DLC 19 Speculation

[caninesrock]

its me im oceania fan

Seriously though all I need to be hyped for the next DLC is any Oceanian animal, literally any (welcome home lord howe island stick insect). Don't have a lot of confidence we're gonna get one though, regardless of what the theme is.

I support this. I actually filtered the animals by continent in the game and (not counting Antarctica), Oceania actually has the lowest representation in the game with less than 20 animals, then followed by South America which has a lot of exhibit animals but not so many habitat animals available, and finally North America. Meanwhile over half the games animals are from either Africa or Asia and Europe has a fair bit as well but not as many as Africa or Asia.

We definitely need more marsupials like Tree Kangaroos and Possums. The monotreme Echidna would also be great. I'm not that familiar with Australian birds outside of the Emu, Cassowary, or Australian Pelican, but we can definitely throw some Australian birds in the game as well for the bird fans.

 

[Milurian]

I support this. I actually filtered the animals by continent in the game and (not counting Antarctica), Oceania actually has the lowest representation in the game with less than 20 animals, then followed by South America which has a lot of exhibit animals but not so many habitat animals available, and finally North America. Meanwhile over half the games animals are from either Africa or Asia and Europe has a fair bit as well but not as many as Africa or Asia.

We definitely need more marsupials like Tree Kangaroos and Possums. The monotreme Echidna would also be great. I'm not that familiar with Australian birds outside of the Emu, Cassowary, or Australian Pelican, but we can definitely throw some Australian birds in the game as well for the bird fans.

for anyone interested here is the complete breakdown of animal distributions based solely of what the ingame filters go by done to keep thing simplistic and as close to whats intended as possible
(the game gets alot of the distributions wrong or are weirdly inconsistent)

This data alone shouldnt be exclusively taken as to whats a priority since there is nuance in both real life settings and in the global context for example oceania does not need to be in equal proportions to asia or africa for a zoo game and this data has some flaws such as animals associated heavily with one or 2 locations but having range in more.

continents:

continent	exhibit	habitat	total	percent
africa	7	64	71	25.1
asia	9	61	70	24.7
north america	14	31	45	15.9
south america	16	23	39	13.8
europe	6	25	31	11
oceania	6	21	27	9.5

biome

biome	exhibit	habitat	total	percent
grassland	14	88	102	24.3
tropical	24	67	91	21.7
temperate	12	65	77	18.3
taiga	2	43	45	10.7
desert	9	36	45	10.7
aquatic	6	34	40	9.5
tundra	1	19	20	4.8

 

[NachoB]

Not counting exhibits, here are the habitat animals fro SA:

Capybara
Maned wolf
Collared peccary
Nine banded armadillo
Llama
Alpaca
White face capuchin monkey
Giant otter
Giant anteater
Jaguar
Puma
Spectacled bear
Baird's tapir (i assume we are counting this one as southamerican?)
Spectacled caiman
Cuvier's dwarf caiman
King penguin

Sloth (is WTE but i would count it here anyway)

That makes 16 (17 if we consider the sloth). Where are the other 7? What am i missing?

 

[Chuditch]

That makes 16 (17 if we consider the sloth). Where are the other 7? What am i missing?

Most of those would be the barnyard animal pack animals, which are tagged as being from every continent (which is both something I disagree with regardless and annoyingly inconsistent with the llama, dromedary and Bactrian camel all being considered only from their continents of origin). As Milurian said, that breakdown is based directly on the in-game filters.

EDIT: Also the Galapagos giant tortoise is considered South American

 

[NachoB]

Most of those would be the barnyard animal pack animals, which are tagged as being from every continent (which is both something I disagree with regardless and annoyingly inconsistent with the llama, dromedary and Bactrian camel all being considered only from their continents of origin). As Milurian said, that breakdown is based directly on the in-game filters.

EDIT: Also the Galapagos giant tortoise is considered South American

Oh yes i did miss the galapagos tortoise. But yeah the barnyard animals don't count. At all. Lol

 

[Aramar]

Most of those would be the barnyard animal pack animals, which are tagged as being from every continent (which is both something I disagree with regardless and annoyingly inconsistent with the llama, dromedary and Bactrian camel all being considered only from their continents of origin)

I agree with your disagreement. I hate that the banyard animals have the tags for all contintents. They didn't give us a generic sheep, or generic cow. They are very specific breeds. Filtering by Oceanian animals and getting a Highlands cow listed is so weird.

 

[Marvinb]

for anyone interested here is the complete breakdown of animal distributions based solely of what the ingame filters go by done to keep thing simplistic and as close to whats intended as possible
(the game gets alot of the distributions wrong or are weirdly inconsistent)

This data alone shouldnt be exclusively taken as to whats a priority since there is nuance in both real life settings and in the global context for example oceania does not need to be in equal proportions to asia or africa for a zoo game and this data has some flaws such as animals associated heavily with one or 2 locations but having range in more.

continents:

continent	exhibit	habitat	total	percent
africa	7	64	71	25.1
asia	9	61	70	24.7
north america	14	31	45	15.9
south america	16	23	39	13.8
europe	6	25	31	11
oceania	6	21	27	9.5

biome

biome	exhibit	habitat	total	percent
grassland	14	88	102	24.3
tropical	24	67	91	21.7
temperate	12	65	77	18.3
taiga	2	43	45	10.7
desert	9	36	45	10.7
aquatic	6	34	40	9.5
tundra	1	19	20	4.8

Newt, salamander and tortoise. Which ones 3 exhibit animals am i missing for europe?

Edit: ah nvm, its the butterflies isnt it

 

[Chuditch]

Newt, salamander and tortoise. Which ones 3 exhibit animals am i missing for europe?

Edit: ah nvm, its the butterflies isnt it

The sacred scarab too

 

[RightWhale]

for anyone interested here is the complete breakdown of animal distributions based solely of what the ingame filters go by done to keep thing simplistic and as close to whats intended as possible
(the game gets alot of the distributions wrong or are weirdly inconsistent)

This data alone shouldnt be exclusively taken as to whats a priority since there is nuance in both real life settings and in the global context for example oceania does not need to be in equal proportions to asia or africa for a zoo game and this data has some flaws such as animals associated heavily with one or 2 locations but having range in more.

continents:

continent	exhibit	habitat	total	percent
africa	7	64	71	25.1
asia	9	61	70	24.7
north america	14	31	45	15.9
south america	16	23	39	13.8
europe	6	25	31	11
oceania	6	21	27	9.5

biome

biome	exhibit	habitat	total	percent
grassland	14	88	102	24.3
tropical	24	67	91	21.7
temperate	12	65	77	18.3
taiga	2	43	45	10.7
desert	9	36	45	10.7
aquatic	6	34	40	9.5
tundra	1	19	20	4.8

1. South America
2. “39” species tagged
3. Includes all the barnyard animals
4. Includes the Galapagos tortoise
5. Includes multiple species not endemic to South America
6. King penguin still the only bird
7. One of the largest collections of species worldwide wide and it rivals Europe in representation
8. Only “beats” Europe due to exhibit animals

If you look at the numbers you would think South America is doing ok. Just look under the hood though, it’s in a rough spot.

 

[Aramar]

1. South America
2. “39” species tagged
3. Includes all the barnyard animals
4. Includes the Galapagos tortoise
5. Includes multiple species not endemic to South America
6. King penguin still the only bird
7. One of the largest collections of species worldwide wide and it rivals Europe in representation
8. Only “beats” Europe due to exhibit animals

If you look at the numbers you would think South America is doing ok. Just look under the hood though, it’s in a rough spot.

The big problem of South America is the lack of birds and monkeys. For the rest of mammals, while there are species missing (like for other continents), I don't think the South American roster is so bad.

 

[Mjmannella]

South America is arguably the most biodiverse of the 7 "traditional" continents, it should have the most representation as a result

 

[RightWhale]

The big problem of South America is the lack of birds and monkeys. For the rest of mammals, while there are species missing (like for other continents), I don't think the South American roster is so bad.

I mean yeah that is certainly true, I think what hurts though is that from an international perspective the monkeys and birds are probably the biggest things to miss out on. I have been to many zoos with South American animals, a good number of them don’t have peccaries, tapir, maned wolves, the big cats, anteaters, etc. However you can practically bet on the odds they have some birds or monkeys.

While talked to death, the lack of flying birds really hurts South America. I would argue almost more than other continents. If the only flying birds we got were macaws in the WTE that wouldn’t be a bad choice, and that could easily put South America’s representation into a better place.

In my opinion this is what we are missing (not in including flying birds):

1. As you said, monkeys.
2. Also, habitat birds. Greater Rhea, American flamingo, tropical ducks, etc. just one or two can be very beneficial.
3. I would also say a habitat rodent besides the capybara. The Patagonian Mara or red rumped agouti would be great.
4. Finally, I’ve harped on it a lot. South America is famous for the Amazon a river. Give me some fish in the exhibit box. The axolotl and newt are 100% aquatic, and the piranha, electric eel, or other South American fish wouldn’t look out of place in the exact same exhibit box as the axolotl.

 

[Marvinb]

South America is arguably the most biodiverse of the 7 "traditional" continents, it should have the most representation as a result

In theory? Yes. In pratice? Nah
The most biodiverse argument only works as long as you take everything into consideration that isnt relevant, or of low relevancy for PZ.

If you only look at animals that are of concern to PZ, habitat animals with the occasional exhibit animal thrown in, south america quickly starts to loose the titel of most biodiverse continent.
So should SA be the most represented continent in PZ? Imo no.
That said, i still think its underrepresented

 

[NachoB]

The big problem of South America is the lack of birds and monkeys. For the rest of mammals, while there are species missing (like for other continents), I don't think the South American roster is so bad.

The problem to me is that while Europe did get pretty much all of their most important and iconic species, southamerica is still missing some basic animals: greater rhea, flamingo, southamerican tapir, ocelot, coati species, more monkeys and more rodents (at least agouti or mara).

 

[Mjmannella]

In theory? Yes. In pratice? Nah
The most biodiverse argument only works as long as you take everything into consideration that isnt relevant, or of low relevancy for PZ.

If you only look at animals that are of concern to PZ, habitat animals with the occasional exhibit animal thrown in, south america quickly starts to loose the titel of most biodiverse continent.
So should SA be the most represented continent in PZ? Imo no.
That said, i still think its underrepresented

I think part of the issue is that there's Exhibit Species are staggeringly sparse for their comparative simplicity. South America has thousands of non-avian reptiles, non-tetrapod fish, and arthropods that are perfectly suitable for Exhibits. That's not even getting to birds and bats for Walkthrough exhibits.

Even then, there's still under-discussed taxa like Argentine black-&-white tegus, red-footed tortoises, lowland pacas, Orinoco crocodiles, brown brockets, boat-billed herons, and grey-winged trumpeters that very much viable for further habitat species representation.

 

[Aramar]

The problem to me is that while Europe did get pretty much all of their most important and iconic species, southamerica is still missing some basic animals

So the problem is not that Africa, Asia, North America and Oceania got pretty much of their most important and iconic species. The problem is that Europe got them too. I thought we were past the times when European fauna was always underrated or considered less important. No continent deserves a better treatment than other. Therefore, South America representation should be improved to match the other 5 continents, without needing to "downgrade" any ot them.

 

[NachoB]

So the problem is not that Africa, Asia, North America and Oceania got pretty much of their most important and iconic species. The problem is that Europe got them too. I thought we were past the times when European fauna was always underrated or considered less important. No continent deserves a better treatment than other. Therefore, South America representation should be improved to match the other 5 continents, without needing to "downgrade" any ot them.

Nah i meant that SA is in a worst state than Europe in the sense that Europe did get pretty much all of their most important animals while SA is still lacking in pretty important species (from a SA perspective at least). I'm glad Europe is as well represented as it is. If anything i think Africa is overrepresented.

 

[RightWhale]

Even then, there's still under-discussed taxa like Argentine black-&-white tegus, red-footed tortoises, lowland pacas, Orinoco crocodiles, brown brockets, boat-billed herons, and grey-winged trumpeters

Honestly there are a ton of good options for birds for South America, some like the boat billed heron and the currasow might be a bit more iffy as they do spend a lot of time off the ground. The trumpeter bird I think might be good still being confined to the ground though.

For habitat birds for PZ I think this would be my list as good candidates for South America:

1. Rheas (greater or lesser)
2. Tinamous (elegant crested being one)
3. Grey winged trumpeter birds
4. Red legged seriema
5. Flamingos (American or Chilean)
6. Southern Screamer
7. Waterfowl (Whistling ducks, torrent ducks, Muscovy, teals, black necked swans, Orinoco goose)
8. Not South American, but the ocellated turkey would be awesome
9. Jabiru
10. Giant wood rail
11. Coots
12. Jacanas
13. Humboldt penguin
14. Brown Pelican

These are all species where I think they can work in PZ. I didn’t include species that would require better nets and mesh to look ok in game or they nest in trees (currasow, burrowing owls, roseate spoonbills, ibis, etc). Obviously the list has a lot of oddballs, but I do think they can work in game, provide new building opportunities, or just provide half decent representation.

 

[synthetase]

The top 25 new species mods (by downloads NOT unique downloads) as of 12 AM March 7 UTC

1. NA River Otter
2. RM Elk
3. American Flamingo*
4. Green Sea Turtle
5. Persian Fallow Deer
6. Suffolk Sheep
7. Kodiak Red Fox
8. Holstein Cow
9. Ecuadorian Squirrel Monkey
10. Gaur
11. Rhode Island Red Chicken
12. Harbor Seal
13. RM Bighorn Sheep
14. Shoebill
15. Emperor Penguin
16. Chinstrap Penguin
17. Japanese Red Fox
18. Large White Pig
19. Tufted Capuchin
20. Beluga Whale
21. Serval
22. Bat-eared Fox
23. Black Howler Monkey
24. Red-footed Tortoise
25. Masai Giraffe

Of course this isn't as accurate of what people actually want since some of these animals have been available for longer times and there are clones that are good as mods but not necessary for an official spot.

 

[synthetase]

Nah i meant that SA is in a worst state than Europe in the sense that Europe did get pretty much all of their most important animals while SA is still lacking in pretty important species (from a SA perspective at least). I'm glad Europe is as well represented as it is. If anything i think Africa is overrepresented.

There are a few habitat species Africa could still use:

• Crocodilian
• "typical" Monkey
• Smaller Ground bird than the Ostrich

Then, there are tons of African species I'd selfishly love to see...
I agree though, Africa is very well represented. In an ideal scenario we could get South America (and maybe Oceania as well) to Africa's well represented status. I say South America and Oceania because as far as I know they are tropical so they have more species than Europe, North America, and a bit of Asia (Asia's also well represented).
By the way, I realized one day, we don't have a single Middle Eastern Antelope. So I'd hope to see Arabian Oryx.