Animals you are most surprised/happy they included

Most of the threads here talk about what animals we want to see, which there's definitely a need for an encouraged, and is part and parcel with this type of game (simulators with a variety of offerings...we always want more!). I wanted to shift focus and see what animals people were most surprised with and happy that they included. I'll hope the discussions skews towards a positive curve of being pleasantly surprised, but that doesn't mean you have to like every single animal in the game, either. This can also be just the base game, or what we've gotten in the past nearly 15 months since launch.

Also trying not to focus on the standard favorites and standard inclusions in the games (Lions, Pandas, Elephants and such) but less obvious picks instead.

I think the biggest surprise for me was the base game inclusion of Aardvarks. While they've shown up in the zoo sim genre before, they're certainly not a staple by any means. I really like they included them as they are so unique from any other animal on earth (as opposed to yet another bear or ungulate). It was totally unexpected and very welcomed.

The Hyenas as well. I think they've shown up in most zoo games eventually but it's always seemed to not be in the base game. I remember one game, it took several years for them to put out a pack with Hyenas in it, very much a "finally!" moment for me. So I was really thrilled they showed up to play on day 1.

The Baird's Tapir - again I think not a very common animal for zoo games, at least, not right from the very beginning. So very welcomed addition, kind of odd too that it was the only hababit animal in mainland South America that was included in the base game, but I'm glad that they made the choice.

I don't think this is surprising animal they included, but I was extremely happy with the inclusion of the koala. I think, up to the Australia's pack, there was a question of whether they'd be able to give them accurate animations, more directly, if they would spend the time to do that for one animal, even such an iconic one. I think I made the point prior to that pack reveal that while Australia was much needed, if they did not include either a Koala or Kangaroo they may as well not bother - there were concerns about the kangaroos unique hoping animation as well. So very happy both of them made it in, more so the koala though. They are just great.

Giant Anteater - Not a staple of a lot of zoo games, and very unique and interesting animal. I admit they were not on my first choices of South America, but I think I was focusing on even more iconic SA animals. But the Giant Anteater really fills a visual niche in the game.

Just curious to other's contributions here, and something a little different than the wishlist threads that are here.
 
Dall Sheep - Never suspected this one. nobody talked about it and for a lot of people it's the favorite from the Arctic pack. Great choice by Frontier. It just works for a lot of people.

Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman - A bit hesitant at first but I really like this one (they looked great from the start). Would not be an obvious pick in an Aquatic pack or any other pack but when you create a underwater viewing building, this one feels the most natural in that setting, imo. Use them more often than I thought at the beginning

Pygmy Hippo - At first I thought it was a cheap way to add another animal (why add 2 hippo species) but I prefer using the Pygmy Hippo because they have smaller space requirements. The "normal" hippo habitat is just too big for some zoos. And this one fits in nicely in a lot of zoos.
 
Reindeer: they don't get a lot of attention, but I really like them.

Grey seal: another great choice. Their pups are adorable and the way they move is so funny.

Red kangaroo: not surprised, but I'm so happy they added it. The animation is great with the bouncing and the poaches. It's one of my favourite animals in the game.

Pangolin: I must confess that I didn't know this animal before the game 😅
 
I love all the animals. But, the ones I really love are the following:

Giant Otter - I was surprised when this came out and not the iconic Sea Otter. But, I love them, and try to place them when I can. My real life zoo, the Houston Zoo, just opened a South American pantanal, and in it are some giant otters. They are bigger than I suspected and fun to watch

Dingo - Dingos tend to get overlooked, so it was nice to see these very strange dogs make it into the game

All of the South America pack animals. They are all just amazing to see

Grey Seal - fun animals. I haven't adopted one in-game yet, but they look fun. I was surprised they didn't do the iconic California Sea Lion

Pangolin - a spiny anteater, after all
 
I’m surprised they included the:
Grey Seal- Very nice to have a pinniped in game even if we only get one. Currently have five of these guys in my zoo.
Cuviers Dwarf Caiman- A great addition considering we have a crocodile,gharial, and I’m sure some day a American Alligator.
Dall Sheep- Still easily holds the title for best surprise animal in game. Never even considered these guys had a legitimate chance to make the game.
Koala- There was some worry due to animations and size we might not get them which would have been a shame. I’ve only used them once but I’m still glad we have them.
King Penguin and Giant Otter- Great to finally have imo the most requested animals in game now. Now of course the meerkat and white rhino seem to dominate that spot. But with underwater animations being anyone’s guess and some including myself wondering if the cobra engine would allow such animals in game I’m glad that frontier proved us wrong even if some aren’t happy with the two representations in game. I’m just happy to have a penguin and otter and if we didn’t get different subspecies(I really don’t see that happening honestly) I’m glad we have these two.
 
It was a great pleasure to see Pygmy hippos, Okapis Giant otters and Hyenas.

I really agree completely with all the choices you have shown above and since everyone are listing animals that made them happy I decided to list animals that wasn’t a nice surprise and I consider them as a lost spot in some way.

1. Llama 🦙 - I would never understand that choice and I think they should have chosen the wild living species like Guanaco or Vicuña and not domesticated animal which in my opinion is just completely dull and not fitting the game in any way.

2. Himalayan brown bear 🐻 - since grizzly is almost identical and the real Himalayan brown bear has different fur coloration that the one being present in the game I consider it as the worst choice ever. I would gladly see the Spectacled bear or Baribal instead.

3. Arctic Wolf - I love this species I do, I have shivers down my spine when I watch them but we already have Timber wolf 🐺. Again lost slot for me. I think that this pack would be much more complete with Polar fox or preferably the Musk ox (the most iconic polar species after polar bear for me).

4. Bonobo 🐒 - some people would disagree with me but another chimpanzee that looks almost exactly the same as the nominal species is just something I don’t buy at all - especially that they omitted the most important behavior of the bonobos - their complicated sexual relations - without them bonobos are just smaller chimpanzees. I think that they could replace them with Lar gibbon, Siamang or any other primate even without proper brachiation it would be much better choice - I don’t care about brachiation that much.

5. Dingo 🐕 - choosing the animal responsible for extinction of the numerous species of Australian native fauna is just an aberration in my opinion. Also there is not even one serious zoo’s that keeps them in in Europe - there are present but mostly in private collections or animal parks. For me it is not a zoo species at all. Dingo is just the feral dog and also a pest and definitely not the native Australian wild fauna. This was just sad to see. But anyway. Tasmanian Devil or Tiger quoll or Tree kangaroo would be much better choice in my guess.

6. Demanded size of habitats for polar bear and hippos are just ridiculous.

No hard feelings, what’s done it’s done, right? This is just my very subjective opinion and I love this game to pieces ether way.
So I will just leave it here and and I’m very very curious about your opinions about that.
 
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It was a great pleasure to see Pygmy hippos, Okapis and Hyenas.

I really agree completely with all the choices you have shown above and since everyone are listing animals that made them happy I decided to list animals that wasn’t a nice surprise and I consider them as a lost spot in some way.

1. Llama 🦙 - I would never understand that choice and I think they should have chosen the wild living species like Guanaco or Vicuña and not domesticated animal which in my opinion is just completely dull and not fitting the game in any way.

2. Himalayan brown bear 🐻 - since grizzly is almost identical and the real Himalayan brown bear has different fur coloration that the one being present in the game I consider it as the worst choice ever. I would gladly see the Spectacled bear or Baribal instead.

3. Arctic Wolf - I love this species I do, I have shivers down my spine when I watch them but we already have Timber wolf 🐺. Again lost slot for me. I think that this pack would be much more complete with Polar fox or preferably the Musk ox (the most iconic polar species after polar bear for me).

4. Bonobo 🐒 - some people would disagree with me but another chimpanzee that looks almost exactly the same as the nominal species is just something I don’t buy at all - especially that they omitted the most important behavior of the bonobos - their complicated sexual relations - without them bonobos are just smaller chimpanzees. I think that they could replace them with Lar gibbon, Siamang or any other primate even without proper brachiation it would be much better choice - I don’t care about brachiation that much.

5. Dingo 🐕 - choosing the animal responsible for extinction of the numerous species of Australian native fauna is just an aberration in my opinion. Dingo is just the feral dog not the native Australian wild fauna. This was just sad to see. But anyway. Tasmanian Devil or Tiger quoll or Tree kangaroo would be much better choice in my guess.

6. Demanded size of habitats for polar bear and hippos are just ridiculous.

No hard feelings, what’s done it’s done, right? This is just my very subjective opinion and I love this game to pieces ether way.
So I will just leave it here and and I’m very very curious about your opinions about that.

That's very fair, like I said we definitely don't have to like every animal included. For me there's a few too many antelope type animals and (and I know I've said this before) while I love we have an otter, the Giant Otter is creepy and would have been my last otter pick.

I do agree with you about the Bonobo as well, I think they were the last base game animal I got around to using because of how similar they look to the chimpanzees. I'll give Frontier a pass on the canids since they're my favorite overall animal group, but I definitely see why other people would rather have seen some other animal.
 
Well, to be honest, at first I thought the otters were weird, but after my zoo got some and I watched them, I was hooked. Now I regret selling my 1st group, because i can't ever find them.

And, i think Frontier should add more canids. I've suggested this dozens of times before, but here are the 4 I really, REALLY, want:

1. Red Wolf
2. Coyote
3. Gray Fox
4. Indian Wolf

There. Said my piece
 
That's very fair, like I said we definitely don't have to like every animal included. For me there's a few too many antelope type animals and (and I know I've said this before) while I love we have an otter, the Giant Otter is creepy and would have been my last otter pick.

I do agree with you about the Bonobo as well, I think they were the last base game animal I got around to using because of how similar they look to the chimpanzees. I'll give Frontier a pass on the canids since they're my favorite overall animal group, but I definitely see why other people would rather have seen some other animal.

I do love canids - polar fox, dhole or maned wolf would be a dream come true to me. But those species are so much different from what we already have. What I meant was not the thing that I don’t like polar wolf or dingo - I just think they could make a wiser and not so obvious and repetitive choice.
 
Giant anteater - was really high on my wishlist.
Koala - I was worried they might not get added due to them mostly spend times in trees, so I was very happy to see them.
Giant otter - for all the the people that would prefer different species, I was one who was glad about this.
Cassowary - I did not know I needed them until they were added. Amazing animals.

From the base game I was so glad they added aardvarks and anteaters. I though they might save them for dlcs, but it was a pleasant surprise.
 
I also appreciate every animal because, honestly, they've done a fantastic job with each one of them. To pick a few:

-Nile monitor. I barely even knew this animal before the game was released and it has become one of my most used animal. It has the added value of being one of the few habitat reptiles, plus it is so versatile: semi aquatic, can live in humid tropical ecosystems and also dry-ish ones. A nice 'filler' for African themed areas, tropical houses, etc.

-Nyala. I love hoofstock animals in general and I always kept my fingers crossed for the sitatunga to make it into the game. The nyala is just as good tbh. Great for mixed exhibits. Also versatile as it can be in both a savannah and a tropical themed area.

-Dall sheep. The only caprid in the game as of now. It'd be great if they improved their climbing abilities and reduced their hitboxes on rocks.

-Capuchin monkey. In general, zoos are full of monkeys and, other than lemurs and apes, we only had the Japanese macaque and mandrills. Capuchins are great to expand the (still lacking) South American fauna and work well in mixed exhibits. Also a small animal, which is much needed in the game.
 
I personally think the roster is one of the flawed aspect of the original game, but there were many welcome surprises for me:
  • Chinese pangolin: it's one of my favorite "strange" mammals and I totally didn't expect to see it in the game as it isn't well known.
  • Cassowary: I was afraid they weren't gonna add any bird to the Australia pack, so when I saw the cassowary I sighed in relief.
  • Capuchin monkey: just for the fact of having at least one South American primate.
  • Nile monitor: partly because of nostalgia for Zoo Tycoon 2 and partly because it's a really versatile animal to use, I'd like to see more habitat reptiles such as the Perentie.
 
Dall Sheep - I've ended up having more of these guys in my franchises than any other species. I just love them! In part it's because they allow for more verticality in terrain design.

Dingo - They're so charismatic! They bring such a lively energy to a space.

Dwarf Caiman - Never expected this one to be included, and I'm so glad we got them! I knew nothing about them until Planet Zoo introduced me to them. They're such gorgeous little dinosaurs!
 
5.Dingo 🐕 - choosing the animal responsible for extinction of the numerous species of Australian native fauna is just an aberration in my opinion. Also there is not even one serious zoo’s that keeps them in in Europe - there are present but mostly in private collections or animal parks. For me it is not a zoo species at all. Dingo is just the feral dog and also a pest and definitely not the native Australian wild fauna. This was just sad to see. But anyway. Tasmanian Devil or Tiger quoll or Tree kangaroo would be much better choice in my guess.

I’m going to disagree heavily with the Dingo. Being that that species has been in Australia for roughly 4,000 years, and research has shown Dingoes are not to take the fall for “endangered and extinct species”
But rather feral dogs, feral cats, foxes and rabbit along with many others played a part in this. The dingoes lines aren’t “feral dog” the problem is feral dogs keep breeding with them, muddying the gene pool and creating a mess.
The Dingo plays an incredibly important role as an apex predator, and more damage would occur if the Dingo disappeared from the landscape.

Polar bears require a large space, that’s why many zoos can’t keep them. They suffer neurological problems when held in captivity. People want to argue that whales, dolphins and sharks suffer in captivity, well so do polar bears.
 
Polar bears require a large space, that’s why many zoos can’t keep them. They suffer neurological problems when held in captivity. People want to argue that whales, dolphins and sharks suffer in captivity, well so do polar bears.

I agree that they need a large space. Some zoos are enlarging their habitats to make them better for the bears. However, there's a difference between large and extremely huge. I'm not an expert in zoos, but I've never seen a zoo with such a huge area for polar bears as the game requires. If Frontier thinks that polar bears shouldn't be kept in captivity, like orcas and dolphins, they shouldn't have added it then. However, they decided to include it because it was the most marketable animal in the pack, but they did it in a way that it is too difficult to use them in the game. After 15 months, people are still complaining about the size requirement and Frontier keeps ignoring it. For me, this is one of the worst thing of this otherwise wonderful game.
 
- The amount of antelopes.
I know a lot of people have seen this as an easy way for Frontier to get the number of animals up, but I find variation within hoof stock very importation. I was expecting to see a total of 2-3 antelopes/gazelles, which would mean peoples savannahs would be more or less the same always, but since we got some options it is actually interesting to see which antelope(s) people go with for their savannahs. I agree that they probably should have went with something else than the Thomson's for the deluxe, but overall a fair representation of African antelopes.

- Two tortoises, two lemurs.
This is something I was positively surprised by when we first got the game, but over time I got a bit more mixed feelings about it all depending on how much more content we get in the future.
I was positive because this showed that Frontier knew a tortoise is not just a tortoise and the same for lemurs. They could easily just have included one of each and expected people to be satisfied. Similar to what we have seen with kangaroos, otters and penguins so far.

I am still happy to see more than one species represented in these areas, but also fear this means we won't see more in the future (and in case we only get like 30 animals more, I also hope we won't see more of these groups). In that case I would have preferred some more variation within the species at least with the tortoises, like a Sulcata tortoise instead of the Aldabra.

- Exhibit animals
Another mixed feelings. When they first introduced exhibit animals, I was happy to see smaller creatures would play a role in the game, I did not expect that.
The sad reality is that I rarely use them, simply because the exhibit itself doesn't do the job for realistic zoos for most of the species. I feel like adding a few size options should be fairly easy done, and would be a way for a lot of players to get a better use of this otherwise nice addition.

- A lot of big animals
For a guy who desperately wants more small habitat animals, this might seem like an odd pick. But because we saw so many large species in the base game, I expected the DLCs to have a lot of smaller animals, which would be a fine way of doing it. Sadly that hasn't really been the case, with frontier either picking the bigger option like we saw in the aquatic pack or making more big animals similar to what we got already. I am still hopeful that this could change one day.
 
Well, to be honest, at first I thought the otters were weird, but after my zoo got some and I watched them, I was hooked. Now I regret selling my 1st group, because i can't ever find them.

And, i think Frontier should add more canids. I've suggested this dozens of times before, but here are the 4 I really, REALLY, want:

1. Red Wolf
2. Coyote
3. Gray Fox
4. Indian Wolf

There. Said my piece
I'd like to see dholes. Those are wild dogs of Asia, and they are pretty rare, even in zoos.

I was happy they included African Wild dogs. I also was happy to see spotted hyenas, though they maybe short changed their incredibly elaborate kinship systems with their matrilineages, as it seems they just have the females fighting with their daughters once the female cubs mature. Their social intelligence and ability to keep track of relationships between females rivals that of Bonobos. Perhaps these relationships don't play out so well in captivity, though.

I liked seeing both bonobos and chimps, but I wish there had been more focus on the elaborate social relationships with the former, as they are very different from chimps.

I liked the inclusion of exhibit animals, and would like to see them expanded to small mammals and birds. Like SalamAnders, I wish there were different sizes of exhbit enclosure possible, and maybe even the possibility of creating larger enclosed habitats for compatible communities of smaller animals, and even free-flight aviaries at some point.

One issue with animal exhibits I've had in the game (I have mostly played franchise mode, so finances matter), though, is that they don't seem to attract the guest numbers (and donations) to justify the large staff numbers required to maintain them (in my zoos, it seems like some of my exhibit animals are always hungry or thirsty, no matter how I arrange the work areas).

Oh, I liked seeing aardvarks! Also, Komodo dragons.
 
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