The Pinniped Plight

[AlexSea]

Okay, maybe "plight" is the wrong word. I just wanted to use alliteration. But anyways, if we get a third pinniped, what should it be? Let's break down some of the more popular suggestions.

Walrus

Fan demand: Very high, taking up the #16 spot on the meta-wishlist.
Uniqueness: Very high. With that huge brown body and long tusks, no one can deny it would stand out.
Captive presence: Uncommon, with only 14 zoos in North America housing them.

Harbor Seal

Fan demand: Very low, taking up the #134 spot on the meta-wishlist.
Uniqueness: Medium. Although they can be mistaken for the in-game Grey Seal, they are smaller and have a more rounded head.
Captive presence: Very high. Aside from the California Sea Lion, they're one of the most popular pinnipeds in captivity.

Leopard Seal

Fan demand: Very low, taking up the #108 spot on the meta-wishlist.
Uniqueness: High. With its white underbelly, black spots, and aggressive temperament, it would be a unique addition to any aquatic-themed zoo.
Captive presence: None. With the exception of one specimen at the Taronga Zoo for rehabilitation purposes, it has never been kept in captivity due to its aforementioned aggressiveness.

Southern Elephant Seal

Fan demand: Very low, taking up the #115 spot on the meta-wishlist.
Uniqueness: Very high. This is a massive animal with a weird nose, and Planet Zoo is no stranger to weird-nosed animals.
Captive presence: Very low. The only zoo I could find that has one is the Pittsburg Zoo, and that was a special case, as it somehow never developed skills it needed to survive in the wild. And although that was a Northern Elephant Seal, the two species are fairly similar.

But what do you think? What do you thing the odds are of us getting a third pinniped? What pinniped would you like to see most?

 

[RedPandaReggie]

I agree with the Walrus and Harbour Seal, I think we would need a few more sea lions/fur seals, maybe like the Australian Sea Lion, New Zealand Fur Seal and maybe the Steller Sea Lion

 

[jcp011c]

Harp Seal please! The Grey seal pups are cute but Harp Seal pups take it to the next level.

 

[coatifan]

Okay, maybe "plight" is the wrong word. I just wanted to use alliteration. But anyways, if we get a third pinniped, what should it be? Let's break down some of the more popular suggestions.

Walrus

Fan demand: Very high, taking up the #16 spot on the meta-wishlist.
Uniqueness: Very high. With that huge brown body and long tusks, no one can deny it would stand out.
Captive presence: Uncommon, with only 14 zoos in North America housing them.

Harbor Seal

Fan demand: Very low, taking up the #134 spot on the meta-wishlist.
Uniqueness: Medium. Although they can be mistaken for the in-game Grey Seal, they are smaller and have a more rounded head.
Captive presence: Very high. Aside from the California Sea Lion, they're one of the most popular pinnipeds in captivity.

Leopard Seal

Fan demand: Very low, taking up the #108 spot on the meta-wishlist.
Uniqueness: High. With its white underbelly, black spots, and aggressive temperament, it would be a unique addition to any aquatic-themed zoo.
Captive presence: None. With the exception of one specimen at the Taronga Zoo for rehabilitation purposes, it has never been kept in captivity due to its aforementioned aggressiveness.

Southern Elephant Seal

Fan demand: Very low, taking up the #115 spot on the meta-wishlist.
Uniqueness: Very high. This is a massive animal with a weird nose, and Planet Zoo is no stranger to weird-nosed animals.
Captive presence: Very low. The only zoo I could find that has one is the Pittsburg Zoo, and that was a special case, as it somehow never developed skills it needed to survive in the wild. And although that was a Northern Elephant Seal, the two species are fairly similar.

But what do you think? What do you thing the odds are of us getting a third pinniped? What pinniped would you like to see most?

Either the harbor seal or walrus. The former is cuter and more realistic/common in captivity, so I'm leaning towards it, but the walrus is undoubtedly more unique and a good polar option. I'd rather not get one of the only-as-a-rescue rarities, though. (PS: is this inspired by my bear necessities post? if so I'm flattered, if not -- something something great minds think alike )

 

[biggest_dreamer]

I still think we should've gotten the harbor seal over the grey seal in the Aquatic Pack, but at this point we're in too deep for me to justify such a similar looking pinniped. There's always going to be scenarios where I'm stuck using a "close enough" species to the one I'd really want (otters, deer, foxes, crocodiles, flamingos), and if I was given the choice, seals wouldn't be the ones I'd double down on.

So walrus has my vote. It's visually distinct, iconic, and has at least a baseline captive presence. Elephant seal would be fine, but not ideal. Leopard seals are one of the few extant animals I'm actively opposed to because they're just so creepy. They're like shark goblins with a seal form factor. Yeesh.

 

[Mjmannella]

Captive presence: Uncommon, with only 14 zoos in North America housing them.

There's also at least 16 European zoos with Pacific walruses

 

[premierfong]

We sooooo need this, if we don't get aquariums we should at least get this pack.
1) Walrus
2) Leopard Seal
3) Elephant Seal (the larger type)
4) Harbor Seal
5) Steller Seal Lion
6) A fur seal
7) Ribbon Seal
8) Octopus tank for exhibit.

 

[Aramar]

Walrus, without any doubts

 

[biggest_dreamer]

7) Ribbon Seal

Oh, you know what? If we did get a pinniped with slim-to-no captive presence, this is actually my pick.

 

[FoxyDee]

I am also of an opinion that the grey seal should have been a harbor seal int he first place, but they are similar enough for me to not care too much, so Pacific Walrus has my vote.

 

[Antimony96]

Two is fine. I'm firmly anti-walrus--they fare poorly in captivity, have a waning captive presence outside of Russia, and are almost always detusked in captivity anyway, thus taking away a great deal of their appeal.

 

[NZFanatic]

I pick the New Zealand fur seal, also called the kekeno. The pups wear spectacles.

 

[RedPandaReggie]

Yeah, if we were to get more pinnipeds, for the game, Walrus, but if that wouldn't be an option then it would stuff like Harbour Seal, New Zealand Fur Seal, Australian Sea Lion and maybe the Brown Fur Seal

 

[Cynogale bennettii II]

Both of the pinnipeds in the game currently are from the northern hemisphere, so I would personally choose a third animal to be a southern species. I think possibly the best option would be the brown fur seal - they have the broadest continental range of the southern pinnipeds, with one subspecies breeding around southern Africa (in the same general range as the African penguin) and the other around southeastern Australia and Tasmania. Going for the entire species rather than subspecies would mean that both Africa and Oceania get a pinniped. They are kept in zoos in their native South Africa and Australia and are also the most commonly-kept fur seal in Europe as well.

 

[Mjmannella]

I am also of an opinion that the grey seal should have been a harbor seal int he first place, but they are similar enough for me to not care too much, so Pacific Walrus has my vote.

The funny thing here is that grey seals are known to prey on harbour seals. I'm not sure how either seal would take the comparison

 

[coatifan]

The funny thing here is that grey seals are known to prey on harbour seals. I'm not sure how either seal would take the comparison

Really? Pretty scary, considering my local zoo keeps a rescued harbor seal in with their grey seals. As far as I know there's never been an incident though.

 

[becks474]

For now I would be happy if we get a walrus in a future pack. Like for the Otter in the other thread I would be happy with a harbour Seal in a clone pack if such a pack should ever happen.

 

[Mjmannella]

Really? Pretty scary, considering my local zoo keeps a rescued harbor seal in with their grey seals. As far as I know there's never been an incident though.

Chances are that the captive grey seals aren't as opportunistic knowing there's a regular supply of food. But some wild grey seals are not nearly as complacent.

 

[coatifan]

Chances are that the captive grey seals aren't as opportunistic knowing there's a regular supply of food. But some wild grey seals are not nearly as complacent.

Ooh, interesting. And yeah, let's hope old Gunther doesn't get hungry .

 

[Spiderhawk]

So here’s my take on pinnipeds
I will support inclusion of at least 1 more eared and 1 more true seal (those are the pinniped family names ftr).
Walrus: another group of pinnipeds, they are found in captivity (uncommon but found). With those tusks of theirs, they feel like something more than eared and true seals.
Fur seals: I sow my first fur seal at the mystic aquarium and having observed/worked around stellar sea lions and various seals, I wasn’t sure what to make of the fur seals. They didn’t seem like true seals or eared seals from their nature.
My opinion on other pinnipeds.
leopard seals scary/cool, I don’t think it’s practical to have them due to their non captivity status.
Elephant seals I will welcome them if included.
Ice seals: spotted seals, ring seals, ribbon and bearded seals. I worked in one of the only facility’s that can house these members. They are all more interesting then basic harbor seals, I’d go with ribbon seals as they definitely stand out as the prettiest.
Harbor seals: while they have great color variants and are commonly found in captivity. I just don’t find them interesting enough compared to my previous examples.
stellar sea lions: I really would love to have them as I worked around them, but I think there’s only room for one sea lion.