Love this! you went into way more depth on the families than I did I appreciate it. Ungulates are such a diverse group!I haven't actually elaborated on what ungulates I'd like to see get added, might as well do that now!
Equines (Equidae):
I know people have been begging for Przewalski's horses left right and centre but I have a personal soft spot for the Onager (Equus hemionus). They're unusually horse-like for an , and they're somewhat on the small size for an equine. They're also super adaptable, letting them work in a wide range of environments!
Rhinos (Rhinocerotidae):
The only rhino that I feel is worth adding now is the Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis). It'd be unique in that it's smaller and more aggressive than our current 2 rhinos. They'd also do wonders for Big 5-themed areas.
Tapirs (Tapiridae):
I think with both the Baird's and "Malayan" tapirs we're pretty well-rounded out. Though if there was one tapir I'd consider for addition, it'd be the Mountain Tapir (Tapirus pinchaque). Not only are they unique in being the smallest tapir, but they're also super woolly which helps them live in their unique montane habitats.
Camelids (Camelidae):
The Dromedary Camel (Camelus dromedarius) is an obvious consideration with all the scenery parts for this species. I don't think any of the Lamini are worth adding to be honest, the llama rounded that out pretty well
Swine (Suina):
I'd be over the moon if they add Red River Hogs (Potamochoerus porcus) and Collared Peccaries (Dicolytes tajacu). There's other species like giant forest hogs, chacoan peccaries, and wild boar that would be neat additions as well, but the former 2 are my most-wanted swine.
Hippos & Cetaceans (Whippomorpha):
Both hippos are already in so that's not a point worth labouring. Cetaceans are probably not going to happen (as are aquaria animals in general).
Chevrotains (Tragulidae):
This family will probably remain uncovered, as is usually the case in zoo games. They're pretty obscure and I don't think they add much to the experience. I'll just throw the Water Chevrotain (Hyemoschus aquaticus) here since it's uniquely nocturnal and water-bound.
Possibly Paraphyletic Giraffoids (Giraffoidea):
All 3 genera of are already represented. The only species left would be one the 3 giraffe species that aren't the reticulated giraffe. I'd personally go for the Southern Giraffe (Giraffa giraffa) if we had to get another giraffe. The Eastern giraffe (G. tippelskirchi) overlaps a bit to much in niche with the existing reticulated giraffe for me to really want it. Conversely, the Kordofan Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum) is also worth considering, as it's the smallest of the 7 giraffe subspecies.
Deer (Cervidae):
The most obvious deer left for many would be the Red Deer (Cervus elaphus). For extra species, I'd love to see them add the Père David's Deer (Elaphurus davidianus) and the Marsh Deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) as well!
Musk-Deer (Moschidae):
A heavily neglected group like the chevrotains. However, I think either the Alpine Musk Deer (Moschus chrysogaster) or the Siberian Musk Deer (Moschus moschiferus) would be fantastic additions!
Antelope (Bovidae):
Hooooo-boy, this is the meat of ungulates. For every canid and felid already in the game, I would name 2 bovids I'd want to see in Planet Zoo. I'll cut to the chase and end things off with a lightning round. I'll be referring to taxon used in Bovids of the World by Dr. Jose R. Castello. I highly recommend it if you can get your hands on his work!
- Addax (Addax nasomaculatus)
- Barbary Sheep (Ammotragus lervia)
- Bharal (Pseudois nayaur)
- Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra)
- Bontebok (Damaliscus pygarus)
- Chinese Serow (Capricornis milneedwardsii)
- Common Impala (Aepyceros melampus)
- Dama Gazelle (Nanger dama)
- Domestic Swamp Buffalo (Bubalis bubalis var. kerabau)
- Domestic Yak (Bos grunniens)
- Ellipsen Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus)
- Forest Buffalo (Syncerus nanus)
- Gaur (Bos gaurus)
- Golden Takin (Budorcas bedfordi)
- Harvey's Duiker (Cephalophus harveyi)
- Hinde's Dik-dik (Madoqua hindei)
- Jentink's Duiker (Cephalophus jentinki)
- Kafue Flats Lechwe (Kobus kafuensis)
- Majorcan Goat (Capra hircus va. majorcan)
- Merino Sheep (Ovis aries va. merino)
- Mountain Gazelle (Gazella gazella)
- Mountain Goat (Oreamnos americanus)
- Muskox (Ovibos moschatus)
- Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus)
- Red Hartebeest (Alcelaphus caama)
- Red Serow (Capricornis rubidus)
- Russian Saiga (Saiga tatarica)
- Sanga Cattle (Bos taurus var. africanus)
- Scimitar-horned Oryx (Oryx dammah)
- Southern Gerenuk (Litocranius walleri)
- Tibetan Antelope (Panthlops hodgsoni)
- Tibetan Gazelle (Procapra picticaudata)
- Zambezi Greater Kudu (Stepsiceros zambeziensis)
Ungulate Talk
- Thread starter SanRazo618
- Start date
Love this! you went into way more depth on the families than I did I appreciate it. Ungulates are such a diverse group!
I don't want to get too off topic, but there is Western bias in zoos and their audience. What you said about people's personal interest is true and I am not saying Western bias is the ONLY reason for interest. That would be a sweeping generalization. But we cannot deny that there is implicit bias in every institution due social and cultural history. Western Imperialism and Colonialism had a major part in the beginning of many noteworthy modern zoos that are still around to this day. If you want to learn more about this, I recommend the books Savages and Beast and Zoos & the Paradoxical World They Live In. Of course, zoos are far different today, but there are still underpinnings of this history that affect zoos and the cultures they live in today.
It is important to recognize bias and challenge ourselves to adopt a better approach to all things in the world. To tie this back in the topic, I think animals are best appreciated when we truly grasp all that we can about them, which involves the "bigger picture" of the ecosystem/environment and interspecies relationships. This is why ungulates deserve more credit than what they are given, because they are always browsing or grazing or working in concert with their own or other species. This is something that can be witnessed by the average visitor, but is often missed because it is not taught. That leads to a larger conversation on the failures of zoo design, which is another tangent, but that can be covered in one of the books I mentioned.
Anyway, if you're contributing to this topic, you probably appreciate ungulates, and I commend you for that.
Even the idea that African or Indian or Australian animals are "exotic" is based in colonialism, because it assumes the "west" is the default. It's a problematic mindset to have, even if not intentional, and probably even on this forum makes non-western players feel alienated.
It's more of a cultural idea that your nation/culture is the centre of the world, which, due to colonialism, many westerners certainly have. Can't really go into politics on this forum, so I'll have to end it there.
I agree with what you said but I think the original post was trying to address zoos in general and how they were built with the ideas of colonialism in mind.
Fair enough. My knowledge on history of zoos is pretty poor. So I'll take it on word from people who know what they're talking about
What I dislike about mods though, is that a lot of the time their zoopedia info doesn't work and their education screen doesn't work.
Honestly, I mean, if we were to get another year, animal family packs would be a dream come true.
2 ungulate packs (1 dedicated to Africa another to Asia)
1 primate pack (we gotta get some more monkeys and baboons)
1 feline pack (featuring small cats)
There. That's already 4 packs of just animal families. Each will likely be animal packs, so that's 32 new animals boosting areas we lack in, and I think these'll be the best choices.
And let's not forget the anniversary
2 ungulate packs (1 dedicated to Africa another to Asia)
1 primate pack (we gotta get some more monkeys and baboons)
1 feline pack (featuring small cats)
There. That's already 4 packs of just animal families. Each will likely be animal packs, so that's 32 new animals boosting areas we lack in, and I think these'll be the best choices.
And let's not forget the anniversary
They're probably not going to make an Animal Pack without an Exhibit Animal; biome packs would be more likely at this stage.
I think that for selling packs to the general players the actual model with mixing different animal groups together is better. The only things ones which could work in my opinion are birds, fishes and perhaps primates. But really, who except us freaks buys a pack with a blackbuck as headliner coming together with a dik dik, muntjac and so on. The same for small cats. Who wants a pack headlining with the caracal and then you get the serval, ocelot, Pallas cat and so on. I would buy it for sure, but I think the majority of players are out then.
No, I hope the actual DLC model stays the same but instead of continents we could get biomes or so.
And I really hope that people continents buying the DLCs so we can get another year which is for me more realistic than just say goodbye to the game (I mean they could stop making major Updates and just sell aninal packs. It is less effort and when it brings still Profit for frontier it is a Win-Win-Situation for us all)
I agree that mixing overall is the best way forward
Wouldn’t the Sumatran Rhino be a better option? It’s significantly smaller the the Indian and White rhinos and lives in a completely different habitat than them.
I would love that
For me no, as it’s hardly found in captivity at all and only in its home range countries.
I wouldn't at all be opposed to Sumatran rhinos. I just have more personal interest in black rhinos.
Rhinos:
i agree with you. I want both the sumatran and the black rhinoceros, preferably in that order, since the sumatran rhino is very unique and distinctive enough from the other two we already have in the game plus is critically endangered.
Tapirs:
I actually would've prefer the brazilian tapir over the baird's tapir so i want them to add it to the game at some point.
Equines:
Yeah, the prezwalsky horse is a must, but i don't care that much for donkeys tbh. A grevy's zebra maybe. Or some kind of domestic horse. Other than that i'm not to concerned about the equines representation in the game, i just want the wild horse lol
The Main Event: Artiodactyls!!!!!!!!
Deers:
I really like deers, and i would love a lot of them to be in the game, but if i have to select a few i would say pere david's deer, pudu, chital (tigers need to eat) and red deer (maybe the elk or wapiti as well).
Antelopes:
I love antelopes. The greater kudu is a big one missing. Same with the addax. I agree with the ones you mentioned. I would love a blackbuck as well. And yeah gerenuk would be a fun choice as well, quite unique and would require a new rig. The saiga antelope is also a very peculiar looking species i would like.
Camelids:
Dromedary camel. I really love alpacas as well, but the one we really, really need is the dromedary camel.
Suidae:
This category is really under represented. Collared peccary and red river hog i consider to be essential animals that we are missing. Maybe a visayan warty pig could be a third option and it would add more variety as well.
Caprids:
Ok a lot we need from this list (and i'm not even that big of a fan of caprids): markhor (must), takin (must), mountain goat, chiru, chinese goral, musk ox (must), big horned sheep (must), bharal, chamois and barbary sheep.
Bovids:
Yeah we need a couple more for sure. The one i would really want is the gaur, but others i can think of that would be cool if they are included are the wild yak, asian water buffalo, the congo buffalo, lowland anoa, ankole watussi and zebu
I would also like to see some representation of small artyodactils. The ones i want the most are the reeve's muntjac, the dik-dik, the zebra duiker, the pudu, and the water chevrotain.
i agree with you. I want both the sumatran and the black rhinoceros, preferably in that order, since the sumatran rhino is very unique and distinctive enough from the other two we already have in the game plus is critically endangered.
Tapirs:
I actually would've prefer the brazilian tapir over the baird's tapir so i want them to add it to the game at some point.
Equines:
Yeah, the prezwalsky horse is a must, but i don't care that much for donkeys tbh. A grevy's zebra maybe. Or some kind of domestic horse. Other than that i'm not to concerned about the equines representation in the game, i just want the wild horse lol
The Main Event: Artiodactyls!!!!!!!!
Deers:
I really like deers, and i would love a lot of them to be in the game, but if i have to select a few i would say pere david's deer, pudu, chital (tigers need to eat) and red deer (maybe the elk or wapiti as well).
Antelopes:
I love antelopes. The greater kudu is a big one missing. Same with the addax. I agree with the ones you mentioned. I would love a blackbuck as well. And yeah gerenuk would be a fun choice as well, quite unique and would require a new rig. The saiga antelope is also a very peculiar looking species i would like.
Camelids:
Dromedary camel. I really love alpacas as well, but the one we really, really need is the dromedary camel.
Suidae:
This category is really under represented. Collared peccary and red river hog i consider to be essential animals that we are missing. Maybe a visayan warty pig could be a third option and it would add more variety as well.
Caprids:
Ok a lot we need from this list (and i'm not even that big of a fan of caprids): markhor (must), takin (must), mountain goat, chiru, chinese goral, musk ox (must), big horned sheep (must), bharal, chamois and barbary sheep.
Bovids:
Yeah we need a couple more for sure. The one i would really want is the gaur, but others i can think of that would be cool if they are included are the wild yak, asian water buffalo, the congo buffalo, lowland anoa, ankole watussi and zebu
I would also like to see some representation of small artyodactils. The ones i want the most are the reeve's muntjac, the dik-dik, the zebra duiker, the pudu, and the water chevrotain.
I was about to correct you until I goggled it...
I might need a minute
Musk Ox isn't an Ox ?!
If I'm not mistaken, they're more related to goats than to cows. Are musk ox really that common in zoos?
I may be a bit biased because I live in a warm climate, so many of the animals I see are from warm areas. Maybe that's why I don't care for colder species