Reptile Animal Pack

[AlexSea]

To say that there have been a lot of pack ideas floating around this forum is an understatement. I've seen continent packs, region packs, country packs, bird packs, the list goes on. But you know what hasn't gotten enough appreciation? Reptiles. This is my idea for a Reptile Animal Pack. This isn't a typical animal pack, though. Since including seven habitat reptiles could get repetitive really quickly, I've decided to go for an even 4/4 split of habitat and exhibit animals. Now, let us begin.

Nile Crocodile

I know, another crocodilian, and I understand some people might be against this inclusion. After all, we got two crocodilians in the past year, and while I concede that the crocodilian lineup we have is great, the inclusion of the Nile Crocodile would make it perfect.

Perentie

We haven't got a habitat lizard since launch, and I think that for a third one, the Perentie is a great choice. They look unique from the other two habitat lizards we have, and it'd give us more Australian representation. What's not to like?

Argentine Black and White Tegu

Maybe adding two habitat lizards in one pack after not getting a single one for over two years is presumptuous, but I think there's a strong case for the Tegu's inclusion. They're on the smaller side when it comes to habitat reptiles, but with the males reaching up to 4.5 feet long, I don't think they'd be out of place at all.

Green Sea Turtle

This could have been the Loggerhead, Hawksbill, or Leatherback, but ultimately the Green Sea Turtle won out due to its recognizability and presence in aquariums around the world.

Now for the exhibit animals.

King Cobra

The most requested snake, and for good reason. We already have cobra scenery pieces as part of the Indian theme, so we're bound to get a cobra sooner or later.

Alligator Snapping Turtle

Whether the Alligator Snapping Turtle would be better suited as a habitat animal is debatable due to its size, but hey, if the Green Iguana can be an exhibit animal, it can too.

Northern Caiman Lizard

A gorgeous and surprisingly intelligent lizard species. Not really much else to say here.

Gaboon Viper

Possessing the longest fangs and some of the best camouflage of any snake, the Gaboon Viper would be a stand-out, or should I say, blend-in addition to any reptile house.

Reptiles are a group of animals that I believe deserve a lot more representation, especially when it comes to exhibits. If you made a reptile pack, what reptiles would you include? Discuss it in the comments.

 

[coatifan]

This is a pretty great pack. I think mine might be something like this (note, am biased as I've just been getting into the National Aquarium's Australia exhibit, so expect lots of AUS reps.):

• Perentie/Merten's Water Monitor. Another Australian reptile would be welcome, as well as another lizard.
• Grand Cayman Island Iguana. Maybe not, but I think it's another good, unique reptile.
• Burmese Python/Green Anaconda. Highly unlikely as a habitat species, but it would be very cool.
• African Spurred Tortoise/Painted Terrapin/Eastern Box Turtle. Though the first is most likely as the others are semiaquatic and quite small respectively, I think a more unique habitat testudine would be appreciated by the community.
• (E) Iranian Leopard/Madagascar Day/Leaf-Tailed/Tokay Gecko. Just give us a gecko!
• (E) Spectacled Cobra. We really need a cobra!
• (E) Panther/Veiled/Jackson's Chameleon. Again, a chameleon is an unrepresented "type" of reptile I think we need.
• (E) Another testudine. There's so many options that it's hard to pick, but I'd either like a small tortoise (Greek, Indian Star) or another aquatic species (Irwin's, Snake-Necked, Common Snapping, or a Softshell species if its small enough).
• BONUS: I think we could do with even more (!!) exhibit species; here's some options for each continent I'd really like.
  • Oceania:
    • Prehensile-Tailed Skink
    • Any Bearded/Water Dragon
    • Frilled Lizard
  • North America:
    • Collared Lizard
    • Copperhead
  • Latin America:
    • Plumed Basilisk
    • Emerald Tree Boa
    • Caiman Lizard
    • Eyelash Viper

 

[The_Riot22]

I think we could make it to 7+1 without too much monotony.

• Nile Croc
• Green Anaconda
• Marine Iguana
• Alligator Snapping Turtle
• Perentie
• Tegu - black and white is fine
• African Spurred Tortoise/Sulcata Tortoise
• Panther Chameleon(Exhibit)

I think the top 4 would be received very well, with the last 3 of lesser enthusiasm.

 

[coatifan]

I think the top 4 would be received very well, with the last 3 of lesser enthusiasm.

Eh, I'd actually prefer the Tegu and Tortoise, which are unique but common in zoos, over the kind of boring croc and the literally never-kept (except for through smuggling -- not the best conservation message!) marine iguana.

 

[premierfong]

Eventfully i do want more reptiles in the game, including many exhibits (I am lazy lol). I want to make a huge reptile house.

 

[The_Riot22]

Eh, I'd actually prefer the Tegu and Tortoise, which are unique but common in zoos, over the kind of boring croc and the literally never-kept (except for through smuggling -- not the best conservation message!) marine iguana.

I was thinking more of how the community would react to them. The Nile Croc is arguably the most widely known croc in the world. The Tortoise would basically end up being a close clone to the 2 already in game. The Tegu, especially the black and white one, would be pretty cool, but especially with the Perentie would be a bit much for the average player. My faves would be the Iguana, Tegu, Green Anaconda and Snapping Turtle.

My opinion is that no living animals should be declared "too controversial". If you don't want a particular animal in your zoo, whether marine iguanas or killer whales(if in game), then don't use them. In the end it's just a fantasy zoo game. However, I've had this conversation on other threads so we don't have to hash it out here.

 

[Cynogale bennettii II]

These are my choices for a 4 habitat animal pack dedicated to reptiles:

1. Slender-snouted crocodile - There are five continents with native crocodilians, but only four are represented; I think an African species would be needed and then a line could be drawn under them as a group. I would choose the slender-snouted because it is the most distinctive in terms of size, being roughly mid-way between the large saltwater crocodile, American alligator and gharial (as well as the Nile crocodile) and the small spectacled and dwarf caimans (plus the dwarf crocodile). They are also Critically Endangered and have been kept in big outdoor enclosures, such as this example from the Valencia Oceanarium:

https://www.zoochat.com/community/media/slender-snouted-crocodile.544408/full?d=1630597110

2. Northern caiman lizard - These lizards are not that far off the Nile monitor in size and would be the perfect opportunity to add diving animations to the current in-game lizards; they have been successfully kept in mixed-species enclosures with other species including the Cuvier's dwarf caiman and can also be kept in large outdoor enclosures, as in this case from Zoo Miami (the lizard itself is visible at the water's edge):

https://www.zoochat.com/community/media/amazon-and-beyond.25225/full?d=0

3. African spurred tortoise - Although this would be another 'big tortoise' they do have a major difference that sets them apart from the two giant tortoises already in-game, as they inhabit the desert and grassland biomes instead of the tropical biome. Additionally, they are Endangered, the most commonly-kept tortoise in European zoos and are able to be mixed with all sorts of other African animals including meerkats, flamingos, gazelles, zebras and giraffes.

4. Giant Asian pond turtle - These are one of the biggest Asian freshwater turtles, with a shell as long as the full length of a meerkat and weighing up to twelve kilograms. They are one of the more terrestrial freshwater turtles and do not need a huge water area, they can be kept in large groups, they are Critically Endangered, are able to be mixed with animals such as gharials and also live in large outdoor enclosures:

https://www.zoochat.com/community/media/giant-asian-pond-turtle-exhibit-at-the-turtle-centre-cuc-phuong-10-03-12.184665/full?d=1335389171

If it were an animal pack, these are the additional three options I would add:

5. Parson's chameleon - I think it is unlikely these would ever become habitat species, but they are actually longer than a meerkat and also approach it in weight; they are the largest of the chameleons and are listed as Near Threatened. Although in terms of size it would work best as an exhibit species, chameleons also have an interesting style of movement and repertoire of behaviours that would probably be cut out if they were exhibit animals - I could not, for instance, imagine them having feeding animations if they were an exhibit animal.

6. Argus monitor - This is a smaller monitor lizard species that represents Australia and New Guinea (which is a region famed for its reptiles) and also inhabits the desert and grassland biome rather than the more tropical biomes of the other in-game monitor lizards. They can be kept in outdoor enclosures and would also have an interesting behaviour of standing up on their hind-legs to increase their range of view that I would love to see in the game.

7. Burmese rock python - I really don't expect there to ever be a habitat snake (in fact, I'm not really expecting any more exhibit snakes to come either, but that's another story), but if there was then I'd probably favour these. They are widely-kept, one of the more boldly-patterened pythons, are threatened in the wild and can be kept in large outdoor enclosures, such as this example from Hungary:

https://www.zoochat.com/community/media/burmese-rock-python-outdoor-enclosure-jaszbereny-zoo-hungary.5910/full?d=0

In terms of an exhibit animal, this would probably be where I included the tuatara, because it would add the fourth reptile group to the game. Otherwise, I would probably choose another lizard such as a gecko (Henkel's leaf-tailed, Madagascar giant day, leopard, crested or turquoise dwarf), another skink (monkey-tailed skink, sandfish or red-eyed crocodile skink) or a lacertid (like an ocellated lizard, sand lizard or blue-tailed gliding lizard).

 

[NZFanatic]

such as this example from Hungary:
https://www.zoochat.com/community/m...nclosure-jaszbereny-zoo-hungary.5910/full?d=0

That doesn't look open-air, though. Outdoor, yes, but it seems to be a cage. Pythons are especially notorious escape artists.

I agree that a habitat snake is unlikely, and also unnecessary. Even for something like the green anaconda we wouldn't need a bigger exhibit, though the option would of course be nice.

I think the top 4 would be received very well, with the last 3 of lesser enthusiasm.

That seems like a bold statement; of your top four only the crocodile and snapping turtle have much traction as viable inclusions. A few people like the marine iguana, but it isn't kept in captivity and I suspect most people choose it simply because it's not a crocodile or a turtle. The last three are actually far more popular options.
--
My only gripe with such a pack is that it would necessitate yet another crocodilian. Conceptually I completely agree that in a world where we get unending support for this game I'd happily receive two, three, five, even ten more crocodiles (seriously, I could probably list them; to name a few, the Nile, dwarf, Cuban, mugger, freshwater, orinoco, the Chinese alligator, slender-snouted, false gharial), but at this point I just don't think I can realistically push for one. I could have happily stopped at the American alligator, and while I do prefer it over its smaller cousin now I was decidedly unhappy with the choice to include the spectacled caiman.

That said if I was to build a Reptile Pack, I'd go for a scenery pack. Four habitat reptiles, all of which will undoubtedly be "clones/reskins" (whatever word you wish to use for animals built out of other animals), and a building set based on a modern reptile house. What I'd like to see there would be a complete faux-rock wall set, a new glass wall set with less framing, some reptile-focused enrichment (that could be used by other animals; namely basking lights, heated rocks, some natural logs for resting on), and leafy foliage with small hitboxes to really pack out small reptile enclosures without making them unworkable.

As for the animals, some of what I'd pick is different from what is popular, I'd say;

• Mugger or Cuban crocodile.
• Leopard tortoise.
• Argentinian black and white tegu.
• Alligator snapping turtle.

For the exhibit animal, I guess just pick one. I'm a little tired of amphibians and invertebrates now.

The mugger or Cuban crocodiles are both two that stand out to me as being sufficiently 'different' from what is usually suggested. Neither exists in zoos I'm familiar with (NZ's only crocodilia are the American alligator, saltwater crocodile (only in one holding), and soon Auckland zoo will get some gharial, all three of which we already have in the game), but I find them more interesting than the Nile crocodile.

The leopard tortoise is ubiquitous in New Zealand. The African spurred tortoise is perhaps the more popular choice and more common globally, but the leopard tortoise is more important to me personally. The tegu is similar to the monitor lizards without actually being one, and the only monitor lizard I still want is the Australian lace monitor, again because of its presence in zoos I'm familiar with.

Finally, the snapping turtle - I totally agree that behaviourly it's probably better suited to being an exhibit animal, but for me the prospect of building a habitat for it is more interesting, as is the possibility of interspecies enrichment with the American alligator, a combination that is as yet impossible in the game.

 

[lunavinceres]

Honestly I think the issue with all these suggested packs is that there are no animals being suggested that would have the mass appeal of say a leopard or a wild horse or even something like a porcupine or baboon.

I've just checked the meta-list and the highest requested reptiles are Nile Crocodile and Alligator Snapping Turtle, both jointly ranked at 58. Whilst not definite it does suggest that a reptile pack is not going to be a big seller. Rightly or wrongly mammals rule supreme.

What is far more likely, and what I hope will happen, is we get some of these reptiles included within other packs because there really are some nice options.

 

[NZFanatic]

Honestly I think the issue with all these suggested packs is that there are no animals being suggested that would have the mass appeal

You're not wrong, but that shouldn't stop people from making suggestions.

It's also helpful to remember that the meta-wishlist is, to put it bluntly, old. There are several votes that might go elsewhere now if people were given the option (not that I advocate for a new list - I don't, at all).

 

[lunavinceres]

You're not wrong, but that shouldn't stop people from making suggestions.

It's also helpful to remember that the meta-wishlist is, to put it bluntly, old. There are several votes that might go elsewhere now if people were given the option (not that I advocate for a new list - I don't, at all).

I agree yes, but it was the best indicator I could think of to show what I meant. The other issue with it is it's very limited to people on this forum - the fact that there's so many obscure antelopes and other mammals suggests this probably isn't representative of the average player. However if us animal nerds aren't voting for a lot of reptiles, who will?

Suggest away, just be realistic and don't get your hopes up for a reptile pack. The suggested animals are still really nice options to include in future packs.

 

[SalamAnders]

I'm always a little surprised by how unpopular or maybe just forgotten about tortoises seem to be in this community. African Spurred tortoise does get some attention from people, but still not doing great on the meta-wishlist. But otherwise, tortoises are rarely mentioned (at least a few people remembered them in this thread).
Also quite surprised we haven't seen any added since the base game.

They are easy to use as filler animals and many species would be good for mixed-species habitats which seem like a big deal to many people. I also can't see why some of the smaller species shouldn't function as habitat animals, which would make them stand out compared to most reptiles in the game.

In real-life, even zoos that otherwise don't focus much on reptiles tend to have some species, and it is often not the giants.

As exhibit animals, some species could also be interesting to see such as pancake tortoises.

I would be happy to see another 2 to 3 species.

 

[NZFanatic]

I'm always a little surprised by how unpopular or maybe just forgotten about tortoises seem to be in this community. African Spurred tortoise does get some attention from people, but still not doing great on the meta-wishlist. But otherwise, tortoises are rarely mentioned (at least a few people remembered them in this thread).
Also quite surprised we haven't seen any added since the base game.

They are easy to use as filler animals and many species would be good for mixed-species habitats which seem like a big deal to many people. I also can't see why some of the smaller species shouldn't function as habitat animals, which would make them stand out compared to most reptiles in the game.

In real-life, even zoos that otherwise don't focus much on reptiles tend to have some species, and it is often not the giants.

As exhibit animals, some species could also be interesting to see such as pancake tortoises.

I would be happy to see another 2 to 3 species.

I totally agree. Radiated tortoise would be a great choice, leopard tortoise as I said above would be great for me, for exhibits I've always wanted the Greek tortoise.

 

[ReptoMin]

I'm always a little surprised by how unpopular or maybe just forgotten about tortoises seem to be in this community. African Spurred tortoise does get some attention from people, but still not doing great on the meta-wishlist. But otherwise, tortoises are rarely mentioned (at least a few people remembered them in this thread).

I think this is because people are not sure which species should be Habitat and which species should be Exhibit. Having difficulty where to draw the line in terms of size. Sulcata is an exception, probably because they are seen as "big enough" by the majority.

 

[ReptoMin]

Finally, the snapping turtle - I totally agree that behaviourly it's probably better suited to being an exhibit animal, but for me the prospect of building a habitat for it is more interesting, as is the possibility of interspecies enrichment with the American alligator, a combination that is as yet impossible in the game.

The interspecies bonus is pretty unlikely as both species will at least prey on the young of the other.

 

[The_Riot22]

That seems like a bold statement; of your top four only the crocodile and snapping turtle have much traction as viable inclusions. A few people like the marine iguana, but it isn't kept in captivity and I suspect most people choose it simply because it's not a crocodile or a turtle. The last three are actually far more popular options.

My reasoning behind it isn't based solely on the animals themselves, but by what we already have in-game.
We already have 2 large tortoises. I don't think a third would be received with a whole lot of enthusiasm. The Tegu and Perentie are similar enough to the Nile Monitor that I think they might suffer from a bit of overlap. Of course we already have a bunch of crocodilians, but crocs have a much larger appeal than monitor lizards in general, so the overlap wouldn't affect the Nile Croc like it would these 2 lizards. The reason I put the Nile Croc up there is because it does seem to be somewhat popular and is arguably the most well-known crocodilian in the world.
I think I said earlier on this thread that my personal top 4 are Tegu, Alligator Snapping Turtle, Marine Iguana and Green Anaconda. I just think the rest of the community might see it a bit differently.

The mugger or Cuban crocodiles are both two that stand out to me as being sufficiently 'different' from what is usually suggested. Neither exists in zoos I'm familiar with (NZ's only crocodilia are the American alligator, saltwater crocodile (only in one holding), and soon Auckland zoo will get some gharial, all three of which we already have in the game), but I find them more interesting than the Nile crocodile.

I agree. I would prefer the Orinoco or Cuban Croc myself...or even my personal favorite, the Black Caiman.

Finally, the snapping turtle - I totally agree that behaviourly it's probably better suited to being an exhibit animal, but for me the prospect of building a habitat for it is more interesting

Yep. That's the same reason why I want a Green Anaconda as a habitat animal.

 

[NZFanatic]

That's the same reason why I want a Green Anaconda as a habitat animal.

The difference is that snakes can't be kept in standard habitats. Yes, we can build "terraria" in the game but there's a precedent for snakes being in exhibits.

 

[The_Riot22]

The difference is that snakes can't be kept in standard habitats. Yes, we can build "terraria" in the game but there's a precedent for snakes being in exhibits.

True, but much the same is true for most reptiles...they are very often kept in indoor-type exhibits of varying sizes, especially in the the more northerly zoos.
I know it's a long shot obviously...but I still hope.

 

[ReptoMin]

True, but much the same is true for most reptiles...they are very often kept in indoor-type exhibits of varying sizes, especially in the the more northerly zoos.
I know it's a long shot obviously...but I still hope.

That can be solved by setting a high temperature requirement. What they mean is Snakes are great escape artists and can not be contained in traditional barriers.

 

[becks474]

It is difficult to make an interesting pack in my opinion. A smaller tortoise would be an option as well as the Nile crocodile. The only crocodilian I personally would say it is missing. The tegu looks interesting in my opinion. But I do not know an animal for the fourth pick. Perhaps an iguana but we already have them as exhibit animal.