Planet Zoo was released with only 76 species. It now contains a collection of over 200 species, and the community, myself very much included, continues to want more. This got me thinking: what if we revisited the original scope of the base game? Which species would then be considered absolutely, truly, essential to the game?
The rules:
The rules:
- The game (including Deluxe edition) was released with 76 species: 23 Exhibit and 53 Habitat. You can choose exactly 53 Habitat species to create the best base game experience that you can. If you wish you may also select 23 Exhibit species but we will mainly focus on habitat.
- You are NOT restricted to species currently in game. Pick whatever species you think are best.
- Your definition of the best species can vary - do you care about a high variety in terms of taxonomic rankings or location? Do you want the most exciting animals only (either from an in-game or real life perspective)? Do you want a variety of zoo staples that are common in many zoos?
- The same core game mechanics are still in place, meaning that aviary and fully aquatic species are not available for selection
- Because defining this in any rigorous way is far too difficult, you can select any species, without regard for developer time, i.e. you do not need to restrict yourself to a certain number of "cloned" species
- I'm not too picky on subspecies - i.e. it's sufficient to say "Lion" rather than "West African Lion"
- This is HARD and difficult omissions are necessary. Understand that others may omit or include a species you completely disagree with!
| Lion |
| Giraffe |
| Zebra |
| White Rhinoceros |
| Hippopotamus |
| Springbok |
| Chimpanzee |
| Gorilla |
| Ring-Tailed Lemur |
| Cheetah |
| Ostrich |
| Spotted Hyena |
| Meerkat |
| Fennec Fox |
| Dromedary Camel |
| Tiger |
| Indian Elephant |
| Indian Peafowl |
| Giant Panda |
| Red Panda |
| Orangutan |
| Komodo Dragon |
| Malayan Tapir |
| Przewalski's Horse |
| Lar Gibbon |
| Red-Crowned Crane |
| Greater Flamingo |
| Siamang |
| Alpine Ibex |
| Moose |
| Reindeer |
| Grey Seal |
| Polar Bear |
| European Badger |
| Red Deer |
| Eurasian Otter |
| American Alligator |
| American Bison |
| California Sea Lion |
| Grizzly Bear |
| Nine-Banded Armadillo |
| North American Beaver |
| Pronghorn |
| Capybara |
| Golden Lion Tamarin |
| Black Howler Monkey |
| Giant Anteater |
| Galapagos Tortoise |
| Maned Wolf |
| Red Kangaroo |
| Emu |
| Koala |
| Great White Pelican |
Last edited:
it comes from me looking at a spreadsheet and forgetting the top 3 rows were used for labelling and headers. My bad! I've updated the post but the mistake will unfortunately live on in the title!
