Currently there are only two habitat lizards in the entire game, the Nile Monitor and the Komodo Dragon, and we've gotten no new species since launch. There's definitely not much of a demand for a new big lizard to come to the game - the highest species on the habitat animal metawishlist still sits down around the 130th place - but given we've got five different species of crocodilian now, I would really like to see the habitat reptile roster finally grow in other areas (not just lizards but tortoises too, but they're not the focus of this thread).
In a unique situation for PZ, the most frequently discussed option for new habitat lizards are not actually new species - I'm of course talking about the iguanas that are currently restricted to exhibit boxes. While I support the idea of having the option to choose whether to have certain species (like iguanas, the dwarf caiman and probably koalas) in either a habitat or an exhibit depending on your preference, there is currently no precedence for this. As such, I will unfortunately not be counting iguanas or lizards similar to them (such as big agamids) in this thread because we have no indication that they will ever become habitat animals. Sorry rhinoceros iguana and sailfin dragon.
Based on the trends in the game so far, the only lizards considered worthy of being habitat animals are large and active predators, and this is a category that is dominated by a single family - the varanids. This family unsurprisingly includes the most highly requested habitat lizard of all, Australia's largest lizard, the Perentie (#129). This is my absolute favourite species of reptile and so of course I'd be thrilled to have it in the game, and it is also one of the few remaining realistic options for a habitat animal found in the deserts of central Australia. That said, despite my strong personal bias, I don't necessarily consider them the best choice for a new habitat lizard or even an Australian varanid from an objective perspective. They're only found in two zoos outside Australia, one in Europe and one in the US, and although they're much more widespread in captivity in their home country (even being present in the private reptile trade) they're still not the most common varanid species in local zoos.
Of course, if we do end up with the Perentie as our one and only post-release habitat lizard, I'll be the last one complaining.
Instead, I think the Lace Monitor (#327), Australia's second largest lizard, is actually the better species to add to PZ from an objective standpoint. They're almost as large, just as pretty, and are much more widespread in zoos both inside and outside Australia. Perhaps even more importantly, they have greater potential to add new behaviours that would encourage players to construct their enclosures differently from the varanids already in the game given they are semi-arboreal and spend large amounts of time in the trees. This means we'd get an entirely new lizard climbing rig, which would be awesome to see (until they glitch out on the climbing frames but that's neither here nor there). They also come in two different forms, the typical lace pattern and the Bell's phase, which fits in with PZ's new trend of introducing greater colour variation. It's a real shame they're so low on the metawishlist, they have a lot of potential.
Continuing on the trend of climbing lizards, the final varanid species I'd like to highlight here is the Crocodile Monitor (#243). I'm not sure which species is more common in global zoos (although I know the croc monitor is not kept at all in Australia), but crocodile monitors are arboreal to an even greater degree than lace monitors and would give representation to New Guinea, which is unlikely to get any other endemic species aside from a tree kangaroo (given the saltie and cassowary are also found elsewhere). All three of the monitors I've highlighted here are Oceanian, but this is the epicentre of varanid diversity in regards to both ecological diversity and species diversity so it shouldn't come as a surprise.
Outside of varanids, the only other lizards I can think of that match well with the previous trends set for habitat lizards are the tegus, which essentially fill the role of varanids in the Neotropics. Of these, the most famous and obvious species to add would be the Argentine Black-and-white Tegu (#243), which is also the largest. Alongside representing a new family, they would be the first habitat lizard for the New World and give representation to both South America's rainforests and its drier regions.
Even if they're not much of a priority for you, I hope this thread encourages some interest in adding more habitat lizards to the game. Which species that I did not cover here would you like to see?
In a unique situation for PZ, the most frequently discussed option for new habitat lizards are not actually new species - I'm of course talking about the iguanas that are currently restricted to exhibit boxes. While I support the idea of having the option to choose whether to have certain species (like iguanas, the dwarf caiman and probably koalas) in either a habitat or an exhibit depending on your preference, there is currently no precedence for this. As such, I will unfortunately not be counting iguanas or lizards similar to them (such as big agamids) in this thread because we have no indication that they will ever become habitat animals. Sorry rhinoceros iguana and sailfin dragon.
Based on the trends in the game so far, the only lizards considered worthy of being habitat animals are large and active predators, and this is a category that is dominated by a single family - the varanids. This family unsurprisingly includes the most highly requested habitat lizard of all, Australia's largest lizard, the Perentie (#129). This is my absolute favourite species of reptile and so of course I'd be thrilled to have it in the game, and it is also one of the few remaining realistic options for a habitat animal found in the deserts of central Australia. That said, despite my strong personal bias, I don't necessarily consider them the best choice for a new habitat lizard or even an Australian varanid from an objective perspective. They're only found in two zoos outside Australia, one in Europe and one in the US, and although they're much more widespread in captivity in their home country (even being present in the private reptile trade) they're still not the most common varanid species in local zoos.
Of course, if we do end up with the Perentie as our one and only post-release habitat lizard, I'll be the last one complaining.
Instead, I think the Lace Monitor (#327), Australia's second largest lizard, is actually the better species to add to PZ from an objective standpoint. They're almost as large, just as pretty, and are much more widespread in zoos both inside and outside Australia. Perhaps even more importantly, they have greater potential to add new behaviours that would encourage players to construct their enclosures differently from the varanids already in the game given they are semi-arboreal and spend large amounts of time in the trees. This means we'd get an entirely new lizard climbing rig, which would be awesome to see (until they glitch out on the climbing frames but that's neither here nor there). They also come in two different forms, the typical lace pattern and the Bell's phase, which fits in with PZ's new trend of introducing greater colour variation. It's a real shame they're so low on the metawishlist, they have a lot of potential.
Continuing on the trend of climbing lizards, the final varanid species I'd like to highlight here is the Crocodile Monitor (#243). I'm not sure which species is more common in global zoos (although I know the croc monitor is not kept at all in Australia), but crocodile monitors are arboreal to an even greater degree than lace monitors and would give representation to New Guinea, which is unlikely to get any other endemic species aside from a tree kangaroo (given the saltie and cassowary are also found elsewhere). All three of the monitors I've highlighted here are Oceanian, but this is the epicentre of varanid diversity in regards to both ecological diversity and species diversity so it shouldn't come as a surprise.
Outside of varanids, the only other lizards I can think of that match well with the previous trends set for habitat lizards are the tegus, which essentially fill the role of varanids in the Neotropics. Of these, the most famous and obvious species to add would be the Argentine Black-and-white Tegu (#243), which is also the largest. Alongside representing a new family, they would be the first habitat lizard for the New World and give representation to both South America's rainforests and its drier regions.
Even if they're not much of a priority for you, I hope this thread encourages some interest in adding more habitat lizards to the game. Which species that I did not cover here would you like to see?
We still need those in the Game
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