessary, but ONLY IF Frontier can do justice to its unique locomotion and lifestyle.
Geckos... None needed. If we got one, I'd like something colorful like a leopard, tokay, or madagascar day gecko.
Bugs... Butterflies are beautiful but five is plenty. Bugs in general are icky, but I wouldn't mind something like a pretty ladybug. But we don't need more bugs.
Xenarthrans... I consider a sloth necessary, but ONLY IF Frontier can do justice to its unique locomotion and lifestyle.
Geckos... None needed. If we got one, I'd like something colorful like a leopard, tokay, or madagascar day gecko.
Bugs... Butterflies are beautiful but five is plenty. Bugs in general are icky, but I wouldn't mind something like a pretty ladybug. But we don't need more bugs.
I heard this argument more than once on this forum so I had to check it out finally, but it's really not doing it for me. I mean a lot of factors would need to be involved to mix up these two
I think this is a collage of two pics from the same site.
Well most people cant tell jaguars, leopards and cheetahs apart, so i think have no trouble believing somebody mistaken a ocelot for a jaguar.
Edit: Not saying that this would be a reason against the ocelot coming to the game
We could bring up the comparison of the chimpanzee and bonobo to the average person
Sorry but...
Yeah i still stand by the fact that the amur leopard was the most bizarre highly requested animal ever cause like, its just a jaguar with a slightly different pattern that doesnt go to the gym, so id blame no one for mixing these two up.
Meanwhile for ocelot and jaguar, besides the fact that the ocelot isnt even half its size, there are actual differences in anatomy that are more then what you see in a virgin chad meme, where both could easily be the same species with one more juiced up and muscular then the other.
Like a few years back I thought jaguar was just south american leopard. But cheetah, really, I thought it was well known for being the fastest land mammal and stuff.
In the wild, I think the ocelot is larger than tourists expect, so they freak out and think its the big, scary jaguar. Also on the forum, people thought it might be too close to the clouded leopard. A smaller cat would add more variety, but I'd be about as happy with an ocelot, personally. If the size similarity was the only thing holding them back from adding an ocelot, I would much prefer they add a margay.
Wikipedia:
"The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches 40–50 cm (15.7–19.7 in) at the shoulders and weighs between 7 and 15.5 kg (15.4 and 34.2 lb) on average."
"Clouded leopards weigh between 11.5 and 23 kg (25 and 51 lb). ... Its shoulder height varies from 50 to 55 cm (20 to 22 in)."
Small Cats:
It’s borderline, but I’d class the serval as needed - it’s just so common in zoos and immediately recognisable. Other , really small cats (sand cat, fishing cat, margay, would be nice to have too but it’s hard to call them ‘needed’
Xenarthrans:
Personally I’m not as interested in a sloth as lots of other people seem to be but, yeah, they (Linnaeus two-toed) can be seen as needed.
Geckos:
It’s not so much that any particular gecko is needed as that a gecko is needed. Probably the best options (IMO) for all exhibit species, given the absurdly large boxes, are larger, less camouflaged options…
Bugs:
Same as for Geckos really - more needed but not any particular species. I would like leaf cutters though - even though they’re small they’re quite visible - or at least the leaves they carry are…
It’s borderline, but I’d class the serval as needed - it’s just so common in zoos and immediately recognisable. Other , really small cats (sand cat, fishing cat, margay, would be nice to have too but it’s hard to call them ‘needed’
Xenarthrans:
Personally I’m not as interested in a sloth as lots of other people seem to be but, yeah, they (Linnaeus two-toed) can be seen as needed.
Geckos:
It’s not so much that any particular gecko is needed as that a gecko is needed. Probably the best options (IMO) for all exhibit species, given the absurdly large boxes, are larger, less camouflaged options…
Bugs:
Same as for Geckos really - more needed but not any particular species. I would like leaf cutters though - even though they’re small they’re quite visible - or at least the leaves they carry are…
To clarify: I can tell them apart, and i assume most people who are into animals can. What i meant was the average person
The exhibit animals are angry now. They are rioting against Konig
Imagine we build a polar bear sized enclosure for a giant Malaysian leaf insect
... This reminds me of some odd ZT2 mods where tiny animals like that were standard habitat animalsHow common? The zoos I've been to in Texas I haven't seen any (but then again I haven't been to many)... And as for recognition, I'm sure it is, especially to those with savannah cats
I have to agree. From a glance, the spotted cats are very similar:
Jaguars and leopards are practically identical with the leopard being a thinner jaguar, in a sense. The roseate spots can be confusing, and who's gonna take the time to see the size, especially when there isn't an animal to compare to. Know what I'm saying?
Ocelots do look like jaguars, and honestly even though I know enough differences, of I saw one in the wild I wouldn't tell the difference, most likely and in a zoo I would likely confuse it at first if not for seeing the face or signs
The purple Swamphen map is pre split FYI.
Also people saying the leopard and the jaguar are basically the same are really underselling it in my opinion, yes they are similar in general anatomy and coat but in terms of lifestyle and build I personally think it's pretty easy to tell them apart if you know what to look for... Ah who cares, we got both of them anyway
188 EAZA holdings are quite a tall order, being the 128 most common animal in the EAZA and the fourth most common cat after the lion, european lynx and amur tiger.
Combine that with the fact that they are the most common in australia and quite common in the US, the serval, while imo not essential due to it being just another cat from africa gameplay wise, defently is a heavy hitter on the commoness, making them really quite justifiable as an essential animal even if they dont add much new stuff on a gameplay level.
Its compareable to the south american tapir. We can easily play pretend with other related animals that live close by, but it would be nice to have the real most common deal in the game
Small cats: Similar to our 7 DLC canids, we've gotten 6 felines in 12 DLCs. Stands to reason there's more coming. Unlike canids, however, there are actually quite a few that I think we really need. In my experience, it's much more common for zoos to have several small cats, while it's not unusual for them to go without canids altogether. Plus there's much more variety in the species commonly kept, so we're a long ways off from where we are with canids ("another" fox, "another" wolf, and so on) - so each of these has all of that in their favor. So if we're getting 4 more packs, I expect a minimum of 2 more felines, but I wouldn't say no to 4, because there's that many solid candidates. The ocelot is by far the most necessary one, as an essential South American species and perhaps the most widely recognizable cat left to add. There are times when I consider it the single most necessary animal that could be added to the game. If we did only get two cats, my next choice would be the Pallas's cat. It's good central Asia and mountainous representation, works in small mammal houses in a way that even other small cats might not, plus it's the rare "meme animal" that isn't terribly uncommon in captivity. I think it'd provide the best contrast with our other small small cats. The serval is another incredibly solid choice, incredibly common, fairly recognizable, but I have to rank it below the Pallas's because it's a bit more redundant with the caracal. In fact, with the caracal popping up in the Grasslands pack, I'm genuinely a bit worried that it might no longer have a path to join. Next up is the sand cat, another great small mammal house creature, gives some desert/North Africa/Middle East love, and their slightly-too-wide face is just too funny. Great "that's just a cat" cat. The last cat I consider essential (and to be clear: I do consider all five of these to be truly essential) would be the fishing cat. A wetlands-dwelling small cat, fairly common in zoos, would provide unique habitat building opportunities. Five cats sounds like a lot (and almost certainly not going to happen), but they feel all the more important when you consider how many of our current "small" cats are really quitelarge, and are often exhibited in the same way as their cousins in Panthera. For a few honorable mentions, I have a huge soft spot for the black-footed cat, but it's practically mistakeable for a domestic cat and the sand cat covers its niche more efficiently. I'd be just as happy if we got it instead, but I think the sand cat is the better move. If support continued indefinitely, I'd welcome both the bobcat and Canadian lynx. Bobcats are honestly pretty essential for smaller NA zoos as well as any exhibiting native species, but it's super visually similar to the to the Eurasian lynx, and we got a lot of love for NA filler species last year (and if we get one more NA species I'm putting all my hopes towards the black bear). As for the Canadian lynx, it's almost a more convincing exotic here in the states than the Eurasian lynx, somehow. Don't ask me why, that's just the vibe I get when comparing zoos that exhibit the two species. Plus they're funny looking with their massive paws.
As a side note, I'm surprised you went for "small cats" instead of just going ahead and knocking out the Sumatran tiger and lion/leopard subspecies now as well.
Xenarthrans: I'd really like to see the southern tamandua. We're seriously hurting for smallish tropical arboreal species from South America - they're often some of the region's best representatives you'll find in zoos, yet all we have is a single monkey. There's a handful of species that fit this bill that are essential in their own right (ocelot, coati, more monkeys, and I guess a sloth), and while I wouldn't call the tamandua itself specifically essential, but it certainly ticks all the right boxes for a niche that desperately needs to be expanded upon by a lesser known weirdo or two (in addition to the aforementioned ocelot and friends), whether it be by it, the kinkajou, Brazilian porcupine, or whatever. As for the sloth? I don't know. Sometimes I think they're essential enough to push through regardless of how poorly they might be implemented, other times I think it's just not worth the trouble if they're going to come out awkward and uncanny. I think the koala's bad enough in this regard, and the sloth would only be worse. Is a walkthrough exhibit the solution? Not as it stands, no, because it's still annoying that the game doesn't let you do more to facilitate these working as standalone non-walkthrough exhibit. I will say that if we do get one, it being a two-toed sloth species is absolutely necessary. I would be very disappointed if we get the three-toed sloth which is barely kept in captivity.
Geckos: Surprised to see this split off from lizards. I'd have said we needed one if box exhibits were the norm, but I can't justify any in a post-WE world.
Bugs: Same deal, I would've liked to see maybe Madagascan hissing cockroaches just for the minor boost to Madagascar turning it into more than just a lemur section, but I can't justify returning to them at this stage in the game. I've seen people suggest dragonflies, but I don't think I've ever seen dragonflies in a zoo, and even if so they certainly weren't alone. I guess butterfly assortment #2 wouldn't be the worst get, but I'd much rather continue to see the WE used for novel things.
Not sure I understsnd the reasoning here.
After reading a bit about lizard taxonomy I realised lizards are far more diverse than the other reptile groups, both in number of species and recognizeable relevant groups.
I decided to split the lizards to get people to actually think sbout those different groups.
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Small cats:
We really need at least one of the smallest cats, since we only have medium and big cats. The sand cat is my favourite option because it would be very useful for desert houses and to represent northern Africa and Middle East. The Pallas's cat is probably the other best candidate, to give representation to the Himalayas.
After getting those two, other good options, although not essential, are ocelot and European wild cat (in general, not a specific subspecies like the Scottish).
For xenarthrans, any sloth is needed because they are very iconic animals and South America always needs a boost.
Regarding geckos, I really want the leopard gecko. It's cute, common in zoos and we need more Asian exhibit animals!
Finally, I don't need more bugs, especially as long as they're housed in terrariums which are bigger than my house.
Ok I compiled all the previous discussion topics in single post.
Also if I followed correctly there's been a "jump" between #8 and #9, last discussion should've been #10 then. It's but a nitpick, but I couldn't help it
Alright, I'll try to keep it as short as possible.
#1 Marsupials and Monotremes
-Tasmanian Devil is definitely closest to essential out of these two animal groups. Runners up would be Tree Kangaroo (Whichever) and Short Beaked Echidna. Out of those three picks Tree Kangaroo would be the lowest priority pick for me, while Echidna grew on me recently.
#2 Rodents, Ratites, Camelids
-Now rodents are animals we could definitely see more of. Top contenders for me are Old World Porcupine (Really whichever) and Patagonian Mara. But those are only essential ones, I would also love to see Alpine Marmot, Brazilian Porcupine and Agouti. Latter three would really enrich their respective regions while adding smaller habitats to fill out zoo sections.
-As of ratites not many left and I would argue for both. Rhea and Kiwi species. If I had to choose I would prefer Darwin's to Greater Rhea because of diverse biomes it covers. As of Kiwis, not too crazy for them, but I understand importance of including them.
-Dromedary is expected, but I would really love to add one more wild SA Camelid. Guanaco would help diversify SA biomes in game, and would help to add on SA mountains encompassing Spectacled Bear whenever we get one.
#3 Bears, Pinnipeds, Penguins
-Speaking of devil, Spectacled Bear is a must for me. I don't think it even need explanations anymore. Other than that American Black Bear would be nice but definitely not essential. Other than that I'm good, I realize some people love Sloth Bears, but I'm not on that train. Also I don't believe we need Eurasian Brown Bear as long as they don't revamp Himalayan model
-I love that we already have both a Sea Lion and Seal species, that already takes care of a lot of business. And that we got Seal first, because I feared if we got Sea Lion first want for Seals would die down considerably. I don't think there's any essential pinnipeds left to include. I personally love Walruses and Steller Sea Lions, but they're far from needed. Maybe for the sake of diversity, in a slot of a reskin in animal pack or an anniversary animal, we could see Harbour Seal, South African Fur Seal or New Zealand one.
-I don't think we need anymore penguins. One for cold and one for warm regions is enough
#4 Musteloids, Hyenas, Rhinos, Snakes
-Wolverine. Before I start any discussion it needed to be said. For me the #1 essential right now yet to be added. There's one other for me and that's Sea Otter. I don't believe it to be strictly aquarium animal and would do wonders do diversify all those same-y "Seal-Sea Lion-Penguin" regions in zoos. Also look-wise and behavior-wise and even habitat-wise it stands out from all the other Otters already in game, enough so that I believe it justifies the inclusion. The only other truly essential musteloid is a Coati species/ I prefer White Nosed due to range and biomes, but at the end whichever will do.
-No more Rhinos or Hyenas needed as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps a Black Rhino for an anniversary animal, but it's not a priority.
-I believe we need more snakes. I have four in mind: Emerald Tree Boa, Gaboon Viper, Indian Cobra and a species of Python (African Rock One?). I would LOVE to see Anacondas and Reticulated Pythons in game, I'm just not sure if our exhibits are big enough. I think it would be crazy if we could get those two as habitat species, but I am managing my expectations.
#5 Deers, Bats, Horses, Tapirs
-One deer I really wish to get is a species of Muntjac. It would be great to fill out those carnivore-heavy East Asian sections in my parks. Other than that I wouldn't complain about one or two more Asian deer species, but I don't see them taking any DLC slots any time soon.
-Maybe one of those giant South East Asian ones? Other than that not a big bat guy, can't really tell majority of them apart.
-I don't think there's need. Maybe if we ever get domestic animals, one pony species. Shetlands would have my vote in that case.
-Definitely no more Tapirs needed. In my eyes.
#6 Canines, Apes, Suides, Mongooses
-I would love to see Racoon Dogs and Golden Jackals, but they're far from essential. First one would definitely have more chances for it's exotic looks. I think any hopes for Golden Jackals died with inclusion of Dholes, but they're really interesting picks spanning on many regions and many biomes. But in reality I don't think any more canids are essential.
-Same goes for Apes. I know community is split on whether we need another Gibbon, but I would then be in camp that disagrees.
-In perfect world we could get all three: Collared Peccary, Wild Boar and Red River Hog. For me the "essentiality" goes in that order. If we are to get one more I think it's easily Collared Peccary.
-It would be really great to get one more mongoose species. I see their chances slim, but if we were to get one I would like to see Egyptian Mongoose in game, if they could do it's fur justice.
#7 Antelopes, Viverroids, Turtles, Crocodilians
-We have really lot of antelopes that I think we could easily go without anymore until the game end. But that doesn't mean that there aren't species still that would be great picks for roster. For me those would be: Blackbuck, Addax and Eland/Kudu. In that order.
-Fossa is definitely essential and in my mind has high chances of making it into game. Other than that African Civet would be a cool pick, but nothing too needed.
-Sulcata Tortoise would be a really nice pick for it's biome. Other than that my personal pick would be European Pond Turtle for Exhibit.
-I could live without more crocodiles in game. Maybe one African species for the sake of it, but it really makes no difference to me which.
#8 Caprines, New World Monkeys, Frogs, Waterfowl
-I think we could get a bunch of more caprines in game. For starters two Asian species. My picks are popular Markhor and Takin (Sichuan). On top of that I would have nothing against two more NA species, but they're of lower priority compared to Asian ones. I would pick two between Bighorn, Mountain Goat and Musk Ox.
-New World Monkeys have been done to death, so in quick notes: Howler and Spider. Both. Equally essential for me, priority over smaller species. Out of smaller species Squirrel Monkey and a species of Tamarin, but again Squirrel takes priority for me here.
-No more frogs, thank you.
-We could use a bunch of waterfowl, but I don't see in which pack could they fit. Favorites for me are Mute and Black Swan, accompanied with Mandarin and another more plain duck species
#9 Bovines, Lemuriformes, Gruiformes, Salamanders
-If there's any essential one left out there, then I would say it's Yak. But it wouldn't even make it in an mountain animal pack for me. Wisent would be personal pick of mine, as it is present in bunch of zoos I visited, but I recognize lack of need and space in slots for it.
-No need for any more lemurs, although there's bunch of fun species left. Maybe Coquerel's Sifaka. But very low priority.
-I actually think African Grey Crowned Crane would be an essential bird pick, It would enrich so many African sections and habitats. Other than that I love Sarus Crane, even so as an representative of Australian fauna. But again merely a personal pick, nothing essential.
-I believe we have more than enough salamanders.
And that's it.