New habitat lizards?

[Cynogale bennettii II]

Another lizard I've thought of that may work as a habitat species (probably not as well as the aforementioned monitors, tegus or iguanas) is the Parson's chameleon.

First off, size. These are the biggest of all chameleons and can grow as big as house cats. They are much bigger than some existing habitat species such as the meerkat.

Second, temperature. The Parson's chameleon is naturally found in montane forests in Madagascar, where it can get warm and humid but also can be very cool for much of the year. I know of several people who keep their pet Parson's chameleons with seasonal outdoor access in places as temperate as Germany and Minnesota. In Florida, they can live in outdoor enclosures the year-round. To put it into perspective, I have made a table here comparing the temperature requirements of Parson's chameleon with the in-game habitat reptiles:

Species	Upper temperature limit (Celsius)	Lower temperature limit (Celsius)
Saltwater crocodile	42 degrees	12 degrees
American alligator	35 degrees	6 degrees
Spectacled caiman	42 degrees	13 degrees
Cuvier's dwarf caiman	42 degrees	6 degrees
Gharial	42 degrees	14 degrees
Komodo dragon	42 degrees	12 degrees
Nile monitor	42 degrees	12 degrees
Galapagos giant tortoise	42 degrees	14 degrees
Aldabra giant tortoise	42 degrees	16 degrees
Parson's chameleon	32 degrees	12 degrees

Among the other reptiles, the chameleon is closest in temperature requirement to the American alligator - it doesn't have the same tolerance to high temperatures that the other species do.

Third, behaviour. This is why I am a bit reticent about having chameleons as an exhibit species. When I have seen chameleons in zoos, they tend to be more active than many other lizards (including the habitat monitor lizard species). They also have many behaviours that I suspect would be cut out if they were simply the looped animations in a standard exhibit - not only would they be unlikely to climb around, I also suspect they would not show their amazing feeding behaviour.

I do think that the walkthrough exhibit may change things somewhat - with these having more space and containing more active animals, they could be the happy medium between making it a static exhibit species and a full habitat animal with enormous space requirements. If I were to rank how I would prefer the Parson's chameleon to be included, it would be: 1) Walkthrough exhibit, 2) Habitat and 3) Exhibit.

 

[peafowl]

That is not a lizard

it is now

 

[KönigDerKaffeebohnen]

Another lizard I've thought of that may work as a habitat species (probably not as well as the aforementioned monitors, tegus or iguanas) is the Parson's chameleon.

First off, size. These are the biggest of all chameleons and can grow as big as house cats. They are much bigger than some existing habitat species such as the meerkat.

View attachment 329252

Second, temperature. The Parson's chameleon is naturally found in montane forests in Madagascar, where it can get warm and humid but also can be very cool for much of the year. I know of several people who keep their pet Parson's chameleons with seasonal outdoor access in places as temperate as Germany and Minnesota. In Florida, they can live in outdoor enclosures the year-round. To put it into perspective, I have made a table here comparing the temperature requirements of Parson's chameleon with the in-game habitat reptiles:

Species	Upper temperature limit (Celsius)	Lower temperature limit (Celsius)
Saltwater crocodile	42 degrees	12 degrees
American alligator	35 degrees	6 degrees
Spectacled caiman	42 degrees	13 degrees
Cuvier's dwarf caiman	42 degrees	6 degrees
Gharial	42 degrees	14 degrees
Komodo dragon	42 degrees	12 degrees
Nile monitor	42 degrees	12 degrees
Galapagos giant tortoise	42 degrees	14 degrees
Aldabra giant tortoise	42 degrees	16 degrees
Parson's chameleon	32 degrees	12 degrees

Among the other reptiles, the chameleon is closest in temperature requirement to the American alligator - it doesn't have the same tolerance to high temperatures that the other species do.

Third, behaviour. This is why I am a bit reticent about having chameleons as an exhibit species. When I have seen chameleons in zoos, they tend to be more active than many other lizards (including the habitat monitor lizard species). They also have many behaviours that I suspect would be cut out if they were simply the looped animations in a standard exhibit - not only would they be unlikely to climb around, I also suspect they would not show their amazing feeding behaviour.

I do think that the walkthrough exhibit may change things somewhat - with these having more space and containing more active animals, they could be the happy medium between making it a static exhibit species and a full habitat animal with enormous space requirements. If I were to rank how I would prefer the Parson's chameleon to be included, it would be: 1) Walkthrough exhibit, 2) Habitat and 3) Exhibit.

This is such a wild and amazing take.
This actually makes a madagascar pack a really cool option.
Animals like the fossa, white faced whistling duck, radiated tortoise and the parson chameleon we would have a very diverse selection of habitat animals to make really great madagascar sections.
Not to mention other great animals like the malagasy giant rat, fanaloka, conquerels sifaka, aye aye, many other lemures, a mongoose and a coua who just show how much content frontier could squeeze out of that island.
Would 10+ madagasi animals be overkill?
Yes
But would it be fun?
Also very much yes
The fact that all of these animals are from rather underrepresented groups just helps even more to justify it in my head.
Man i wish dlc would continue for years with very specific region based content like a madagascar or himalaya pack.
Id eat those up like delicious cake

 

[Existentialist Knight]

I think the perentie is interesting because it can stand on it's two hind legsand it's tail (tripoding), which would really make it stand apart from the other monitor species we have.
The aboreal nature of the lace monitor makes a similar point for them - if we should get a third monitor species, i would like for it to have a behaviour that diversifies it from the Nile monitor and komodo dragon, be it climbing or tripoding.

I also wouln't object to the tegu, and I still hope we get a smaller, more colourful tortoise one day.

 

[Firestar97]

That is not a lizard

Would still be awesome to have in the Game though

Rhinoceros iguana would be really cool

View attachment 329244
View attachment 329247
And also Philippine sailfin lizard although I’m not sure if they are big enough

View attachment 329246

View attachment 329245

From the mentioned before the Perentie and tegu sounds really interesting

The more Pictures of the Rhinoceros Iguana are sent in this Thread, the more I want them. They just look so awesome. Also definitely needed considering how weirdly underrepresented Lizards are in the Game. Besides the Monitor Lizards we've only had the Iguanas in the Main Game and if I remember correctly the Blue tongued Skink is the only one that was added in a DLC so far. We desperately need more.
The Sailfin Lizard should work perfectly as a Habitat Reptile. They get pretty big. At least two of the Species can reach Sizes of 1m (and one of them even a bit more)

Another lizard I've thought of that may work as a habitat species (probably not as well as the aforementioned monitors, tegus or iguanas) is the Parson's chameleon.

First off, size. These are the biggest of all chameleons and can grow as big as house cats. They are much bigger than some existing habitat species such as the meerkat.

View attachment 329252

Second, temperature. The Parson's chameleon is naturally found in montane forests in Madagascar, where it can get warm and humid but also can be very cool for much of the year. I know of several people who keep their pet Parson's chameleons with seasonal outdoor access in places as temperate as Germany and Minnesota. In Florida, they can live in outdoor enclosures the year-round. To put it into perspective, I have made a table here comparing the temperature requirements of Parson's chameleon with the in-game habitat reptiles:

Species	Upper temperature limit (Celsius)	Lower temperature limit (Celsius)
Saltwater crocodile	42 degrees	12 degrees
American alligator	35 degrees	6 degrees
Spectacled caiman	42 degrees	13 degrees
Cuvier's dwarf caiman	42 degrees	6 degrees
Gharial	42 degrees	14 degrees
Komodo dragon	42 degrees	12 degrees
Nile monitor	42 degrees	12 degrees
Galapagos giant tortoise	42 degrees	14 degrees
Aldabra giant tortoise	42 degrees	16 degrees
Parson's chameleon	32 degrees	12 degrees

Among the other reptiles, the chameleon is closest in temperature requirement to the American alligator - it doesn't have the same tolerance to high temperatures that the other species do.

Third, behaviour. This is why I am a bit reticent about having chameleons as an exhibit species. When I have seen chameleons in zoos, they tend to be more active than many other lizards (including the habitat monitor lizard species). They also have many behaviours that I suspect would be cut out if they were simply the looped animations in a standard exhibit - not only would they be unlikely to climb around, I also suspect they would not show their amazing feeding behaviour.

I do think that the walkthrough exhibit may change things somewhat - with these having more space and containing more active animals, they could be the happy medium between making it a static exhibit species and a full habitat animal with enormous space requirements. If I were to rank how I would prefer the Parson's chameleon to be included, it would be: 1) Walkthrough exhibit, 2) Habitat and 3) Exhibit.

Wow didn't even expect that there's a Chameleon that gets so big. Even less did I expect that they are so cold tolerant. This one is definitely needed. Either as a Habitat Animal or at least Walkthrough Exhibit

Maybe at this Point a List should be started in the Opening Post of this Thread

 

[Chuditch]

Besides the Monitor Lizards we've only had the Iguanas in the Main Game and if I remember correctly the Blue tongued Skink is the only one that was added in a DLC so far. We desperately need more.

There was also the Gila monster in the base game.

 

[Firestar97]

There was also the Gila monster in the base game.

How could I forget about that one? Still doesn't change though how extremely underrepresented they are

 

[SpookDoc]

This thread is filled with so many unique reptiles that'd work wonderfully as habitat species (I'm always going to advocate for any medium to large species being a habitat option. Even with the new walkthrough option, exhibits still feel pretty limited and lacking imo).

Though I certainly wouldn't object to an additional monitor species, I'd really love to see some more taxonomic "firsts" in PZ. Caiman lizards, tegus, sailfin lizards, and the Parson's Chameleon would be at the top of my personal reptile wishlist. The Parson's Chameleon in particular could make for an exceptionally charismatic and "different" addition in PZ. There have been consistent requests for a chameleon by the PZ community, but everyone has been assuming that Frontier would only go the exhibit box route with them. The stats @Cynogale bennettii provided on the Parson's Chameleon are great and things like that should be shared more often imo. I doubt most PZ players would know that a chameleon species could get to be the size of a house cat, or that they can tolerate such a wide range of outdoor temperatures.

(Here's a rather large, low-fence enclosure that is home to both Radiated Tortoises and large Panther Chameleons at the Zoo Leipzig in Germany)

Similar things could be said for the Caiman Lizard, as most people wouldn't know they can get to be over five feet long and are often held in large, mixed species enclosures, as Cynogale also pointed out.

I am also still entirely behind the whole #FreeTheIguanas thing. I really feel like Frontier took a misstep in how they rather inconsistently drew lines between PZ's habitat and exhibit species. We have full A.I., habitat rodents that are about a foot long, but the Green Iguana, which can reach sizes similar to the habitat Nile Monitor, is strictly an exhibit box option? Also, I know that there are little-to-no Marine Iguanas in captivity now, but I still think this species would be such a fun inclusion in PZ. I mean come on, a large (at least by modern day standards), vividly colored and scaled, marine reptile that feeds on sea grasses, and is only found off the coasts of a single island archipelago. How cool and unique is that?

And don't even get me started on all the other reptile species that I think would be perfect habitat inclusions in PZ. So many tortoises and turtles (and maybe even a snake or two)

 

[Marvinb]

Im pretty sure that no snake will ever be a habitat animal, they would be nearly impossible to animate as a free moving creature. I mean like think about a snake moving around objects in the enclosure, changing direction and climbing trees. These would be so hard to implement, and given that most big snakes really dont move around to much you wouldnt even get that much reward for the hard work you put in.

 

[hudsonbear]

I am also still entirely behind the whole #FreeTheIguanas thing. I really feel like Frontier took a misstep in how they rather inconsistently drew lines between PZ's habitat and exhibit species. We have full A.I., habitat rodents that are about a foot long, but the Green Iguana, which can reach sizes similar to the habitat Nile Monitor, is strictly an exhibit box option? Also, I know that there are little-to-no Marine Iguanas in captivity now, but I still think this species would be such a fun inclusion in PZ. I mean come on, a large (at least by modern day standards), vividly colored and scaled, marine reptile that feeds on sea grasses, and is only found off the coasts of a single island archipelago. How cool and unique is that?

I'd love this guy.
An animal not being commonly kept in captivity (or at all) doesn't have to exclude it from the roster in my book. Our zoos are just the first ones to figure out how to keep these animals! I mean every species must have been "new to the zoo" at some point...

 

[Baryonix82]

• Blue-spotted Tree Monitor

• Giant Girdled Lizards (Frankfurt Zoo)

• Gran Canaria Giant Lizard

 

[NachoB]

View attachment 330288

Didn't knew about this species existence. Now i want it. It looks awesome.

 

[bangermsuk]

komodo dragon do we have them yet.

 

[NachoB]

komodo dragon do we have them yet.

in the deluxe pack

 

[paul78]

A perentie or Asian water monitor due to size would work. Truthfully most every lizard irl zoos are exhibit animals. I realize there’s always the exception but the truth is there’s not a lot of truly large lizards. Our local zoo had a Komodo dragon and even he was a exhibit animal due to the occasional cold weather we experience here. A giant girdle lizard sounds big but there a mere 15 inches. My bearded dragon is bigger than that. A crocodile monitor would also work but they can be aggressive and escape most open habitat exhibits if given the opportunity. The community seems to have a obsession with open habitat reptiles but crocodilians and tortoise or large turtles would make a more realistic option.

 

[Marvinb]

A perentie or Asian water monitor due to size would work. Truthfully most every lizard irl zoos are exhibit animals. I realize there’s always the exception but the truth is there’s not a lot of truly large lizards. Our local zoo had a Komodo dragon and even he was a exhibit animal due to the occasional cold weather we experience here. A giant girdle lizard sounds big but there a mere 15 inches. My bearded dragon is bigger than that. A crocodile monitor would also work but they can be aggressive and escape most open habitat exhibits if given the opportunity. The community seems to have a obsession with open habitat reptiles but crocodilians and tortoise or large turtles would make a more realistic option.

I totaly agree. For me most open habitat reptiles would look weird, especially in more temperate settings. Reptiles do need specific temperature and humidity parameters to be healthy, and unless the species is native to the location or from a similar climate, open habitats just wont work for reptiles. Obviously this comes from a realism standpoint. I really love reptiles, i even keep quite a few as pets, but in almost never use them in PZ because it feels just weird to me to see them as habitat animals. So i just use them in indoor enclosures, only exeption are the torts. I would rather see an update to the exhibit system to be honest.

 

[Firestar97]

I totaly agree. For me most open habitat reptiles would look weird, especially in more temperate settings. Reptiles do need specific temperature and humidity parameters to be healthy, and unless the species is native to the location or from a similar climate, open habitats just wont work for reptiles. Obviously this comes from a realism standpoint. I really love reptiles, i even keep quite a few as pets, but in almost never use them in PZ because it feels just weird to me to see them as habitat animals. So i just use them in indoor enclosures, only exeption are the torts. I would rather see an update to the exhibit system to be honest.

Don't really understand what's weird about it. I'm mostly keeping them inside Reptile Houses and other Buildings

 

[Marvinb]

Don't really understand what's weird about it. I'm mostly keeping them inside Reptile Houses and other Buildings

Thats what i do aswell. I was talking about regular outdoor habitats