Pick your “adds the most” animals

[RightWhale]

So the title needs some explanation, but this is a topic I think would be fun! I also don’t want to clog up the speculation thread with more discussions not related to the upcoming dlc (I know I’m guilty of this too lol). So basically the “add the most animals” is very subjective (obviously), but what it means are what animals do you think would add the most to the roster? What they add to the roster can be any number of things, but can include:

1. New interspecies bonuses
2. New habitat/ continent/ country representation
3. New ways to build/ new things to build for
4. Adds new gameplay
5. Adding a new animal group/ genus/ family into the game

I’ll use my own example, which to no one’s surprise is the white face whistling duck

What makes it my “adds the most” animal? Well we will look at what it could add into the game!

1. Provides new interspecies bonuses with the capybaras, tapirs, and Pygmy hippos to name a few.
2. Would be South Americas first bird, and Africas and South Americas first waterfowl species.
3. As a tropical waterfowl species it would be different to build for than the swan
4. Speaking of building, it would arguably be the first bird to properly fit into a “tropical house” in the game
5. Would be the first duck in the game
6. Could potentially add/come with a perching mechanic

You aren’t required to pick your most wanted/ favorite! You aren’t required to adhere to the meta wishlist either, just have some fun with it!

 

[Stygi]

So the title needs some explanation, but this is a topic I think would be fun! I also don’t want to clog up the speculation thread with more discussions not related to the upcoming dlc (I know I’m guilty of this too lol). So basically the “add the most animals” is very subjective (obviously), but what it means are what animals do you think would add the most to the roster? What they add to the roster can be any number of things, but can include:

1. New interspecies bonuses
2. New habitat/ continent/ country representation
3. New ways to build/ new things to build for
4. Adds new gameplay
5. Adding a new animal group/ genus/ family into the game

I’ll use my own example, which to no one’s surprise is the white face whistling duck

View attachment 395342

What makes it my “adds the most” animal? Well we will look at what it could add into the game!

1. Provides new interspecies bonuses with the capybaras, tapirs, and Pygmy hippos to name a few.
2. Would be South Americas first bird, and Africas and South Americas first waterfowl species.
3. As a tropical waterfowl species it would be different to build for than the swan
4. Speaking of building, it would arguably be the first bird to properly fit into a “tropical house” in the game
5. Would be the first duck in the game
6. Could potentially add/come with a perching mechanic

You aren’t required to pick your most wanted/ favorite! You aren’t required to adhere to the meta wishlist either, just have some fun with it!

I think the white faced whistling duck does probably add the most to the game, I think some underrated animals like the Muntjac and Victoria crowned pigeon would also add quite a lot

 

[RightWhale]

I think the white faced whistling duck does probably add the most to the game, I think some underrated animals like the Muntjac and Victoria crowned pigeon would also add quite a lot

Honestly I find the muntjac super underrated (also to not make this a bird thread I’ll talk about the little deer).

1. Can have interspecies bonuses with the red panda. So you can have an arboreal animal on top and the muntjac on the bottom.
2. Super small ungulate, which will make it more unique to build for.
3. Due to its size it fills a good niche as an animal for “small zoos” or “children’s zoo”
4. Provides a good Asian deer species
5. Cute as a button

 

[SuzieSky]

For me, the animal that "adds the most" would be the Golden Lion Tamarin. Ducks are a close second, though.

1. Marketability: They are cute, colorful, and adorable. Tamarins could easily headline a pack. Even the people I know who dislike monkeys are at least ok with the cute tiny ones.
2. ABC-Factor: While some people might not remember the word "tamarin", these are a generally better-known and recognizable monkey species. I think the niche of tamarins, small monkeys from South America, is one that would be readily recognized by most people.
3. Taxon Diversity/Distinctiveness: Primates are underrepresented in general, but there is a huge, obvious gap for New World monkeys. The tamarin/marmoset clade (Callitrichidae) is completely unrepresented.
4. Usefulness for Mods: There are a ton of tamarin and marmoset species that modders could add if the developers don't want to add multiple tamarins. Cotton Top Tamarins, Emperor Tamarins, and Common Marmosets are some of the most popular, to name a few.
5. Regional Diversity: South America is the continent missing the most animals, and this animal both adds an icon and addresses some of the regional gaps.
6. Gameplay/Build Diversity: Currently there is only the capuchin for a South American primate. This tiny one would probably have slightly different habitat requirements. It could have enrichment with many species and is commonly featured in mixed species tropical houses, which need a few more animals (mainly birds and an agouti) to work well in Planet Zoo.
7. Prevalence in Real-World Zoos: This is one of the most-kept tamarin species, and tamarins have a huge combined total of zoo occurrences according to Zootierliste.
8. Conservation/Education: This is one of or perhaps the most famous conservation icon from South America. Their conservation story is very well-known and relevant to zoos.

 

[turkeyfox]

White faced whistling duck is fantastic. Super underrated species in zoos I've visited.
The only thing I could think of that is comparable in terms of adding something new, and also realistic in terms of the kind of game Planet Zoo is currently, would be a sea turtle (green sea turtle for a common example). It would allow people to build a coral-reef style habitat, especially if Frontier adds coral pieces, and since they technically can go on land it doesn't break the game mechanics in the same way something like a manatee or fully aquatic species would. It would also give a more appropriate species to use the Polynesian theming from the Oceania pack on.

 

[KönigDerKaffeebohnen]

Welp white faced whistling duck would have been my first choice, but if i had to choose another it would be the roseate spoonbill.
Somethings it got going for it:

• Iconic bird that covers both of the americas
• Flamingo alternative thats more interesting then a slightly different pink while also providing the more popping color
• perfect for wetland aviarys that only get better with more waterfowl
• large range and biome diversity, being found in every tropical and suptropical biome of south america and North america that features wetlands
• clear unique look with the shovel bill that stays unique even as more water birds would be added to the game
• a second iconic species for the everglades and north american swamps. There might be other animals that live there like the racoon and cougar, but none of them are as iconic to them as the roseate spoonbill besides the american aligator

 

[biggest_dreamer]

Agreed that monkeys and birds, especially South American ones, are going to just inherently add the most. A rabbit as well, maybe. But I'll always contend that the American black bear and white-tailed deer are the essential glue that make realistic native NA zoos feel realistic - it's a personal want, of course, but without them it's just a pale imitation of what you'd really see.

 

[RightWhale]

Welp white faced whistling duck would have been my first choice, but if i had to choose another it would be the roseate spoonbill.
Somethings it got going for it:

• Iconic bird that covers both of the americas
• Flamingo alternative thats more interesting then a slightly different pink while also providing the more popping color
• perfect for wetland aviarys that only get better with more waterfowl
• large range and biome diversity, being found in every tropical and suptropical biome of south america and North america that features wetlands
• clear unique look with the shovel bill that stays unique even as more water birds would be added to the game
• a second iconic species for the everglades and north american swamps. There might be other animals that live there like the racoon and cougar, but none of them are as iconic to them as the roseate spoonbill besides the american aligator

View attachment 395432

I’ve always wanted a temperate bird for NA, it’s where I live after all! But man, having an indoor Everglades with my roseate spoonbills next to my American alligators has been a dream of mine for years! Similar to the WFWD, I genuinely find the Roseate Spoonbill is another “adds the most” birds.

For me, the animal that "adds the most" would be the Golden Lion Tamarin. Ducks are a close second, though.
View attachment 395386

1. Marketability: They are cute, colorful, and adorable. Tamarins could easily headline a pack. Even the people I know who dislike monkeys are at least ok with the cute tiny ones.
2. ABC-Factor: While some people might not remember the word "tamarin", these are a generally better-known and recognizable monkey species. I think the niche of tamarins, small monkeys from South America, is one that would be readily recognized by most people.
3. Taxon Diversity/Distinctiveness: Primates are underrepresented in general, but there is a huge, obvious gap for New World monkeys. The tamarin/marmoset clade (Callitrichidae) is completely unrepresented.
4. Usefulness for Mods: There are a ton of tamarin and marmoset species that modders could add if the developers don't want to add multiple tamarins. Cotton Top Tamarins, Emperor Tamarins, and Common Marmosets are some of the most popular, to name a few.
5. Regional Diversity: South America is the continent missing the most animals, and this animal both adds an icon and addresses some of the regional gaps.
6. Gameplay/Build Diversity: Currently there is only the capuchin for a South American primate. This tiny one would probably have slightly different habitat requirements. It could have enrichment with many species and is commonly featured in mixed species tropical houses, which need a few more animals (mainly birds and an agouti) to work well in Planet Zoo.
7. Prevalence in Real-World Zoos: This is one of the most-kept tamarin species, and tamarins have a huge combined total of zoo occurrences according to Zootierliste.
8. Conservation/Education: This is one of or perhaps the most famous conservation icon from South America. Their conservation story is very well-known and relevant to zoos.

Considering its conservation story, I have no idea why they weren’t in the Conservation pack!

Agreed that monkeys and birds, especially South American ones, are going to just inherently add the most. A rabbit as well, maybe. But I'll always contend that the American black bear and white-tailed deer are the essential glue that make realistic native NA zoos feel realistic - it's a personal want, of course, but without them it's just a pale imitation of what you'd really see.

The ABB would add more than the WTD, here is why (imo)

1. While the WTD technically has a farther range, the ABB is also native to a huge number of biomes.
2. Able to climb and swim, so its habitats will be fun to build for.
3. Honestly a perfect medium sized bear. More realistic for more NA zoos (especially small ones) to have than a grizzly. Also the chances are the model will be much better. I can’t stress this enough, often I don’t want a massive grizzly/ polar bear habitat especially when it doesn’t make sense for one of my small zoos.
4. Chance to have a bunch of awesome coat colors.

 

[Chuditch]

Monkeys and especially birds are the obvious choices here, and there are a large number of them that would add a great deal to the game. However, rather than doing that, I'm going to use the chance to yet again shill for my beloved short-beaked echidna. My huge personal bias aside, I do genuinely think they're one of the non-primate mammals that'd add the most to the game at this point, so they still qualify nicely for this thread.

• Would add the first echidna to the game, an entirely new rig, while also completing the monotremes and being a big boost to the representation of non-placental mammals in the game.
• For people who build realistic zoos set outside Australia, echidnas would also essentially represent an entire new category of animals as the first useable monotreme - in fact, after sugar gliders and dingoes, they've got the largest number of international holdings of any mammal from Australia that isn't a macropod (kept in 42 zoos outside AU according to Zootierliste).
• Very common in Aussie zoos, both high and low budget.
• Australia's most widespread native mammal, they provide a representation boost for the entire continent, including areas like the desert interior, the northern savannas and New Guinea that have three or less habitat species.
• Very versatile in regards to the kinds of habitats you can build for them - not only does the wide variety of climates they inhabit mean you can theme their enclosures around everything from desert dunes to alpine highlands and tropical rainforests, but they're also suitable for both outdoor and indoor habitats, equally at home in a nocturnal house or an open paddock. They can be put in walkthroughs, and share an interspecies bonus with species like the koala, emu and all the macropods.
• Adds another animal that makes use of the termite mound enrichment and the burrows.
• The echidna is a hugely iconic animal in Australia, a member of the country's "classic cast" of mammals alongside the kangaroo, koala, wombat, wallaby, dingo and platypus. While much less well known on a global scale, echidnas are nonetheless very marketable thanks to their appearance, which is simultaneously very cute and very strange. They're not headliner quality maybe, but secondary headliner for sure.
• If they're not added we're gonna be reminded of their absence every time we look at the PZ soundtrack

 

[RightWhale]

Don’t get me wrong, this thread will probably be full of birds. I’m trying to resist it though! So, here is another animal. The Patagonian Mara!

Here is what makes it worthy of being another animal that “adds the most”:

1. Another animal for further South American representation, which is always a bonus. Likewise it’s an animal from one of the lesser known biomes.
2. Another rodent is always a plus for Planet Zoo, up there with monkeys as one of the most underrepresented of mammals.
3. Can cohabitate with the llamas and the alpacas, not to mention if we get a Rhea it will be an instant combo like ostrich + hoofstock or emu + wallaby/ kangaroo.
4. It will be able to fit in around ~4 types of builds. In a stand alone habitat, the Patagonian Mara works as a friendly low maintenance filler animal. It can also work in a “children’s zoo” type setting, so I can see it working with the petting zoo animals. You can place it inside of a rodent house. Finally, it can be placed with the aforementioned llamas and alpacas. Its flexibility with building would be a bonus.
5. It’s also still very cute.

 

[RightWhale]

Monkeys and especially birds are the obvious choices here, and there are a large number of them that would add a great deal to the game. However, rather than doing that, I'm going to use the chance to yet again shill for my beloved short-beaked echidna. My huge personal bias aside, I do genuinely think they're one of the non-primate mammals that'd add the most to the game at this point, so they still qualify nicely for this thread.

• Would add the first echidna to the game, an entirely new rig, while also completing the monotremes and being a big boost to the representation of non-placental mammals in the game.
• For people who build realistic zoos set outside Australia, echidnas would also essentially represent an entire new category of animals as the first useable monotreme - in fact, after sugar gliders and dingoes, they've got the largest number of international holdings of any mammal from Australia that isn't a macropod (kept in 42 zoos outside AU according to Zootierliste).
• Very common in Aussie zoos, both high and low budget.
• Australia's most widespread native mammal, they provide a representation boost for the entire continent, including areas like the desert interior, the northern savannas and New Guinea that have three or less habitat species.
• Very versatile in regards to the kinds of habitats you can build for them - not only does the wide variety of climates they inhabit mean you can theme their enclosures around everything from desert dunes to alpine highlands and tropical rainforests, but they're also suitable for both outdoor and indoor habitats, equally at home in a nocturnal house or an open paddock. They can be put in walkthroughs, and share an interspecies bonus with species like the koala, emu and all the macropods.
• Adds another animal that makes use of the termite mound enrichment and the burrows.
• The echidna is a hugely iconic animal in Australia, a member of the country's "classic cast" of mammals alongside the kangaroo, koala, wombat, wallaby, dingo and platypus. While much less well known on a global scale, echidnas are nonetheless very marketable thanks to their appearance, which is simultaneously very cute and very strange. They're not headliner quality maybe, but secondary headliner for sure.
• If they're not added we're gonna be reminded of their absence every time we look at the PZ soundtrack

Honestly I was never 100% sold on the echidna. But I think you can now count me a supporter! I have never liked how people treat “niche” or “local” animals on this forum. As it often boils down to “your animal I haven’t seen/ is in less zoos so it is worthless”, in which case I always think just build a zoo in that country/ continent. Ok, if you have never seen an echidna/ ABB/ golden snub nose monkey that’s fine. But in PZ you can build zoos anywhere! So yeah, I think an echidna would be super cool!

 

[FlameWizard492]

Okay, let me try and list a few. First off, everything that’s already been mentioned:

• Waterfowl
• Reeve’s Muntjac
• Victoria Crowned Pigeon
• Golden Lion Tamarin
• Green Sea Turtle
• American Black Bear
• White-Tailed Deer
• Short-Beaked Echidna
• Patagonian Mara

Now to add mine:

• Impala - This pick is mostly due to it being one of the last African antelopes that I prioritize as an animal that I often see in interspecies habitats.
• Southern Eland - See reasoning for impala.
• Coatimundi - This would not only fill a niche as the second member in its family after raccoons but also provide some interspecies enrichment with a lot of South American animals.
• Tamandua - Same reasoning as the coatimundi but with the anteater family.
• Greater Rhea - Adds more representation to the South American grasslands.
• Any Type of Rabbit/Lagomorph - This would definitely bring something new to the game as the first of its kind, be it a domestic rabbit, European hare, or arctic hare.
• Black-Footed Ferret - A newer, smaller mustelid with an incredible conservation story.
• Rock Hyrax - Another small one-of-a-kind African mammal.
• Andean Porcupine OR North American Porcupine - Another porcupine would be amazing, and these arboreal ones from the Western Hemisphere would really add to it.
• New World Primates - Basically, everybody agrees on this one.
• Hamadryas Baboon - Self-Explanatory
• Tropical Asian Primates - I feel like these are a little underrated when compared to the more popular primates in demand. Other than the popular lion-tailed macaque, I’d say the rhesus macaque, celebes crested macaque, or some form of langur would be nice.