Twelve Days of PZ - Ft. The Files! (PROBABLE SPOILERS)

[Mjmannella]

Given the recent news of no new news, I've decided to help put some cheer back into things with a Christmas carol parody featuring animals datamined from the game. Don't worry, even with an animal per day there's still several that won't be mentioned in the carol.

IF THIS HASN'T BEEN MADE OBVIOUS ALREADY, AVOID THIS THREAD IF YOU DON'T LIKE SPOILERS

With that out of the way, here's day 1.

♫ On the first day of Zoo-mas, Frontier devs gave to me...
A cockroach in a fern tree.♫

The giant burrowing cockroach of Australia! Scientifically known as Macropanesthia rhinoceros, these are the heaviest cockroaches in the world. Unusual to most insects, they give live birth instead of laying eggs!

 

[FoxyDee]

Great idea!

And thanks for the additional facts, I did not know about that.

 

[Mjmannella]

Day 2 of the carol!
♫ On the second day of Zoo-mas, Frontier devs gave to me...
Two pangolins.♫
♫ And cockroach in a fern tree.

The Chinese pangolin! This cute critter eat nothing but ants and termites, and have a prehensile tail similar to that of a kinkajou or an opposum. However, they're seriously endangered due to poaching for their meat and habitat loss.

 

[Masteradstriker]

Aren't all pangolins endangered...

Oh btw, do ya mind if someone else do the lyric writing?

Edit: Shouldn't it be... On the SECOND day?

 

[Mjmannella]

Aren't all pangolins endangered...

Oh btw, do ya mind if someone else do the lyric writing?

Edit: Shouldn't it be... On the SECOND day?

About half the pangolin species are endangered, the rest are vulnerable.
But thanks for catching the typo!

 

[Mjmannella]

Day 3 is coming live now!

♫ On the third day of Zoo-mas, Frontier devs gave to me...
Three arachnids ♫
♫Two pangolins
And cockroach in a fern tree.♫

Today is a triple-whammy of exhibit critters. Here come the Mexican red-knee tarantula (top), Brazilian salmon pink tarantula (centre), and the giant desert hairy scorpion! (bottom)

 

[Masteradstriker]

Here's some facts:

Scorpions glow in the dark if you shine them UV.

When threatened, some tarantulas shake their butt-hairs to their would-be predators.

 

[ziggycardon]

A small correction, but the first spider pictured is actually a Mexican fireleg tarantula (Brachypelma boehmei) while the true Mexican red-knee tarantula are only Brachypelma smithi & Brachypelma hamorri.
But it is something a lot of people get wrong as many of the Brachypelma species are quite similar.

 

[Mjmannella]

Thanks for catching that! A correct image should now be in place.

 

[Mjmannella]

Day 4 underway!

♫ On the fourth day of Zoo-mas, Frontier devs gave to me...
Four camel feet♫
♫ Three arachnids
Two pangolins♫
♫ And cockroach in a fern tree.

The bactrian camel! Both pictures are technically bactrians (top is the domesticated species, bottom is the critically endangered wild species). Domesticated bactrian camels are much more common, but Planet Zoo has no domesticated status (only going from least concern to extinct). Plus, releasing a domesticated animal into the wild would be a bit awkward (just ask Australia how their feral camels are treating them).

Fun fact, bactrian camels had a name drop in an official Frontier video (above the check for the Barid's tapir).

 

[AlexVonHumbug]

wow, how many times did you watch it, to spot the camel in the video ? ^^

 

[Mjmannella]

wow, how many times did you watch it, to spot the camel in the video ? ^^

I caught it on my first viewing. They go through the motions pretty slowly in the video.

 

[ElectricMonk]

Fun fact: Bactrian and Dromedary camels can interbreed to produce fertile offspring. A 1st generation (F1) cross (which has just one hump) is substantially larger and stronger than either parent species, as a result of 'hybrid vigour' (heterosis). Because of this feature, hybrids were highly prized and were used on the silk road.

And,... yes, hybrids have been kept in zoos.

 

[Mjmannella]

Thank you everyone for the great facts! We're just a week from launch at this point, which is an exciting milestone! Without further ado, here's day 5!

♫ On the fifth day of Zoo-mas, Frontier devs gave to me...
FIVE GOLDEN FROGS♫
♫ Four camel feet
Three arachnids ♫
♫Two pangolins
And cockroach in a fern tree. ♫

The golden poison frog! Many spotted this critter in the recent video Frontier put out, and man they're cute. These endangered frogs get their poison from the food they eat, so raising them with a captive diet means they're harmless. These frogs also come in colours beyond the classic gold, with morphs including mint green and orange.

 

[Mjmannella]

6 days till Planet Zoo! What better day to celebrate day 6 of the carol!

♫ On the sixth day of Zoo-mas, Frontier devs gave to me...
Six Bongos Bouncing♫
♫FIVE GOLDEN FROGS
Four camel feet♫
♫ Three arachnids
Two pangolins♫
♫ And cockroach in a fern tree.

The bongo! These uniquely orange-red antelope are found mostly in the tropical forests of Africa (Central and Eastern), favouring areas already frequented by the coexisting African forest elephant. They can eat a wide variety of plant matter they can reach using their prehensile tongue. Bongos are one of the largest nocturnal antelope, standing about 1.2m (~4') high at the shoulder.

 

[Masteradstriker]

Bongos are nocturnal?