Exhibit Animals Wishlist

[NZFanatic]

So I have noticed that people relatively often share what exhibit animals they would like to see in the game, but sometimes the animals suggested are rather niche. So I'm wondering if there are any 'classic' exhibit animals that people feel like are still missing from the game, i.e. species that aren't especially uncommon to find in zoos.

Keep in mind, let's assume that the exhibit size will stay the same. As much as we would all love larger or smaller exhibits, I prefer to discuss things within the game's current parameters.

For me, a few of the missing species would be:

- Emerald tree boa. I'm genuinely surprised we got the red-eyed tree frog rather than something like this. I like the tree frog just fine, of course, they're very nice animals, but I was hoping for another snake.
- Panther or Jackson's chameleon. Either species seems to pop up in zoos quite often.
- Bearded dragon, blue-tongued skink, leopard gecko - all three are common in the pet trade, which makes them easily accessible for zoos as well, and I know a lot of zoos do have them. I'd like to see these pop up in the game at some point (an Australian DLC will probably have at least one exhibit animal, but it's hard to guess exactly which one it will be considering how many of Australia's renowned animals could go in an exhibit).
- Poison dart frogs. There are so many species that have yet to be represented in-game. I'd really like to see one or two more added.
- Giant mantis. A relatively common zoo invertebrate.
- Giant African millipede. Another one that exists in the pet trade.
- Spiny stick insect. See above.

Of course, I'd also like to add myriad terrapin species, but since there's no aquatic biome for the exhibits as yet, this probably isn't possible right now.

 

[paul78]

I’m kinda surprised Madagascar hissing cockroaches didn’t make the roster as they’re pretty common in most zoos that I’ve been to.

 

[NZFanatic]

I’m kinda surprised Madagascar hissing cockroaches didn’t make the roster as they’re pretty common in most zoos that I’ve been to.

Absolutely. Really to complete Madagascar we only need the hissing cockroach, day gecko, and panther chameleon, and that would round out frequent zoo species from the island.

 

[Witch King of Angmar]

Lizards

• Central Bearded Dragon (Australia DLC?)
• Fiji Crested Iguana
• Frilled Lizard (Australia DLC?)
• Jackson's Chameleon
• Madagascar Day Gecko (Madagascar DLC?)
• New Caledonian Gecko
• Ocellated Lizard
• Sheltopusik (legless lizard)
• Solomon Islands Skink
• Tegu
• Tokay Gecko

Snakes

• Ball Python
• Black Mamba
• Boomslang
• California Kingsnake
• Copperhead
• Crossed Pit Viper
• Eastern Coral Snake
• Emerald Tree Boa
• Gaboon Viper
• Indian Cobra
• Inland Taipan
• Leopard Snake
• Milk Snake
• Rainbow Boa
• Red Spitting Cobra
• Tiger Snake

Turtles

• Alligator Snapping Turtle
• Australian Snake-Necked Turtle
• Chinese Softshell Turtle
• Desert Tortoise
• Florida Box Turtle
• Greek Tortoise
• Mata-mata Turtle
• Radiated Tortoise (Madagascar Pack?)
• Red-Eared Slider

Frogs and Salamanders

• African Bullfrog
• Darwin's Frog
• Emperor Newt
• Fire Salamander
• Giant Marine Toad
• Golden Mantella
• Helmeted Water Toad
• Panamanian Golden Frog
• Strawberry Poison Frog
• Tomato Frog

Arthropods

• Chilean Rose Tarantula
• Emperor Scorpion
• Giant African Millipede
• Giant Mantis
• Huntsman Spider
• Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
• Orchid Mantis
• Titan Stick Insect
• Weta

Other

• Mexican Burrowing Caecilian
• Tuatara

 

[paul78]

Hopefully we end up getting a few turtles the Mata-mata would make a great choice.

 

[Cynogale bennettii II]

I have chosen fifteen groups or species that would work within the two existing exhibit setups (arid and tropical) that I have seen in zoos before and would add some more diversity to the game:

• Geckos: There are a number of species to choose from that could occupy either the arid (leopard gecko) or rainforest (Madagascar day gecko, turquoise dwarf gecko) exhibits
• Australian lizards: There are a number of frequently-kept species, including the bearded dragon, frilled lizard and almost any species of blue-tongued skink; they would for the most part live in the arid exhibit, although depending on the species the blue-tongued skink may live in the tropical one instead
• Chameleons: I would take almost any species - a larger species would probably work best, such as a panther, Parson's, Meller's or veiled chameleon (the latter is by far and away the most commonly kept in European zoos); all would live in the tropical exhibit
• Large pythons: African rock and Burmese are both pretty frequently kept in zoos; the former would fit into the arid exhibit and the latter in the tropical exhibit
• Cobras: Spectacled and king are both kept (not so common in Europe as America, which is true for most venomous snakes); the former would fit the arid exhibit and the latter the tropical exhibit
• Small chelonians: Pancake tortoise and Annam leaf turtle are both often kept; the pancake tortoise lives in dry desert-savannahs and the leaf turtle in rainforests; both are Critically Endangered and would also suit the conservation side of the game
• Tree frogs: I would have loved to see the Amazon milk frog in the South America Pack, as they are commonly kept in European zoos; the most frequently-kept of the Asian tree frogs is the Vietnamese mossy frog
• Large frogs: Ornate horned frog and African bullfrog are both commonly kept (the same cannot be said for the goliath frog that came in the starting roster); the horned frog is a forest species and the bullfrog a more savannah-arid species
• Fire salamander: This species is very commonly kept in European zoos; while a new temperate-type exhibit would be great for these, they do occur in sandy heath and dune habitats (and at least one zoo I know does keep them on sandy substrates); with some new heathland enrichment plants, the arid enclosure should suit this species
• Praying mantis: The number of species kept is very high, but I would probably go for one of the giant mantises, on account that they will be the ones easiest to see
• Grasshoppers: A lot of zoos keep these invertebrates; the arid habitat could feature species such as desert locust or armoured ground cricket while the tropical display could have the violet-winged grasshopper, the world's largest species that is pretty frequent in zoos
• Hercules beetle: I would have much preferred this species to the titan beetle we actually got, as at least the Hercules beetle is actually kept and bred in zoo (we don't even know what the young of a titan beetle looks like, let alone how to keep it in captivity)
• Madagascar hissing cockroach: These are probably the most commonly-kept insect in zoos; they would live in the tropical exhibit
• Atlas moth: While butterflies are often kept free-flight in special houses, moths are more frequently contained within enclosures; the atlas moth is the only species I would say is commonly kept in zoos
• Giant millipede: While the African giant is the most commonly-kept, I would be tempted to go for the Seychelles giant millipede; it is an Endangered species that is kept in European zoos and will soon be subject to a Europe-wide captive breeding programme

The other group of exhibit animals that I see quite frequently, but have no idea how they could be implemented, are social insects such as leaf-cutting ants and honeybees. While the bee exhibit could simply be a view into a beehive and the ants could also be contained within the tropical exhibit, the main problem is that the species are colonial and each exhibit would have to be limited to one individual (the queen). I suppose it could be possible, but would be more difficult than the other animals.

 

[NZFanatic]

The other group of exhibit animals that I see quite frequently, but have no idea how they could be implemented, are social insects such as leaf-cutting ants and honeybees. While the bee exhibit could simply be a view into a beehive and the ants could also be contained within the tropical exhibit, the main problem is that the species are colonial and each exhibit would have to be limited to one individual (the queen). I suppose it could be possible, but would be more difficult than the other animals.

You know, I was thinking about this today actually, and I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't object to there being "pre-fabricated" exhibits for this sort of thing. Rather than it being like the current exhibits, wherein the interior is determined by the animal you choose, these would simply be a hybrid between a scenery item and an exhibit. Guests view it like they view animals, but you don't customise it in any way. That way it could exist on a permanent loop rather than having you add 5000 ants and breeding them.

The same thing could occur further down the line if aquaria are ever added, for smaller species that live in big schools.

 

[shirandhak]

Mudskippers

 

[StarshineCat]

Fish?

 

[Danny_zoo]

Absolutely. Really to complete Madagascar we only need the hissing cockroach, day gecko, and panther chameleon, and that would round out frequent zoo species from the island.

It would truly be a shame to finish Madagascar there, as a zoo professional I'm sure you know that this Island Nation has been one of the biggest conservation topics within our world for decades now. A large amount of zoos especially some of the leading institutions within the zoological world have planned and constructed elaborate and spectacular exhibits that either represent Madagascar as a whole or even specific areas within the Island. Due to its unique ecosystems, and large number of endemic animal and plant species, Madagascar has been given the treatment of being its own biological continent within the zoo world. Frontier should release a Madagascar DLC that focuses primarily on its endangered plant life (especially palm trees) over building pieces, not that a run down colonial theme with a strong native Malagasy influence would not be amazing as well. In short, since the smaller continent base frontier DLC's seem to have the 4 animal rule, there is still plenty of interesting and unique species in the Island to be habitat animals. There is as many of you mentioned an army of Reptile/Amphibian/Insect species that would complement any DLC to make it quite special and even completely unique.

Coquerel's sifaka: Conservation status ENDANGERED

Aye-aye: Conservation Status ENDANGERED

Radiated tortoise: Conservation Status CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

Blue-eyed black lemur: Conservation Status CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

Black-and-white ruffed lemur: Conservation Status CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

 

[Stillness]

Animals that I'd really like to see:
Meerkats
Penguins
Various fish that can be added either to small aquariums similar to the exhibits, or to school in habitats for aquatic animals like gharial & the saltwater crocodile. It would be nice to see pond fish as well, such as koi for water features.
Porcupines
Cougars
California condors, other birds of prey such as eagles, owls, or hawks
Maybe farm animals like goats, sheep, ducks, for a farm area? Petting zoo type stuff.
Rabbits & guinea pigs too.
Mountain goats
Maybe butterflies?
Kangaroos
Koalas
Wombats
Slow Lorises
Tropical bird like macaws & parakeets
Otters!
Seals/sea lions
African horn bills
African wild dogs
Heyenas
The list could go on.

 

[NZFanatic]

Animals that I'd really like to see:
Meerkats
Penguins
Various fish that can be added either to small aquariums similar to the exhibits, or to school in habitats for aquatic animals like gharial & the saltwater crocodile. It would be nice to see pond fish as well, such as koi for water features.
Porcupines
Cougars
California condors, other birds of prey such as eagles, owls, or hawks
Maybe farm animals like goats, sheep, ducks, for a farm area? Petting zoo type stuff.
Rabbits & guinea pigs too.
Mountain goats
Maybe butterflies?
Kangaroos
Koalas
Wombats
Slow Lorises
Tropical bird like macaws & parakeets
Otters!
Seals/sea lions
African horn bills
African wild dogs
Heyenas
The list could go on.

This isn't a general wishlist thread, and several of those animals are already in the game.

 

[Kitty1337]

I want venomous snakes like cobras, mamba, and vipers.

 

[Stillness]

This isn't a general wishlist thread, and several of those animals are already in the game.

Sorry If I misunderstood what this thread was for, this is my first post in the forums. I'm a very new player, and I haven't had time to look at all of the available animals yet. I was mostly just listing the common animals I couldn't remember seeing in game. Which ones in my list are available?

 

[NZFanatic]

Sorry If I misunderstood what this thread was for, this is my first post in the forums. I'm a very new player, and I haven't had time to look at all of the available animals yet. I was mostly just listing the common animals I couldn't remember seeing in game. Which ones in my list are available?

Fair enough. This thread is talking specifically about the animals that go in the exhibits, such as the spiders, snakes, and lizards.

As for your list, we already have the African wild dog and the spotted hyena, and the Dall sheep is pretty close to a mountain goat in terms of habitat needs (the Dall sheep came with the Arctic Pack DLC).

 

[Stillness]

Fair enough. This thread is talking specifically about the animals that go in the exhibits, such as the spiders, snakes, and lizards.

As for your list, we already have the African wild dog and the spotted hyena, and the Dall sheep is pretty close to a mountain goat in terms of habitat needs (the Dall sheep came with the Arctic Pack DLC).

Alright, thanks for the clarification and list.
To stay on topic of exhibits then, it would be nice to have a butterfly exhibit, or even insect house that guests could walk through. (that kind of stretches it a bit, but still would be fun to see in game.) Also, Chameleons, Desert rain frogs would be fun, Archey's Frog looks interesting, Puerto Rican Crested Toads, Axolotls, eastern coral snakes, king cobras, and North American Hog-nosed snake which is distinct from the puff adder already in the game.

 

[Tyvara_Panther]

Outside of what's already been suggested, there are a few small mammals that would be fun to have in exhibits. Most Microbats could work well in that small of a space. The Lowland Streaked Tenrec and the Rock Hyrax also come to mind. The Hyrax is cool because they're related to elephants even though they're the size of a rodent, and the Lowland Tenrec is like a punkrock hedgehog from Madagascar.