Lets talk Biom Packs

If anything, I hope biome packs in terms of scenery would lead to zoo specific things. As @SalamAnders mentioned, a great set of objects that would for instance fit a rainforest pack is a bunch of roofs that make it easier to make glass domes etc.

All in all, I'm with @NZFanatic, I think they can switch between the three packs, so we'll probably see. In Dutch we have a very good saying that goes "A single swallow doesn't make Spring" and I think it fits here as well!
 
As other have said, one data point doesn’t make a pattern, so it’s too soon to say that biome packs will be all we get for the next few DLC. That said, I do think it’s likely that we’ll get at least a couple more and that we’ll move away from region-specific packs…

My guesses (if they stick with biomes) would be:

A dryland / arid pack (grasslands and deserts) in summer… May well be a 4+1+build pack.

A forests pack (temperate/rainforest) in autumn… Animal pack

A highlands pack in winter (4+1+build)

But….. plenty of other packs are very possible: Islands, nocturnal, coastal, aviaries, endangered species could all easily still be options.
 
Grassland could cover a lot of "missing" interesting animals, and if we considering steppes, prairies and savannahs as part of a general grassland biome, this is my list:

  • Przewalski's horse (grassland biome on Zoo Tycoon 2)
  • Saiga
  • Maned Wolf
  • Greater Rhea
  • Blue Wildebeest
  • Secretary Bird (grassland biome on Zoo Tycoon 2)
  • Honey badger (grassland biome on Zoo Tycoon 2)
  • Armadillo
 
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Grassland could cover a lot of "missing" interesting animals, and if we considering steppes, prairies and savannahs as part of a general grassland biome, this is my list:

  • Przewalski's horse (grassland biome on Zoo Tycoon 2)
  • Saiga
  • Maned Wolf
  • Greater Rhea
  • Blue Wildebeest
  • Secretary Bird (grassland biome on Zoo Tycoon 2)
  • Honey badger (grassland biome on Zoo Tycoon 2)
  • Armadillo
That pack would be such an instabuy for me. The saiga, obviously (I so want their funny noses officially in the game), but also the P horse for interspecies enrochment, two birbs, two amazing and popular carnivores, and an armadillo! The blue wildbeast is a bit meh for me (would rather a burrowing owl or blackfooted ferret), but I know they have their fanbase and we're always going to get a reskin, so might as well make it one people want. ;)
 
That pack would be such an instabuy for me. The saiga, obviously (I so want their funny noses officially in the game), but also the P horse for interspecies enrochment, two birbs, two amazing and popular carnivores, and an armadillo! The blue wildbeast is a bit meh for me (would rather a burrowing owl or blackfooted ferret), but I know they have their fanbase and we're always going to get a reskin, so might as well make it one people want. ;)
I chose Blue Wildebeest because I really preffer this specie than the black wildebeest that we have already on planet zoo, I think they weird cause I used to know the "gnu" from lion king and natgeo's shows haha
 
Grassland could cover a lot of "missing" interesting animals, and if we considering steppes, prairies and savannahs as part of a general grassland biome, this is my list:

  • Przewalski's horse (grassland biome on Zoo Tycoon 2)
  • Saiga
  • Maned Wolf
  • Greater Rhea
  • Blue Wildebeest
  • Secretary Bird (grassland biome on Zoo Tycoon 2)
  • Honey badger (grassland biome on Zoo Tycoon 2)
  • Armadillo
Some of this are really cool!
Przewalski Horse could fit well in an Endangered Species pack or East Asia
The armadillo, I though well and one that could fit really well and its cool is the giant armadillo. This one could fit in an Amazon/Tropical Pack.
 
Grassland could cover a lot of "missing" interesting animals, and if we considering steppes, prairies and savannahs as part of a general grassland biome, this is my list:

  • Przewalski's horse (grassland biome on Zoo Tycoon 2)
  • Saiga
  • Maned Wolf
  • Greater Rhea
  • Blue Wildebeest
  • Secretary Bird (grassland biome on Zoo Tycoon 2)
  • Honey badger (grassland biome on Zoo Tycoon 2)
  • Armadillo
Good choices, but I’d be disappointed if such a pack didn’t include at least one oceanian species (e.g., emu)
 
Me personally, I’d like to see a scrublands pack, a forests and/or jungles pack, and then some sort of high demand final pack with scenery — something like an endangered species or aviary pack. The desert pack could emphasize Oceania and MENA, the forests pack could add onto Latin America and Oceania again. Of course, both packs would represent at least 5 continents anyway.

edit: pack ideas

scrublands:
  • Scimitar Oryx (MENA)
  • Dromedary Camel/Caracal (MENA)
  • Przewalski’s Horse (Asia)
  • Emu (Oceania)
  • Short-Beaked Echidna (Oceania)
  • Maned Wolf (South America)
  • White-Nosed Coati (North America)
  • Leopard Gecko (MENA)
    forests:
  • Any Howler Monkey (South America)
  • Linne’s Two-Toed Sloth (South America)
  • Tasmanian Devil (Oceania)
  • Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo (Oceania)
  • Red River Hog (Africa)
  • Any Gibbon (Asia)
  • Kiwi (Oceania)
  • Emerald Basilisk Lizard (South America)
 
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These are my four biome packs, with a stand four plus one, with an additional three species if an animal pack is desired:

Open Spaces
1. Przewalski's horse
2. Emu
3. European rabbit
4. Southern ground hornbill
Exhibit. Common collared lizard

The horse would probably be the main flagship species for the pack and is an ideal representative for the Asian steppes. The emu is a much-wanted bird that lives in the deserts and grasslands of Australia, while the Southern ground hornbill adds another bird that lives on the African savannah and is suitable for mixed-species enclosures with large herbivores. The rabbit may seem an odd choice, but they are an endangered grassland animal from Europe that is very recognisable and could add another one of those 'petting zoo' species.
The collared lizard is chosen as the exhibit species because it represents the grasslands and deserts of North America, is brightly coloured and is, when accounting for size, one of the fastest animals on Earth.

5. Maned wolf
6. Patas monkey
7. Bar headed goose

In the case of an animal pack, the maned wolf is the obvious choice for representing South American grasslands and could be mixed with the giant anteater. The patas monkey is my choice for a plains primate, being the monkey best-adapted for running on open ground and also, unlike the baboons, being small and docile enough to mix with a broader range of African savannah species. And I added the goose as a second steppe species, simply because I like them so much.

Rainforest
1. Red river hog
2. Goodfellow's tree kangaroo
3. Siamang
4. Ocellated turkey
Exhibit. Meller's chameleon

For this pack, the siamang would probably be the flagship, representing the jungles of Southeast Asia. While Central Africa has many potential species, the red river hog is probably most sought-after and the tree kangaroo is the top choice for the rainforests of New Guinea. Finally, the Central American rainforest is represented by the stunningly beautiful ocellated turkey, which should hopefully be able to be mixed with the Baird's tapir.
A chameleon is an obvious choice as an exhibit species - while I was tempted to include a Madagascan species, I have recently come to see and really like the Meller's chameleon, which inhabits montane rainforests in southeast Africa. I have seen them in real-like before and they are huge, one of the largest chameleon species, which is a bonus in my mind.

5. South American coati
6. Golden bellied mangabey
7. Crested wood partridge

As for an animal pack, the coati is a commonly-kept and recognisable animal which would also be the pack's only carnivore. The mangabey is not kept that much, but I have seen some brilliant footage of them playing with the gorillas they are mixed with at Burgers Zoo in the Netherlands and I just want to be able to recreate that. And the partridge is a small, attractive, ground-based bird that would help fill small spaces and tropical houses with colour and sound.

Mountains
1. Gelada
2. Golden takin
3. Yellow throated marten
4. Common wombat
Exhibit. Olimpia's ground beetle

The gelada is one of my most favoured primates - I would much prefer seeing these included than the baboons, not least because they are docile enough to mix with a range of smaller animals that a true baboon would just eat. The takin could be the flagship species, as they are strikingly coloured and an ideal representative of the mountains also inhabited by the giant panda. The wombat is not an obvious mountain species, but I have seen photographs and film of them flourishing in the snowfields of the Australian Alps and are to my mind the best Oceanian species for this pack. And the marten is there because I love it so much and they inhabit montane forests throughout Asia.
As the exhibit species, I have chosen the threatened and brightly-coloured ground beetle that is endemic to the Piedmont mountains of Italy - they have been subject to a successful captive breeding programme in the past as well, so we know they can be kept in zoos.

5. Klipspringer
6. Spectacled bear
7. Himalayan monal

The klipspringer is a good species to represent mountains in the savannahs and temperate grasslands of sub-Saharan Africa, although the rock hyrax would probably work equally as well. The spectacled bear is the obvious choice for representing the Andes Mountains and the Himalayan monal adds a huge splash of colour to this pack, which mostly contains quite dull-coloured animals. I tried to think of a North American species, but not only could I not think of one I particularly wanted, but there's nothing here I would sacrifice either.

Islands
1. Tasmanian devil
2. Victoria crowned pigeon
3. Fossa
4. North Island brown kiwi
Exhibit. Lord Howe Island stick insect

For the island ecosystems, I think that the Tasmanian devil would probably be the flagship species. The kiwi is the obvious New Zealand representative and, while I would love the sifaka or another lemur species, I think that Madagascar does need a species that isn't a primate - the fossa fits that niche well. New Guinea is one of the most biodiverse islands and I think it does need at least one more species - with the tree kangaroo in my Rainforest Pack, I think the crowned pigeon is the best second choice.
The stick insect seems like the most obvious exhibit species for such a pack, considering that it has been datamined before, but there are plenty of other options that would be just as good such as the Fiji banded iguana, Solomon Island skink, mountain chicken frog, Mallorcan midwife toad and panther chameleon.

5. American flamingo
6. Sri Lanka leopard
7. Vancouver Island marmot

If Islands received an Animal Pack, I think these are the three best animals. The American flamingo is the customary reskin, which would represent both the Caribbean Islands and the Galapagos. The leopard might seem an odd choice, but they are the top predator of Sri Lanka and leopards are a well-requested species. Finally, the marmot is similar to the prairie dog but is a bigger, more strikingly-coloured animal that is being saved from extinction by breeding in zoos and represents a northern temperate/taiga island environment otherwise unrepresented in the pack.
 
I'd absolutely love a Mountain Pack. It could include:
  • Gelada (this one would definitely be my Favorite)
  • Alpine Marmot
  • Rock Hyrax
  • the Himalayan Monal seems to be popular among other Players and more Birds are always nice
  • a second Species of Goat or Sheep (Barbary Sheep, Bighorn Sheep, Cretan Goat, Bezoar Ibex)
  • Yellow footed Rock Wallaby
  • Yak (either wild or domesticated but I'd prefer the domesticated one)
  • maybe the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect could be used in this Pack (just take a Look at Ball's Pyramid, the Island where the Species was rediscovered⛰️)

Regarding a Islands Pack: in my Opinion Madagascar and New Zealand deserve their own Packs (New Zealand would be best after a Aviary Pack so we could get Keas and maybe also New Zealand Falcons). But I'd love a Islands Pack. It could include some Crab Species (Christmas Island Crab or Coconut Crab?), Sulawesi could get additional Representation by adding one of the 2 Anoa Species, I like the Idea someone brought up of including the Hawaiian Goose.....

But for the sake of it, besides flying, what other behaviours might we get?
  • Mothers carrying their Babys on their Back (Primate Pack?)
  • Brachiation (Rainforest/Primate Pack?)
  • hanging on the Tail being added to New World Monkeys (Primate/Rainforest/Pack that includes Opossums or Kinkajous?)
  • not really a Behavior but: hollow Trees to sleep in (Aviary Pack/Pack with something like a Raccoon or European Wildcat)
  • Interspecies Interactions
  • Interactions with Guests (Petting Zoo Pack?)
  • maybe Pollination Behavior (it may Sound weird but we do already have a Nectar drinking and pollinating Species in the Game: the Red ruffed Lemur)(other Examples for Animals that could get this Behavior are: Flying Foxes, other Examples I can currently come up with would be most likely Exhibit Animals: Hummingbirds and even some Species of Lizard)

If there are only animal packs from here on out without building pieces, I would hope they would at least include a lot more nature pieces with the biomes.
Either that or Plant Packs which include lots of Plants and maybe one or two Animals (those could also be a nice Oportunity to give us more Exhibit Animals 🤔 Asia still has only 2). I'm in desperate Need for more Plants 🌾🌱🌿☘️🍀🪴🌵🌴🌳🌲

Stuff for making indoor rainforests, deserts and similar could be an idea
Heat Lamps (maybe also heated Basking Rocks for our scaled Friends🦎) and Watering Systems that simulate Rain from Time to Time
 
Looking at the meta-wishlist now, the next four packs seem like they'll be:

East Asia (Amur leopard, Przewalski's horse, wolverine, golden takin) - June/July.
Desert/Grasslands (Maned wolf, crested porcupine, emu, secretarybird, hamadryas baboon, dromedary, caracal) - October.
Oceania (Tasmanian devil, common wombat, tree kangaroo, kiwi) - December.
Tropical (Gibbon, red river hog, fossa, sloth, coati, howler monkey, ocelot) - March/April*.

*The tamarin ranks higher than the ocelot but I can't see them putting 3 primates in one pack.
 
Looking at the meta-wishlist now, the next four packs seem like they'll be:

East Asia (Amur leopard, Przewalski's horse, wolverine, golden takin) - June/July.
Desert/Grasslands (Maned wolf, crested porcupine, emu, secretarybird, hamadryas baboon, dromedary, caracal) - October.
Oceania (Tasmanian devil, common wombat, tree kangaroo, kiwi) - December.
Tropical (Gibbon, red river hog, fossa, sloth, coati, howler monkey, ocelot) - March/April*.

*The tamarin ranks higher than the ocelot but I can't see them putting 3 primates in one pack.
I'd love those packs honestly. Don't think I'd change a thing
 
Looking at the meta-wishlist now, the next four packs seem like they'll be:

East Asia (Amur leopard, Przewalski's horse, wolverine, golden takin) - June/July.
Desert/Grasslands (Maned wolf, crested porcupine, emu, secretarybird, hamadryas baboon, dromedary, caracal) - October.
Oceania (Tasmanian devil, common wombat, tree kangaroo, kiwi) - December.
Tropical (Gibbon, red river hog, fossa, sloth, coati, howler monkey, ocelot) - March/April*.

*The tamarin ranks higher than the ocelot but I can't see them putting 3 primates in one pack.
I agree with Bearcat. Outta curiosity, what would our exhibit animals be?
 
Looking at the meta-wishlist now, the next four packs seem like they'll be:

East Asia (Amur leopard, Przewalski's horse, wolverine, golden takin) - June/July.
Desert/Grasslands (Maned wolf, crested porcupine, emu, secretarybird, hamadryas baboon, dromedary, caracal) - October.
Oceania (Tasmanian devil, common wombat, tree kangaroo, kiwi) - December.
Tropical (Gibbon, red river hog, fossa, sloth, coati, howler monkey, ocelot) - March/April*.

*The tamarin ranks higher than the ocelot but I can't see them putting 3 primates in one pack.
Looking at the Wetland pack and some non-Metalist choices, Frontier would never be that on point :D (I hope because they hold back on key seller animals because we get longer support than 2022 / start of 2023)
I'd love those packs honestly. Don't think I'd change a thing
Same. Maaaybe the timing? Frontier was always northern hemisphere focused and most of us associate Oceania with Australia and Australia with heat, as simple as that thinking might be. I'd see Oceania more toward summer / Autumn. Though it is suspcious, that we already saw Asia things in the files.

I totally get that the Devs are not happy about data mining, but I'm just a passionate player that means no harm and is only over excited. But am I the only one who with every update hopes there are new bread crumps for us?
 
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