The Ultimate Animal Collection expansion which includes the agouti was developed by Asobo Studios, not Frontier.
Analyzing required animals by Taxonomical group
My takes on these. Firstly these are the most random 3 groups of animals you could have picked. Please don't do crocdillians and flying birds in the same discussion next.
Ratites: rhea I don't care for. Would much prefer a lot of other SA animals beforehand. Kiwi is much more unique and striking. I don't think we need a Kiwi but as others said it would be great for night houses. And also while I could never see it coming I do love Dwarf cassowaries.
Rodents: I mentioned other SA rep and patagonian mara is just that. Would love these guys so much. Other thing is porcupines which, yes so much. Another generic rodent would also be nice like a marmot or hyrax. Oh and bunnies in petting zoo pack.
Camelids: I kinda want a Dromedary and still kinda but to a lesser extent the guanaco.
The main I'm concerned about is new rigs like the Porcupine or Kiwi which could used by modders to make similar animals. For example Dromedary or rhea mod would be much easier to make with current mechanics then a Crested Porcupine mod.
Ratites: rhea I don't care for. Would much prefer a lot of other SA animals beforehand. Kiwi is much more unique and striking. I don't think we need a Kiwi but as others said it would be great for night houses. And also while I could never see it coming I do love Dwarf cassowaries.
Rodents: I mentioned other SA rep and patagonian mara is just that. Would love these guys so much. Other thing is porcupines which, yes so much. Another generic rodent would also be nice like a marmot or hyrax. Oh and bunnies in petting zoo pack.
Camelids: I kinda want a Dromedary and still kinda but to a lesser extent the guanaco.
The main I'm concerned about is new rigs like the Porcupine or Kiwi which could used by modders to make similar animals. For example Dromedary or rhea mod would be much easier to make with current mechanics then a Crested Porcupine mod.
Sorry but hyrax and rabbits aren’t rodents. They would still be nice though.I saw people discussing them earlier in the thread and in other ones so I just assumed lol
Ok I am going to start with ratites and camelids since it is late and rodents are such a massive group so there is a ton I want to talk about!
RATITES
I am basically going to repeat what everyone else has said here: We need the rhea and the kiwi!
The rhea is such an important component to temperate South America and is quite a common zoo animal that it would boost this region an absolute ton. I honestly don't have a preference for which species they choose though, the greater is more common, yes, but the lesser isn't particularly rare either. For me it really doesn't matter.
The kiwi has to be the North Island Brown Kiwi though, this is the only species that is actually found in zoos outside of New Zealand... Anything else would be unrealistic. Anyway, the kiwi is necessary as it is the most important NZ endemic by far and we currently have NOTHING from there!
There aren't many Ratite species so I guess I can actually mention all of them, I don't think I need to explain why the Somali ostrich or the other two Cassowary species are redundant... But can I talk about tinamous? Not traditionally classified as ratites, sure, but phylogenetically they fall in the same clade and I don't know where else I would get to talk about them...
These small birds predominantly dwell on the ground so they would work as habitat animals and give a lot of life to South American exhibits. As for which species, there is a few which would be good candidates but I'm going to highlight the elegant-crested tinamou in particular as it is a personal favourite of mine! These could potentially work in a mixed exhibit with rhea I think.
CAMELIDS
Ok originally I was going to say a hot take that none of the camelids are needed as we have one true camel and one South American camelid but thinking about this more I realise that all 4 remaining species (I'm not counting the wild Bactrian for obvious reasons) are actually such amazing candidates to be added.
The alpaca would be incredible for children's zoos and would go very well alongside the llama already in the game, the guanaco would give great life to temperate South America that is still so desperately needed, the vicuna likewise helps to represent the Andes mountains, and finally of course the dromedary would give us the most iconic desert animal and a huge boost to North Africa / West Asia. I want them all! I can't pick which is the most important. As a bonus, they are all common zoo animals that would help with realism.
RATITES
I am basically going to repeat what everyone else has said here: We need the rhea and the kiwi!
The rhea is such an important component to temperate South America and is quite a common zoo animal that it would boost this region an absolute ton. I honestly don't have a preference for which species they choose though, the greater is more common, yes, but the lesser isn't particularly rare either. For me it really doesn't matter.
The kiwi has to be the North Island Brown Kiwi though, this is the only species that is actually found in zoos outside of New Zealand... Anything else would be unrealistic. Anyway, the kiwi is necessary as it is the most important NZ endemic by far and we currently have NOTHING from there!
There aren't many Ratite species so I guess I can actually mention all of them, I don't think I need to explain why the Somali ostrich or the other two Cassowary species are redundant... But can I talk about tinamous? Not traditionally classified as ratites, sure, but phylogenetically they fall in the same clade and I don't know where else I would get to talk about them...
These small birds predominantly dwell on the ground so they would work as habitat animals and give a lot of life to South American exhibits. As for which species, there is a few which would be good candidates but I'm going to highlight the elegant-crested tinamou in particular as it is a personal favourite of mine! These could potentially work in a mixed exhibit with rhea I think.
CAMELIDS
Ok originally I was going to say a hot take that none of the camelids are needed as we have one true camel and one South American camelid but thinking about this more I realise that all 4 remaining species (I'm not counting the wild Bactrian for obvious reasons) are actually such amazing candidates to be added.
The alpaca would be incredible for children's zoos and would go very well alongside the llama already in the game, the guanaco would give great life to temperate South America that is still so desperately needed, the vicuna likewise helps to represent the Andes mountains, and finally of course the dromedary would give us the most iconic desert animal and a huge boost to North Africa / West Asia. I want them all! I can't pick which is the most important. As a bonus, they are all common zoo animals that would help with realism.
Not that random actually. My choices have 2 reasons. First, to allow a varied discussion with multiple concurrent threads, I try to pick groups which are different from each other. This way we will be able to not burn big groups like "hoofed-mammals", "reptiles" and so on in one discussion.
The second reason, is that there I try to choose one major group with dozens of choices (in this case rodents), and then add one or two groups which are more limited, as they have very few and very clear cut candidates left (in this case camelids and ratites, which altogether hold 6 potential species compared to the hundreds of rodent species).
I already made a list of the groups for the few next discussions, so if this format doesn't wirk for you guys say it so that I'll change it up.
I didn't get a chance to contribute to the Marsupial / Monotreme discussion and won't spend too much time noting my reasons, but...
Monotremes:
Marsupials:
... Now onto today's discussion:
Ratites:
Rodents:
Cammelids:
Monotremes:
- Obviously the Short-beaked echidna - extremely common (almost universal) in Australian zoos and a very nice small animal inclusion for Australia.
Marsupials:
- Obviously the Devil - don't really need to explain why.
- For variety within large(ish) animal habitats, I'd love a few more standard macropods but think that the most critical (limiting myself, fairly arbitrarily to just one), I'd go with the Yellow-footed rock wallaby
- Western Australia needs some love so, even though they're not at all common in zoos (i think only held in one), because they're one of my all-time favourite animals, I'd go with the Numbat.
- PNG needs love too - Like most people I'd include a tree kangaroo (any species).
... Now onto today's discussion:
Ratites:
- For me the North Island brown Kiwi is what we need here - Critical for NZ representation more than the Rhea is for SA
Rodents:
- the Crested porcupine and the Patagonian Mara are the only ones I think are really necessary / I really, really want.... Most others are too small to be habitat animals and including possible exhibit species (WT or standard) would mean comparing too many alternatives (also true for marsupials, above).
Cammelids:
- Either the vicuna or guanaco - I'd really like one or the other but aren't fussed which. There is no universe where the Llama can be used as a stand-in.
- EDIT: like frontier, I forgot the dromedary:/
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Why not? Clade Archosauria is a reasonable grouping.
Ok understandable. I was just thinking because the last discussion was marsupials and monotremes 2 very similar groups.
Actually they arent similar at all with marsupials way closer to placentals than to monotrems in evolutionary terms. This makes rodents and camelids closer to each other than marsupials and monos.
Wanted to give my opinion to the actual topic.
Ratites: I think most people agree on Rheas and Kiwis. With the first as a common zoo animal and great for non tropical SA and the latter as a distinct and recognizeable bird, and one of the few NZ animals with a good chance to be included.
Rodents: Here are also 2 Big names imo being an old world porcupine and patagonian maras. Species id like to see but are maybe not as likely are arctic hares and marmots.
Camelids: The obvious one is the dromedary. Alpacas would be cool for a potenital petting zoo pack.
In Short: When this is truly the last year of content i think dromedary, porcupine, mara, kiwi, and rhea is whats the "essential" or most "needed".
Rhea and dromedary would also be a good candidate as the anniversary animals tho
Ratites: I think most people agree on Rheas and Kiwis. With the first as a common zoo animal and great for non tropical SA and the latter as a distinct and recognizeable bird, and one of the few NZ animals with a good chance to be included.
Rodents: Here are also 2 Big names imo being an old world porcupine and patagonian maras. Species id like to see but are maybe not as likely are arctic hares and marmots.
Camelids: The obvious one is the dromedary. Alpacas would be cool for a potenital petting zoo pack.
In Short: When this is truly the last year of content i think dromedary, porcupine, mara, kiwi, and rhea is whats the "essential" or most "needed".
Rhea and dromedary would also be a good candidate as the anniversary animals tho
I actually really like this particular grouping by @yoav_r because I think the "non-tropical South America" meta-region makes it worthwhile to discuss these three together in particular. Besides the spectacled bear, the three most discussed habitat animals from this meta-region (rhea, mara, and vicuna/guanaco) are covered in this grouping. In a way, this is an opportunity to weigh how much of the forum's desire for those species is motivated by the need to finish their region vs. their taxa.
For me personally, I don't think a rhea is necessary given we have all the rest, especially if we get the mara. But I do get the appeal of a rhea thrown into non-tropical South American mixed habitats, so I would take one over a second camelid (the llama, while very biogeographically distinct from guanaco and vicuna, suffices for the purposes of zoos, IMO). Hence...
Camelids: if I'm trying to be objective, I think the dromedary is the only "essential". Finish non-tropical South America with other taxa IMO. If I had to tier it, I'd have dromedary at A and the rest at C (alpaca at D).
Ratites: for me, #1 priority is the kiwi (pref. North Island brown), an S-tier for me. Iconic, a brand new geography, morphologically and behaviorally unique. Rhea of either species would be B, more for completing its region.
Rodents: the one I've already discussed - mara - is a B for me, similar to rhea. Of potential habitat mammals, any Old World porcupine would be an S-tier need for me, and maybe my #1 most "objectively" essential mammal. I have a strong preference for the Indian crested porcupine to add to the lackluster smaller animal roster for India/Middle East. Porcupines from the Americas are a C for me, but if we can't get an Old World one, bump these to S. We need a porcupine of some kind.
I'd actually rate an agouti of any species on par with the mara, because even through the Neotropics have a little more representation than Patagonia, they're diverse enough to deserve more small mammals.
The gamechanger in rodents is if we get exhibit mammals, in which case my top picks would be:
1. Long-tailed chinchilla (one of the few morphologically unique adds possible for non-tropical South America)
2. Naked mole-rat (but with all their range of behaviors)
3. Malagasy giant jumping rat (with one or two other Malagasy exhibit like a chameleon, and the fossa, this would give us an incredible Madagascar roster)
4. Indian giant squirrel (my #1 pick for a non-flying squirrel species over Prevost's because of its size, color and the need for more small stuff from India)
Excluded lagomorphs from this list.
For me personally, I don't think a rhea is necessary given we have all the rest, especially if we get the mara. But I do get the appeal of a rhea thrown into non-tropical South American mixed habitats, so I would take one over a second camelid (the llama, while very biogeographically distinct from guanaco and vicuna, suffices for the purposes of zoos, IMO). Hence...
Camelids: if I'm trying to be objective, I think the dromedary is the only "essential". Finish non-tropical South America with other taxa IMO. If I had to tier it, I'd have dromedary at A and the rest at C (alpaca at D).
Ratites: for me, #1 priority is the kiwi (pref. North Island brown), an S-tier for me. Iconic, a brand new geography, morphologically and behaviorally unique. Rhea of either species would be B, more for completing its region.
Rodents: the one I've already discussed - mara - is a B for me, similar to rhea. Of potential habitat mammals, any Old World porcupine would be an S-tier need for me, and maybe my #1 most "objectively" essential mammal. I have a strong preference for the Indian crested porcupine to add to the lackluster smaller animal roster for India/Middle East. Porcupines from the Americas are a C for me, but if we can't get an Old World one, bump these to S. We need a porcupine of some kind.
I'd actually rate an agouti of any species on par with the mara, because even through the Neotropics have a little more representation than Patagonia, they're diverse enough to deserve more small mammals.
The gamechanger in rodents is if we get exhibit mammals, in which case my top picks would be:
1. Long-tailed chinchilla (one of the few morphologically unique adds possible for non-tropical South America)
2. Naked mole-rat (but with all their range of behaviors)
3. Malagasy giant jumping rat (with one or two other Malagasy exhibit like a chameleon, and the fossa, this would give us an incredible Madagascar roster)
4. Indian giant squirrel (my #1 pick for a non-flying squirrel species over Prevost's because of its size, color and the need for more small stuff from India)
Excluded lagomorphs from this list.
All of these besides the mole rat are as large or larger than the meerkat and so would work perfectly well as habitat animals. I'd especially be keen for the Malagasy giant rat - it's my most wanted rodent besides the mara and crested porcupine, so I'm happy to see someone mention them!
While I wouldn't mind seeing a dromedary or a kiwi, I don't think new camelids or ratites are a priority for me.
As for rodents, there are so many options that I think there need to be a few more. After all, 40% of all mammals are rodents, and many zoos keep quite diverse collections of them. These are my choices:
Most-needed
1. A crested porcupine: They are commonly-kept, charismatic and a very large species. I think I would personally choose the Indian crested porcupine, as it has the broadest range of biomes (desert, grassland, temperate and tropical), whereas the African and Cape porcupines occupy only two or three biomes.
2. Another larger South American rodent: Several options here, each with their own positives. Mara are commonly-kept and unlike anything else in the game, agoutis come in a great variety (Azara's would be my specific choice) and are suitable for mixed displays, while the lowland paca is semi-aquatic and able to be kept in large outdoor mixed enclosures, as shown below.
Would be nice to have
3. A tree squirrel: Because the ground-living squirrel (the prairie dog) is from North America, I would choose an Old World species - I have a real preference for the Eurasian red squirrel, but the Prevost's that has already been mentioned would be a good second choice.
4. A large habitat murid: Rats and mice are such a huge part of the rodent family that at least one species would be great to receive. The Malagasy giant rat is probably my favourite option, with the Northern Luzon giant cloud rat and the Gambian giant pouched rat rounding out my top three choices. All three are considerably bigger than meerkats, so could work as habitat animals.
5. South African springhare: A highly unusual African rodent that would use the same hopping animation as the kangaroo and wallaby, that is also highly suitable for mixing with aardvarks.
6. Small exhibit rodents: For small rodents, some sort of exhibit is probably the best option. Naked mole-rats would fit in well, but I also would love to have tanks for smaller mouse-like rodents. There are plenty of options for different parts of the world, with my preferances including spiny mice for the Middle East, zebra mice for Africa and harvest mice for northern Eurasia. When kept in groups, these three species often cluster together (as in the links below) with only a few individuals moving around the display at any one time, which I think could work in-game.
As for rodents, there are so many options that I think there need to be a few more. After all, 40% of all mammals are rodents, and many zoos keep quite diverse collections of them. These are my choices:
Most-needed
1. A crested porcupine: They are commonly-kept, charismatic and a very large species. I think I would personally choose the Indian crested porcupine, as it has the broadest range of biomes (desert, grassland, temperate and tropical), whereas the African and Cape porcupines occupy only two or three biomes.
2. Another larger South American rodent: Several options here, each with their own positives. Mara are commonly-kept and unlike anything else in the game, agoutis come in a great variety (Azara's would be my specific choice) and are suitable for mixed displays, while the lowland paca is semi-aquatic and able to be kept in large outdoor mixed enclosures, as shown below.
Would be nice to have
3. A tree squirrel: Because the ground-living squirrel (the prairie dog) is from North America, I would choose an Old World species - I have a real preference for the Eurasian red squirrel, but the Prevost's that has already been mentioned would be a good second choice.
4. A large habitat murid: Rats and mice are such a huge part of the rodent family that at least one species would be great to receive. The Malagasy giant rat is probably my favourite option, with the Northern Luzon giant cloud rat and the Gambian giant pouched rat rounding out my top three choices. All three are considerably bigger than meerkats, so could work as habitat animals.
5. South African springhare: A highly unusual African rodent that would use the same hopping animation as the kangaroo and wallaby, that is also highly suitable for mixing with aardvarks.
6. Small exhibit rodents: For small rodents, some sort of exhibit is probably the best option. Naked mole-rats would fit in well, but I also would love to have tanks for smaller mouse-like rodents. There are plenty of options for different parts of the world, with my preferances including spiny mice for the Middle East, zebra mice for Africa and harvest mice for northern Eurasia. When kept in groups, these three species often cluster together (as in the links below) with only a few individuals moving around the display at any one time, which I think could work in-game.
For your last point. I think the jerboa wouod a perfect exhibit mammal
Ok here I am with the big rodent post I teased. Two things before I start:
SQUIRRELS:
When thinking for this I realised that squirrels are actually quite a diverse group of rodents, we already have one species, the prairie dog, in the game but I think there is room for more and there is four species I want to discuss...
1. Prevost's Squirrel
These have become quite a popular zoo animal in recent years, I have seen them at many different collections and their striking colours and hyperactivity means they always draw a crowd. If we get any small arboreal rodent (which we really should have) this would certainly be my top pick (well, tied with another I will talk about later)! This would be a great species to have in a small habitat to give some extra flare to any area.
2. Cape Ground Squirrel / European Souslik
This is another relatively common zoo animal and would give a rodent to Africa! These would work as a good alternative to meerkats as a small habitat to put in African themed areas. I don't have much else to say here except I also included the European souslik in the header because it fills a very similar role and is also very common but just being from a different continent.
3. Alpine Marmot
This is probably the most iconic large rodent from Europe (minus the beaver perhaps, but that would be redundant...). Once again, these are relatively popular in European zoos and one of the most iconic Alpine species. Having these alongside the Alpine ibex would be great, plus they are quite a bit larger than other squirrels which adds to them being more unique I suppose!
SOUTH AMERICAN RODENTS:
South America always gets the short end of the stick it seems when it comes to Planet Zoo which is something most of us can agree on. Luckily, a lot of their ground-dwelling rodent species are quite popular among zoos. I have picked three that I think would be beneficial additions.
1. Patagonian Mara
This species has certainly become a fan favourite as of late, and it is really easy to see why. For a while I was confused about its sudden rise in popularity but it isn't at all surprising once you consider that this is an extremely common zoo animal and represents a region that is heavily underrepresented (temperate South America). Seems like a perfect pick and one we really should have.
2. Agouti
Agoutis are another very common zoo animal and can work as a great species for tropical houses, mixed habitats, walkthroughs... you name it. They are very versatile and would be able to give a lot of extra flare to any area in a zoo which makes them a worthwhile addition to me. As for which species in particular, many are kept in captivity but the Azara's agouti and the black-rumped agouti seem to be the most popular so ideally it would be one of these species!
3. Nutria
The nutria or coypu is a species I don't see mentioned very often. Here in the UK, they are actually banned because they were an invasive species so this might put Frontier off of adding them... Either way, they are worth bringing up simply because they are a very common zoo animal, their semi-aquatic nature and shaggy appearance makes them interesting both visually and functionally plus an interesting educational story can be told about a species that has become invasive across the globe.
OTHER RODENTS:
1. Cloud-Rat
Here is the other arboreal rodent I wanted to mention. The cloud-rat might be our best opportunity to get an actual mouse/rat as a habitat animal and they would bring a lot to the table! First of all, the Philippines has basically no representation at all currently... Considering these are endemic it would be a huge boost. Also another arboreal species that is also completely different from anything else in the game would be fantastic and something we certainly need more of.
2. The Big One...
There was no way this wasn't getting a mention here... The porcupine has become one of the most requested animals to be added to Planet Zoo, you've all heard the arguments for its inclusion... I don't need to repeat them here. There is good reason this has become so requested, hopefully Frontier is listening! (As for which species, does it really matter? Indian crested, Cape... I'd even take the funky looking African Brush-Tailed!)
I spent a decent bit of time thinking about what to include here so I'd love to hear any feedback or discussion about the animals I included!
- I'm a bit disappointed nobody bar me has brought up tinamous yet in regards to ratites, I was hoping to create some discussion around them as an inclusion.
- I'm not going to talk about rodents for exhibits because even though it is a great idea there is way too many to go over... I would love to see mice, hamsters, gerbils, naked mole-rats but I'd be here all day if I had to talk about all those. Anyway point is, Frontier should definitely give us some small rodent exhibits!
SQUIRRELS:
When thinking for this I realised that squirrels are actually quite a diverse group of rodents, we already have one species, the prairie dog, in the game but I think there is room for more and there is four species I want to discuss...
1. Prevost's Squirrel
These have become quite a popular zoo animal in recent years, I have seen them at many different collections and their striking colours and hyperactivity means they always draw a crowd. If we get any small arboreal rodent (which we really should have) this would certainly be my top pick (well, tied with another I will talk about later)! This would be a great species to have in a small habitat to give some extra flare to any area.
2. Cape Ground Squirrel / European Souslik
This is another relatively common zoo animal and would give a rodent to Africa! These would work as a good alternative to meerkats as a small habitat to put in African themed areas. I don't have much else to say here except I also included the European souslik in the header because it fills a very similar role and is also very common but just being from a different continent.
3. Alpine Marmot
This is probably the most iconic large rodent from Europe (minus the beaver perhaps, but that would be redundant...). Once again, these are relatively popular in European zoos and one of the most iconic Alpine species. Having these alongside the Alpine ibex would be great, plus they are quite a bit larger than other squirrels which adds to them being more unique I suppose!
SOUTH AMERICAN RODENTS:
South America always gets the short end of the stick it seems when it comes to Planet Zoo which is something most of us can agree on. Luckily, a lot of their ground-dwelling rodent species are quite popular among zoos. I have picked three that I think would be beneficial additions.
1. Patagonian Mara
This species has certainly become a fan favourite as of late, and it is really easy to see why. For a while I was confused about its sudden rise in popularity but it isn't at all surprising once you consider that this is an extremely common zoo animal and represents a region that is heavily underrepresented (temperate South America). Seems like a perfect pick and one we really should have.
2. Agouti
Agoutis are another very common zoo animal and can work as a great species for tropical houses, mixed habitats, walkthroughs... you name it. They are very versatile and would be able to give a lot of extra flare to any area in a zoo which makes them a worthwhile addition to me. As for which species in particular, many are kept in captivity but the Azara's agouti and the black-rumped agouti seem to be the most popular so ideally it would be one of these species!
3. Nutria
The nutria or coypu is a species I don't see mentioned very often. Here in the UK, they are actually banned because they were an invasive species so this might put Frontier off of adding them... Either way, they are worth bringing up simply because they are a very common zoo animal, their semi-aquatic nature and shaggy appearance makes them interesting both visually and functionally plus an interesting educational story can be told about a species that has become invasive across the globe.
OTHER RODENTS:
1. Cloud-Rat
Here is the other arboreal rodent I wanted to mention. The cloud-rat might be our best opportunity to get an actual mouse/rat as a habitat animal and they would bring a lot to the table! First of all, the Philippines has basically no representation at all currently... Considering these are endemic it would be a huge boost. Also another arboreal species that is also completely different from anything else in the game would be fantastic and something we certainly need more of.
2. The Big One...
There was no way this wasn't getting a mention here... The porcupine has become one of the most requested animals to be added to Planet Zoo, you've all heard the arguments for its inclusion... I don't need to repeat them here. There is good reason this has become so requested, hopefully Frontier is listening! (As for which species, does it really matter? Indian crested, Cape... I'd even take the funky looking African Brush-Tailed!)
I spent a decent bit of time thinking about what to include here so I'd love to hear any feedback or discussion about the animals I included!
How could I have forgotten the nutria? I feel ashamed.
