How I feel about NA animal ratings/rankings (as a local):
Temperate, Taiga, and Grassland:
The
black bear seems to get a lot of unnecessary hate on this forum, which makes me sad. It's probably the only thing I critically need for NA, and color morphs are fun. At least it's still pretty high on the wishlist. I think we have a pretty decent selection of small, backyard temperate critters, and I want to see the other continents catch up a little before focusing too much on ours. However, when/if we get there, I would like to see the appropriately-rated
porcupine, and the underrated
American Fisher. While I'm a little put off by its rat-like appearance, the
Virginia oppossum would be an interesting pick for taxonomic diversity and international zoos. I don't think it would work well mostly due to its short lifespan (3-4 years in captivity), and thus it's probably the only one here that might be overrated. The
bobcat would also be a nice one to get, but if support doesn't last long enough to justify it, I'd probably be fine with a mod or something.
Wapiti are awesome and appropriately rated, and
white-tailed deer are slightly underrated. While I'm not sure the
black footed ferret would work either, I would love to see it. It's underrated if it's a viable option due to its neat conservation story.
Most Underrated: White Tailed Deer (temperate), Fisher (taiga), and Black Footed Ferret (grassland)
Desert:
I also think the
bighorn sheep isn't talked about enough. It's kind of like our "Alpine Ibex" and has a totally different range and color than the Dall sheep. It's very present in our media and would add something for the southern desert, which really doesn't have a lot. It is still well within the top 100, though. The desert could also use the appropriately-rated
collared peccary and 1-3 critters. The tree-climbing
grey fox, ringtail, adaptable
bobcat, and jackrabbit are some very underrated options. After that, I would say the desert is complete.
Most Underrated: Critters
Tundra:
Even though it's not common in zoos, the
ribbon seal (my favorite) is underrated. It or the
harp seal would really stand out visually next to our current lineup. I also like the
harbor seal, but its niche is sort of met by the grey. The popularity of the
sea otter, walrus, musk ox, and
wolverine makes sense, though I might shuffle them slightly.
Most Underrated: Black-and-white seals
Birds:
I don't have too many strong feelings about which bird (all are underrated), but I do think we should get at least two. The
wild turkey seems the most useful (probably underrated given its iconicism, range, and domestic compatibility) and the
wood duck is my favorite. I'm not opposed to the
cranes, roadrunners, or pelicans, either. For flying ones, the
snowy owl and bald eagle have appropriately high ratings. I'd also agree about the
red-tailed hawk being underrated, but should not be at the same level as the other two. The
California condor is a cool pick for conservation although there are other condors/vultures I'd prefer from other continents, and
ospreys are neat to pair with bald eagles. I'm content with their respective ratings. I'm glad the
burrowing owl is somewhat popular. It's one of my favorites.
Most Underrated: Turkey (habitat), Red Tailed Hawk (exhibit)
Other Exhibit animals:
The
alligator snapping turtle is well-appreciated, but I wouldn't mind getting an aquatic turtle from another continent. The endangered
San Francisco Garter Snake is pretty cool, and
Luna moths are iconic. I feel like we have a pretty good roster though, and I mostly want Oceania, SEA, and Africa to catch up a bit.
Most Underrated: Luna Moth
While both Europe, NA, and perhaps Australia? are approaching 100% completion for larger animals, I think it's ok for them to get a few more. From what I understand, the low biodiversity means most biome niches have only one or two occupants. In some cases, like the white-tailed deer, turkey, and bobcat, that occupant fills a niche in many biomes.
