With the most recent 'Eurasia' pack, some were thinking that the hypothetical last pack might be 'Americas', though I don't really like to group them like that. They are different realms.
South America has the most needed things by far, South Asia has 2 major gaps, East Asia needs a bit more, and Africa has years worth of favorites. Almost nobody is disputing that.
However the nearctic realm roster, particularly for endemics, is kind of weak in a few areas. We're also missing some of our most common local zoo animals. On that front, we've gotten sea lions, alligators, bison, prairie dogs, beavers, brown bears, wolves, and mountain lions. For zoo staples, we're still missing birds, wapiti, porcupines, black bears, river otters, and bobcats, but I understand why we probably won't get the last two.
I'm going to start a North American (nearctic) roster from scratch:
- Obvious base-game level picks that we share with other realms:
- Tundra:
Polar bears, caribou, and harbor seals (grey are ok, too) are very iconic for colder regions. They have some presence in captivity.
- Taiga:
Brown bears and grey wolves have a huge range across the taiga. They are popular and common in zoos. Moose and wolverines are also very iconic and obvious candidates for inclusion even though they have a limited presence in captivity. .
- South America: The
mountain lion is super important for both continents.
- Thoughts: The northern sections of NA are pretty well fleshed out. There are some iconic species in that mix that should be included. However, nearly all of them are cold-climate animals. I can't build for anything other than the northern pine forests and tundra. The mountain lion, while useful, can't carry the south.
- Key endemic species:
American Bison: The national mammal of the US is also the largest. It has a lot of conervation and cultural history.American Beaver: This keystone species has cultural and conservation history, and it is the national mammal of Canada. It has a wide range.Prairie Dog: This keystone species is very common in local zoos. Younger children congregate near them, and they are a popular staple of NA zoos.American Alligator: This adds a reptile and our most showcased crocodilian. They are needed for the southeast.- American Black Bear: The king of the backyards has color morphs and is the most kept bear here. It can tie together the temperate section. For variety, I can decide which bear to use. The bears are our variety-thing, like Europe's deer, but they're all unique enough to warrant inclusion.
California Sea Lion: This popular pinniped is an icon of the west coast and its associated Mediterranean biome.- Bighorn Sheep: Adds the most iconic (I see them in media and decor all the time) and showcased local caprid with a range into the desert canyons of the southwest. The pronghorn and dall sheep partially cover its niche, so the ABB takes much greater precendence for me at the moment. It is still important for deserts and the Rocky Mountains, which are lacking ungulates. It would also add an arid goat.
- Thoughts: Assuming the roster is somewhat balanced, I could almost stop there.
- The black bear and beaver cover the temperate zone. The taiga and tundra were decently covered previously. Bighorn sheep and mountain lions cover the deserts and Rocky mountains. Prairie dogs and bison represent the grasslands. The southeast has is alligator and panther.
- However, international zoo representation for the continent is weak, there are no birds, and there isn't much for small mammals, so I would add a few more.
- Still Pretty Important/Essential endemic species:
Raccoon and Skunk: These two are apparrently the most iconic and popular NA endemics abroad. They're a good duo to cover that niche and finish small mammals. The porcupine could be an alternative to the raccoon to add something that we actually showcase frequently, but raccoons are more popular abroad, have a wider range, and are interesting to watch. I'm fine with their choice.- Wild Turkey: This domestic ancestor has a wide range and would add a bird for the realm. They are the largest fowl by a wide margin and about twice the weight of peafowl.
Pronghorn: With the other 3 additions, the desert and grasslands look a bit weak. I would throw this one in as an interesting oddball ungulate.Arctic Wolf?: With the previous caribou and upcoming musk ox, it's nice to have a white wolf to showcase with them for predator-prey education. They are also cool.- Thoughts: If we get the missing first four, I would say the realm looks pretty good. Maybe it would need another bird, perhaps a deer, and the arctic has some missing icons, but that would cover everything pretty well.
- Still pretty important stuff we share with other continents:
- South America:
Peccaries and armadillos are still useful for the southern regions, but their range is limited here. Brown pelicans and, to a lesser extent, roseate spoonbills would be good birds for both continents. Manatees, if possible, would be awesome as well.
- Taiga:
Red foxes are pretty iconic and colorful as far as foxes go. They are a good choice. Mallards are also not bad.
- Tundra: Walruses are probably the most recognizable pinniped and very iconic for the arctic, and musk ox would provide an interesting large herbivore.
Arctic foxes add a small carnivore to go alongside the wolverine in tundra sections.
- East Asia: Wapiti are much more common in zoos than moose and nearly as impressive, also boasting large antlers and a similar height. Wapiti have a loud, majestic call, and they add representation for the Rocky Mountains, temperate evergreen rainforest, and parts of Asia. Sea otters are unique and iconic. I think we're more likely to get them than the river otter.
- If possible, Sea turtles would be awesome for most of the continents.
- Thoughts: The sea otter, sea turtle, and manatee don't seem very likely at the moment. At least one of the SA birds, wapiti for a showstopper, and the arctic favorites are pretty strong contenders, even though I don't need them as much as some of the previous stuff.
- Other endemics I would love to see: grey fox, white-tailed deer, Rocky mountain goat, roadrunner, cranes, river otter, bobcat, wood duck, porcupine, and maybe a coyote.
I think the people going on about NA having excellent representation are ignoring nearctic endemics and focused on the northern animals common to Eurasia, vagrant neotropical animals, and Central America. My continent encompasses an entire biogeographical realm, and we have a bunch of biomes: eastern deciduous forests, southestern subtropics/tropics, central grasslands, southwest deserts with steep canyons and sand, Mediterranean west coast, temperate evergreen rainforest, evergreen temperate/taiga forests, Rocky Mountains, coastal sections, wetlands, and tundra. Only the northern ones have great coverage at the moment. Our low biodiversity means you almost have to 100% the megafuana to just cover the basic niches of local sections, but most of us aren't and haven't been seriously asking for a lot.
For endemics, many of us (as far as I can tell) need at least one bird, need the
black bear, want/need an ungulate for the Rocky Mountains (bighorn sheep, wapiti, and rocky mountain goat all have some support), and most of us are attached to one or two small critters, with grey foxes, bobcats, otters, and porcupines coming up most frequently. Coyotes and white-tailed deer come up occasionally, too. Opossums and ringtails are potential oddballs. We haven't gotten much from DLCs lately. Peccaries and armadillos have their uses, but they are much more from the neotropical realm. The twilight animals are pest species locally and uncommon in our zoos though they do boost temperate regions slightly and help with small mammal rep. The North America pack was awesome, but it was over two years ago. It feels like we haven't gotten anything good in
ages.
- Sorry, I couldn't resist that 
) 
That's why I think it would be a better choice. That said, developers happened to give us species that I'm sure 95% of people on this planet don't know, if not more. Here we all have a great interest in wildlife so it sometimes can be hard to realize some people simply don't care about it.
