Ideally 3 more, but most realistically just 1. For me, howler or spider, but I'm leaning towards the howler
Personally for me, with the addition of the LT Macaque as an Indian species and topping us up to 6 Asian primates (of course I’d take more - Sulawesi Macaque?! - but I feel this is a good number for Asia), it leaves me feeling this:
1. Madagascar needs the
Aye-Aye, really we should have gotten this over the Sifaka. But niche wise anyway it’s pretty far from any other primates even if it is one biologically.
2. Africa needs the
Mantled Guereza, this is the quintessential African forest primate for me, far more notable than the vast array of non-descript guenons out there..
The
Gelada is also a question mark here, a ZT legacy species and arguably unique and iconic enough to be added even with the Hamadryas in game.
3. As for South America, this is the ‘monkey region’ in the zoo world and arguably should have a decent choice of primates. But what I see a lot of people suggesting for another 4-5 is just unlikely imo. It definitely needs a howler or a spider monkey and I think the howler wins out on three fronts a) easier to make b) more common in zoos and c) sexually dimorphic. So I’d select the
Black and Gold Howler Monkey.
Now I also think there’s another omission here that often gets somewhat overlooked but to me is really part of the meerkat, Humboldt Penguin abc squad found in nearly every zoo - the squirrel monkey. They’re very charismatic, very common, a good interspecies animal that can go with most SA species, including the sakis (which the capuchins and howlers couldn’t). So I’d select the
Black-Capped Squirrel Monkey. Again, of course I’d love more but I just think it’s unlikely. And personally for me I think marmosets and tamarins are likely out simply on the basis of being too small. Never say never but that’s just what I suspect. They’d maybe work better as walkthrough exhibit animals hopping around and could be mixed like the butterflies?
I think a nice rounded quartet of the capuchin, saki, howler and squirrel monkey gives a nice sensible variation of South American monkeys that are visually unique and common in zoos.
4. Last left field pick for me, probably more so as an anniversary pick as it is a pretty infamous primate:
Barbary Macaque. Now I think this is not essential but it is a ZT legacy species, a famous conservation success story with a lot of ongoing projects, a colder climate North-African species that also gives some representation to Southern Europe in the form of the Gibraltan colony. I highly doubt it’ll be a DLC species but I could see it coming as an anniversary species.
Anyway, that’s my realistic view on the primates I think are the most glaring omissions. Sorry langur, snub-nosed monkey, guenon, tamarin fans.