Modern Zoo Builder Board game 'Ark Nova' animal roster

[Peythur]

Hello everyone!
This week I got a new board game: Ark Nova, a game in which you build a zoo and work up both conservation and popularity to win the game. This game is massive and it has loads of cards to play with. Since this forum loves to speculate and think of animals Planet Zoo might need, I thought it would be cool to drop the animal list here and see what animal we might want/need that we didn't think off. I colored the animals that we have in-game green. What is remarkable is that mostly the birds, reptiles and monkeys are not represented in Planet Zoo.

(For people that would like to play the game and don't want to be spoiled, I'll add the list in a spoiler tag)

Spoiler: Animal List

Cheetah, Lion, Leopard, Caracal, Fennec Fox, Siberian Tiger, Sumatran Tiger, Sloth Bear, Sun Bear, Yellow-Throated Marten, Grizzly Bear, Jaguar, Cougar, South American Coati, Raccoon, Eurasian Brown Bear, Wolf, Eurasian Lynx, European Badger, Stoat, New Zealand Fur Seal, Australian Sea Lion, New Zealand Sea Lion, Australian Dingo, Tasmanian Devil, African Bush Elephant, White Rhinoceros, Giraffe, Grevy's Zebra, Pygmy Hippopotamus, Asian Elephant, Indian Rhinoceros, Giant Panda, Red Panda, Malayan Tapir, American Bison, Muskox, Reindeer, Llama, Mountain Tapir, European Bison, Moose, Red Deer, Alpine Ibex, Crested Porcupine, Dugong, Red Kangaroo, Koala, Platypus, Common Wombat, Proboscis Monkey, Senegal Bushbaby, Collared Mangabey, Ringtailed Lemur, Mantled Guereza, Barbary Macaque, Mandrill, Japanese Macaque, Red-shanked Douc, Dusky Leaf Moneky, Horsfield's Tarsier, Gray Langur, White-Faced Capuchin, Brown Spider Monkey, Golden Lion Tamarin, Red Howler, Squirrel Monkey, Cotton-top Tamarin, Nile Crocodile, Green Mamba, African Spurred Tortoise, Rock Monitor, Common Agama, Indian Rock Python, King Cobra, Komodo Dragon, Veiled Chameleon, Chinese Water Dragon, American Alligator, Broad-Snouted Caiman, Galapagos Giant Tortoise, Anaconda, Boa Constrictor, European Pond Turtle, European Adder, Common Wall Lizard, European Grass Snake, Slow Worm, Saltwater Crocodile, Gould's Monitor, Frilled Lizard, Inland Taipan, Thorny Devil, African Ostrich, Secretary Bird, Marabou Stork, Lesser Flamingo, Shoebill, Cinereous Vulture, Long-Billed Vulture, Indian Peafowl, Great Hornbill, Snowy Owl, Andean Condor, Bald Eagle, King Vulture, Greater Rhea, Scarlet Macaw, Golden Eagle, White Stork, Greater Flamingo, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Barn Owl, Emu, Australian Pelican, Northern Cassowary, Kookaburra, Lesser Bird-of-Paradise, Goat, Sheep, Horse, Donkey, Rabbit, Pig, Guinea Pig, Alpaca, Lorikeet, Bennet's Wallaby

Some super-iconic animals you might miss, but they are special buildings. I'll list these below:
Meerkat Den, Penguin Pool, Aquarium, Baboon Rock, Rhesus Monkey Park, Barred Owl Hut, Sea Turtle Tank, Polar Bear Exhibit, Spotted Hyena Compound, Okapi Stable, Free-Range New World Monkeys and then you got non specific animals like: native seabirds, native lizards and native farm animals

What do you think about this list? Do you see animals that you really want to see in Planet Zoo (I know there are some fan favorites!)

 

[Fossa]

It doesn't even have antelopes? Just 20 types of monkey's. Nah I'm good.

 

[Lelka]

Why not just a dingo, but Australian Dingo?

 

[Chuditch]

Why not just a dingo, but Australian Dingo?

I've seen the term used as an alternative common name for dingoes before, and it's probably just to distinguish them from the various dog breeds that have come to be named after them over the years (such as "American/dixie dingoes" and "Thai dingoes", none of which are considered to be true dingoes anymore). Also distinguishes the animals in Australia from the New Guinea singing dog, which is a true dingo.

 

[RightWhale]

Hello everyone!
This week I got a new board game: Ark Nova, a game in which you build a zoo and work up both conservation and popularity to win the game. This game is massive and it has loads of cards to play with. Since this forum loves to speculate and think of animals Planet Zoo might need, I thought it would be cool to drop the animal list here and see what animal we might want/need that we didn't think off. I colored the animals that we have in-game green. What is remarkable is that mostly the birds, reptiles and monkeys are not represented in Planet Zoo.

(For people that would like to play the game and don't want to be spoiled, I'll add the list in a spoiler tag)

Spoiler: Animal List

Cheetah, Lion, Leopard, Caracal, Fennec Fox, Siberian Tiger, Sumatran Tiger, Sloth Bear, Sun Bear, Yellow-Throated Marten, Grizzly Bear, Jaguar, Cougar, South American Coati, Raccoon, Eurasian Brown Bear, Wolf, Eurasian Lynx, European Badger, Stoat, New Zealand Fur Seal, Australian Sea Lion, New Zealand Sea Lion, Australian Dingo, Tasmanian Devil, African Bush Elephant, White Rhinoceros, Giraffe, Grevy's Zebra, Pygmy Hippopotamus, Asian Elephant, Indian Rhinoceros, Giant Panda, Red Panda, Malayan Tapir, American Bison, Muskox, Reindeer, Llama, Mountain Tapir, European Bison, Moose, Red Deer, Alpine Ibex, Crested Porcupine, Dugong, Red Kangaroo, Koala, Platypus, Common Wombat, Proboscis Monkey, Senegal Bushbaby, Collared Mangabey, Ringtailed Lemur, Mantled Guereza, Barbary Macaque, Mandrill, Japanese Macaque, Red-shanked Douc, Dusky Leaf Moneky, Horsfield's Tarsier, Gray Langur, White-Faced Capuchin, Brown Spider Monkey, Golden Lion Tamarin, Red Howler, Squirrel Monkey, Cotton-top Tamarin, Nile Crocodile, Green Mamba, African Spurred Tortoise, Rock Monitor, Common Agama, Indian Rock Python, King Cobra, Komodo Dragon, Veiled Chameleon, Chinese Water Dragon, American Alligator, Broad-Snouted Caiman, Galapagos Giant Tortoise, Anaconda, Boa Constrictor, European Pond Turtle, European Adder, Common Wall Lizard, European Grass Snake, Slow Worm, Saltwater Crocodile, Gould's Monitor, Frilled Lizard, Inland Taipan, Thorny Devil, African Ostrich, Secretary Bird, Marabou Stork, Lesser Flamingo, Shoebill, Cinereous Vulture, Long-Billed Vulture, Indian Peafowl, Great Hornbill, Snowy Owl, Andean Condor, Bald Eagle, King Vulture, Greater Rhea, Scarlet Macaw, Golden Eagle, White Stork, Greater Flamingo, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Barn Owl, Emu, Australian Pelican, Northern Cassowary, Kookaburra, Lesser Bird-of-Paradise, Goat, Sheep, Horse, Donkey, Rabbit, Pig, Guinea Pig, Alpaca, Lorikeet, Bennet's Wallaby

Some super-iconic animals you might miss, but they are special buildings. I'll list these below:
Meerkat Den, Penguin Pool, Aquarium, Baboon Rock, Rhesus Monkey Park, Barred Owl Hut, Sea Turtle Tank, Polar Bear Exhibit, Spotted Hyena Compound, Okapi Stable, Free-Range New World Monkeys and then you got non specific animals like: native seabirds, native lizards and native farm animals

What do you think about this list? Do you see animals that you really want to see in Planet Zoo (I know there are some fan favorites!)

Seeing once you get past the large mammal species how little of these guys we have in game hurts. Honestly if I could I would just copy and paste that animal list into planet zoo.

 

[DarthQuell]

Hello everyone!
This week I got a new board game: Ark Nova, a game in which you build a zoo and work up both conservation and popularity to win the game. This game is massive and it has loads of cards to play with. Since this forum loves to speculate and think of animals Planet Zoo might need, I thought it would be cool to drop the animal list here and see what animal we might want/need that we didn't think off. I colored the animals that we have in-game green. What is remarkable is that mostly the birds, reptiles and monkeys are not represented in Planet Zoo.

(For people that would like to play the game and don't want to be spoiled, I'll add the list in a spoiler tag)

Spoiler: Animal List

Cheetah, Lion, Leopard, Caracal, Fennec Fox, Siberian Tiger, Sumatran Tiger, Sloth Bear, Sun Bear, Yellow-Throated Marten, Grizzly Bear, Jaguar, Cougar, South American Coati, Raccoon, Eurasian Brown Bear, Wolf, Eurasian Lynx, European Badger, Stoat, New Zealand Fur Seal, Australian Sea Lion, New Zealand Sea Lion, Australian Dingo, Tasmanian Devil, African Bush Elephant, White Rhinoceros, Giraffe, Grevy's Zebra, Pygmy Hippopotamus, Asian Elephant, Indian Rhinoceros, Giant Panda, Red Panda, Malayan Tapir, American Bison, Muskox, Reindeer, Llama, Mountain Tapir, European Bison, Moose, Red Deer, Alpine Ibex, Crested Porcupine, Dugong, Red Kangaroo, Koala, Platypus, Common Wombat, Proboscis Monkey, Senegal Bushbaby, Collared Mangabey, Ringtailed Lemur, Mantled Guereza, Barbary Macaque, Mandrill, Japanese Macaque, Red-shanked Douc, Dusky Leaf Moneky, Horsfield's Tarsier, Gray Langur, White-Faced Capuchin, Brown Spider Monkey, Golden Lion Tamarin, Red Howler, Squirrel Monkey, Cotton-top Tamarin, Nile Crocodile, Green Mamba, African Spurred Tortoise, Rock Monitor, Common Agama, Indian Rock Python, King Cobra, Komodo Dragon, Veiled Chameleon, Chinese Water Dragon, American Alligator, Broad-Snouted Caiman, Galapagos Giant Tortoise, Anaconda, Boa Constrictor, European Pond Turtle, European Adder, Common Wall Lizard, European Grass Snake, Slow Worm, Saltwater Crocodile, Gould's Monitor, Frilled Lizard, Inland Taipan, Thorny Devil, African Ostrich, Secretary Bird, Marabou Stork, Lesser Flamingo, Shoebill, Cinereous Vulture, Long-Billed Vulture, Indian Peafowl, Great Hornbill, Snowy Owl, Andean Condor, Bald Eagle, King Vulture, Greater Rhea, Scarlet Macaw, Golden Eagle, White Stork, Greater Flamingo, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Barn Owl, Emu, Australian Pelican, Northern Cassowary, Kookaburra, Lesser Bird-of-Paradise, Goat, Sheep, Horse, Donkey, Rabbit, Pig, Guinea Pig, Alpaca, Lorikeet, Bennet's Wallaby

Some super-iconic animals you might miss, but they are special buildings. I'll list these below:
Meerkat Den, Penguin Pool, Aquarium, Baboon Rock, Rhesus Monkey Park, Barred Owl Hut, Sea Turtle Tank, Polar Bear Exhibit, Spotted Hyena Compound, Okapi Stable, Free-Range New World Monkeys and then you got non specific animals like: native seabirds, native lizards and native farm animals

What do you think about this list? Do you see animals that you really want to see in Planet Zoo (I know there are some fan favorites!)

I've heard of this game. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate it?

I'm big on board games myself and love these more detailed ones opposed to the same old Monopoly, Uno, etc.

 

[synthetase]

I love mammals and always welcome them! However, the bird diversity in this game is... a little... underdeveloped. So all the birds. Also, I'd be cool with the Sumatran Tiger although I'm the only one in the whole community so that's out of the question. Porcupine is needed.
I'd make my own zoo game along this line. It seems fun to choose whatever species I want.

 

[Doran]

Card board game with as much birds as carnivorans?
Frontier:

 

[Peythur]

I've heard of this game. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate it?

I'm big on board games myself and love these more detailed ones opposed to the same old Monopoly, Uno, etc.

I really love the game, so a 9/10, it has everything I look for into game: bit of chance, bit of strategy, bit of 'creativity'. It really has a high replayability due to the many different cards. One thing I dislike is that you can't really 'mill' the card stack, but that's gonna be fixed in the next DLC, which is great!

Yes, there is an expansion coming for this game as well: Marine World with loads of fishes and other marine life

 

[Veah]

Well that's good to know, thanks! I'll put it in my list of zoology related animal games I want to play, along with Evolution and Wingspan.

 

[DarthQuell]

You should try out Oceans. Beautiful game, lovely art

 

[markun]

I'd be cool with the Sumatran Tiger although I'm the only one in the whole community so that's out of the question.

I really, really want the Sumatran tiger too

 

[NZFanatic]

I'm the only one in the whole community

Not even remotely true. I'd rather get the Sumatran tiger, an animal I'd use all the time, than, say, the Sulawesi bear cuscus, an animal that is no doubt more unique but I would probably never use.

 

[Xificayd]

I like the animal list, lots of cool ones we should have in Planet Zoo aswell

 

[BananaLeech]

Imo the diversity of some groups clash with the others. For example, there are a lot of primates including those rarely kept outside their native range. Yet the hoof stock and marsupial diversity feels lacking

 

[Simplychli]

Ark Nova sounds like an amazing board game! Building a zoo with conservation and popularity aspects sounds both challenging and fun. When it comes to animals, I once spent a rainy weekend indoors playing Spider Solitaire to pass the time—it's surprisingly addictive! As for Planet Zoo, adding more birds, reptiles, and monkeys would definitely enrich the gameplay. Maybe consider animals like toucans, komodo dragons, or capuchin monkeys—they'd add diversity to the zoo experience.