Your Top 10 DLC Animals of 2022!

TheDuckKnight · Dec 30, 2022

2022 proved to be an exciting, HIGHLY unpredictable year of DLCs and new animal friends for Planet Zoo. Many fan favorites finally made their way into the game, while several surprises - including the long-awaited flying animals - dazzled the community. What were your top 10 favorite species inclusion to the game?

For me, the top 10 were:

10. Butterflies - As overjoyed as I was for more flying animals, at the end of the day, I'm a birb boi through and through, so I couldn't help but feel a little bit disappointed when the second flying animal was still not of the avian variety. With that said, the butterflies are undeniably beautiful, the decision to allow 5 different species to coexist is groundbreaking (and a hopeful sign for multi-species bird exhibits in the future), and their ability to land on guests seals the deal as a top 10 spot.

9. Nine-banded Armadillo - One of the cutest animals of the game, but more so, INCREDIBLY detailed and designed - the individual fibers of fur and separate layers for the bands are breathtaking

8. Red Fox - While the maned wolf seemed to be everyone's favorite canid this year, I'm a natural redhead, so my representation matters

7. Striped Skunk - A bit of a polarizing pick, but these folks really, really won me. Something about their skunky strut and fuzzy animations, idk, they're just funny af to watch. I got to the point were I thought it was an obscure pick to know thinking they're a MANDATORY animal for any zoo game. But in all seriousness, they fulfill a unique, often overlooked niche in the animal kingdom - cute woodland critters.

6. Emu - FINALLY some more birds and one of the most requested to boot. Much like the skunk, its the animation and their inherent goofiness that got me. I hope their popularity instills a lesson to Frontier, "HEY! People want and LOVE birds! More please!"

5. Egyptian Fruit Bat - Perhaps the most ground-breaking inclusion of the year. Between the implementation of their customizable walk through exhibit, varied animation loops, sound effects, and the high number of bats allowed - to me its a signifier that Frontier is still innovative as ever and I can't wait to see what the future brings

4. Przewalski's Wild Horse - I almost feel like I could write an essay why needed them lol

VERY High contender on the wishlist
Extensive real-world history of conversation in zoological parks
An absent holdover from the Zoo Tycoon days
Supplies much needed representation for equines

3. Red Crowned Crane - A bird that isn't a ratite or a penguin AND is a ginger?!?!? That's the birb 4 me!

2. Asian Small-clawed Otter - Not to much to say that hasn't already been said: absolutely adorable, highly requested, and offer another otter that doesn't resemble a hellhound

1. Siamang Gibbon - This is it folks. All of Frontier's best qualities are on display here: beautiful model, graceful yet entertaining animation, their unique, innovative movements - the implementation of brachiation feature via an enrichment item was a stroke of genius, and of course the infamous vocalizations. The highlight of the year for sure, and coming from a bird fanatic, that is huge feat.

Honorable Mentions: Platypus, Red-necked Wallaby, Raccoon, Common Wombat, Capybara, Blue Wildebeest, Axolotl

What about you??

nutrit · Dec 30, 2022

1. Striped hyena
2. Maned wolf
3. Amur leopard
4. Emu
5. Armadillo
6. Scimitar oryx
7. Nile lechwe
8. Przewalski horse
9. Wild water buffalo
10. Siamang

cheddartabby · Dec 30, 2022

1.Spectacled Caiman
2. Raccoon
3.capybara
4.asian small clawed otter
5.caracal
6.wombat
7.egyptian fruit bat
8.armadillo
9.siamang
10.axolotl

Fallax · Dec 30, 2022

Platypus
Red-Crowned Crane
Egyptian Fruit Bat
Butterflies (Counting them as one)
Siamang
Raccoon
Capybara
Axolotl
Emu
Red Deer

Honourable mentions to the Danube Crested Newt, Common Wombat, and Nine-Banded Armadillo.

jcp011c · Dec 30, 2022

I went into 2022 with 3 animals that I "must have" in the game to have the minimum complete (mammal) roster. Happily, I got them all this year! So my top 3 are in a class on their own. The rest I still very much enjoy, of course, but the first 3 were quite special to get.

1. Capybara
2. Common Wombat
3. Asian Small Clawed Otter
4. Prezwalski's Horse. - which I didn't think I'd enjoy as much as I do, but they're absolutely great animals to have
5. Amur Leopard - which I thought I'd enjoy more than I do...kind of switched with the horse!
6. Platypus
7. Emu
8. Egyptian Fruit Bat - not so much for the bat itself but the possibilities it opens up.
9. Raccoon
10. Red Crowned Crane - if for nothing else it opens the door for more habitat/grounded birds, even if they have the real life ability to fly. This animal shows they don't have to

I haven't really played with the Grassland animals enough yet to get a better feel of how I like them. The Maned Wolf feels a little visually off for me, but I can't describe why. The Emu being the exception as it was so good to get them in the game finally. So honorable mention to the Striped Hyena, Maned Wolf and Wallaby

Hopefully next year will bring our spiky friends, our 2 ornary bitey friends and our slow moving friends.....but over all 2022 was good to us.

SuzieSky · Dec 31, 2022

Przewalski’s Horse: As one of my favorites, I want them in all my zoos
Maned Wolf: They are so awkward and beautiful
Siamang: They have such lovely calls and animations. It is so nice to have a gibbon. More primates, please.
Asian Small Clawed Otter: These little guys are so cute.
Red Fox: Bravo on including even more color variations than I hoped for
Capybara: I’ve seen so many of them in zoos.
Common Wombat: A childhood favorite, and their faces are so sweet
Emu: I love these funky birds and would like to see more habitat birds in the game
Caracal: More small cats, please.
Red-Necked Wallaby: They look fantastic and are a zoo staple.

Honorable mentions: Striped Skunk (an outside pick I was hoping for), Nine-Banded Armadillo (great model, and I wanted one of the species that can curl into a ball), Platypus (Very unique), Butterflies (love the exhibits with multiple animals), Red Crowned Crane (more birds, please)

Antimony96 · Dec 31, 2022

What about ranking all of them?

27. Wild water buffalo
26. Spectacled caiman
25. Striped hyena
24. Danube crested newt
23. Nile lechwe
22. Platypus
21. Caracal
20. Axolotl
19. Red deer
18. Przewalski's horse
17. Scimitar oryx
16. Red fox
15. Amur leopard
14. Common wombat
13. Blue wildebeest
12. Asian small-clawed otter
11. Siamang
10. Egyptian fruit bat
9. Maned wolf
8. Red crowned crane
7. Striped skunk
6. Nine-banded armadillo
5. Butterflies (collectively)
4. Raccoon
3. Capybara
2. Red-necked wallaby
1. Emu

YesIndeed · Dec 31, 2022

10. Spectacled caiman
Nothing ro new but I like having a medium sized Crocodile and I now use them in all my SA sections.

9. Red necked wallaby
Same as caimans in nothing too new especially cause I wanted any other wallaby species but either way these are my favorite walkthrough animal.

8. Butterflies
I had to pick one of the exhibit animals and these guys really take the cake. You an see how. Uch they improved from the bat this makes me excited for next year.

7. Siamang
Though the barchiaction was a little glitch on launch and these are guys personally a bit too loud and fast for me. I'm excited for more brachiation in the future.

6. Emu
Big birds that I love irl.

5. Prezwalkis horse
What a treat getting these guys was I love them for same reasons as the OP.

4. Red fox
I have ro give these guys points just for tge variety in all the variations. Even though I don't really like the twilight roster they are definitley some of the most high quality animals we have.

3. Asian small clawed otter
Small Otter, cuter than the giant variety.

2. Maned Wolf
One of my favorite real life animals. They implemented their uniqness well and didn't pull another dhole.

1. platypus
This is honestly the magnum opus. I love these animals in game and they truly did them justice.

Overall this year has had some great ones. At this point my hope for next yaer is all animal packs. If they do that we'll have 8 scenery and 8 animal packs to make it even. And I want more animals way more than scenery now.

YesIndeed · Dec 31, 2022

Antimony96 said:
What about ranking all of them?

27. Wild water buffalo
26. Spectacled caiman
25. Striped hyena
24. Danube crested newt
23. Nile lechwe
22. Platypus
21. Caracal
20. Axolotl
19. Red deer
18. Przewalski's horse
17. Scimitar oryx
16. Red fox
15. Amur leopard
14. Common wombat
13. Blue wildebeest
12. Asian small-clawed otter
11. Siamang
10. Egyptian fruit bat
9. Maned wolf
8. Red crowned crane
7. Striped skunk
6. Nine-banded armadillo
5. Butterflies (collectively)
4. Raccoon
3. Capybara
2. Red-necked wallaby
1. Emu

I'm currently debating how you put the axolotl above the platypus. You scare me.

Antimony96 · Dec 31, 2022

YesIndeed said:
I'm currently debating how you put the axolotl above the platypus. You scare me.

They're really unique and I'm happy for the people who wanted them, but as someone who builds for realism they don't serve much purpose as a species in all of one zoo outside of Australia. The even bigger issue is their massive space requirements that make them near-impossible to see in their own habitats.

I probably should have moved the axolotl lower though, just because of the inherent flaws in the exhibit box system.

Chuditch · Dec 31, 2022

10. Asian Small-clawed Otter - Although the giant otter is my favourite otter species (they're delightfully weird), the ASCO is the only one suitable for the kind of zoos I build. It's great that we now have both the largest and smallest otter species in the game!
9. Wild Water Buffalo - Probably the weirdest choice to make it into this top 10, but the water buffalo are so beautifully done and have unexpectedly risen to become my second favourite ungulates in the game (after the fallow deer). I just pretend they're the domestic species given certain breeds look very similar to their wild counterparts.
8. Siamang - I was unsure if Frontier was going to pull off brachiation, but low and behold they did it. I'm not the biggest primate person but I can't help but love these guys!
7. Capybara - ok I pull up
6. Red-necked Wallaby - Finally another macropod!
5. Platypus - If you asked me what the first addition to Australia's roster since 2020 was going to be at the start of this year was going to be, platypus definitely wouldn't have been my first guess. Their rarity in global zoos is no problem for me as someone who mainly builds in Australia, and all monotremes are among my favourite animals IRL.
4. Egyptian Fruit Bat - As a big fan of bats, these were such an incredible surprise, so much so that they almost exceeded the wombat in regards to my excitement for them. I love the butterflies too but these are still the stars of the walkthrough exhibits for me.
3. Emu - he ran the pants off that kangaroo
2. Maned Wolf - This had always been my most wanted South American animal, but I love them even more than I expected. They've quickly shot right up into my top 5 favourite animals in the game.
1. Common Wombat - My second most wanted animal at the beginning of the year, and now my favourite in the game! Frontier brought these guys to life almost perfectly.

cheddartabby · Dec 31, 2022

Antimony96 said:
They're really unique and I'm happy for the people who wanted them, but as someone who builds for realism they don't serve much purpose as a species in all of one zoo outside of Australia. The even bigger issue is their massive space requirements that make them near-impossible to see in their own habitats.

I probably should have moved the axolotl lower though, just because of the inherent flaws in the exhibit box system.

Actually I think you should've moved them higher #axolotlforthewin

FoxyDee · Jan 2, 2023

Mine are:

1. Maned Wolf - I really, really wanted those guys and I think they came our amazing. Great model and animations. I am a big fan of South American fauna plus I am a dog person so I wont complain about getting more dogs.
2. Siamang - Even though I would prefer the Lar Gibbon, I really wanted a Gibbon species so I am really glad about getting any of them. Their model is really detailed and I love their loud vocalization, it really adds a new depth into a zoo.
3. Egyptian Fruit Bat - I love bats and I was never sure we would get them, certainly not before any aviary birds, but here we are. I like their implementation in game, my only negative is the huge exhibit box which cannot be made smaller. But the animal itself is really great.
4. Capybara - This was the animal that I really missed in the South America Pack, so I am really glad we got themin Wetlands. Who would not love the most chill animal ever?
5. Emu - As much as I love the Cassowary, this is the bird is really one of the most well known birds from Australia.
6. Red-Necked Wallaby - same as the Emu, these two were simply the most needed representatives from Australia for me as they are very common in zoos.
7. Platypus - This is just one of my personal favourites, not that I use them much, but their are just so unique that they had to be included.
8. Striped Hyena - not particularly common in zoos, but I just really like them, and I am really glad for a second hyena species.
9. Red-Crowned Crane - Always excited for any new bird, because there is not that many of them that we are getting.
10. Nine-Banded Armadillo - Now this one is interesting for me. At first I was kind of dissapointed that the armadillo species we are getting is the Nine-Banded, but...they are just so cute, detailed and so well done that I just had to include them in this list. Plus, another SA animal.

SivatheriumGuy · Jan 2, 2023

Mine would be the following, honorable mentions to the emu, maned wolf, and capybara too:
10- Striped hyena: I was happy to see the striped hyena implemented into the game, it was one of my favorite ZT2 animals and it was glad to see it back. I didn't love the first screenshot they showed of the animal, and I was very happy they reworked it to be more fitting (Although I think the pre-rework model doesn't look that bad at all!). I'm very happy to see the striped hyena in-game, a great addition to the roster giving representation to areas of the world we don't have many animals of.
9- Butterflies: The addition of butterflies to the walkthrough exhibit was a very smart move to make. I feel like they work much better than the bats when it comes to looped animations and I was very happy to see they introduced more than a single species you could mix with other species, I was really afraid that if we ever got a butterfly in the game we wouldn't be able to make mixed species exhibits with them and have the blandest and boring butterfly halls ever done. I think they are a great inclusion to the game and give me hope for the future of the game, and I wouldn't be sad if we saw some more butterfly species in the future! (Hopefully as part of an update...)
8- Asian short-clawed otter: I always thought this was a must-have species ever since the base game, being the most represented otter species at any zoo worldwide, and I was not disappointed when they showed up at the Wetlands Animal Pack. I don't have much else to say, great animal to have around, very versatile for mixed species exhibits as well as for having them on their own,... Glad to see them in the game.
7- Common wombat: I don't have much to say about the wombat other than they are ADORABLE-looking animals. We really needed more marsupials and alongside the wallaby that came later on with the grasslands pack this year was closed in a proper way.
6- Bennett's wallaby: Other than what I said for the wombat, if I can think of a species that I see at every zoo I pop up at, that's the Bennett's wallaby. I wasn't very convinced when they showed the first screenshot, but that soon changed once the pack dropped. I still do think I would have done some things differently to differentiate it a bit more from the red kangaroo, but I do think it's a great-looking animal that alongside the emu satiated a bit of the Aussie thirst everyone is feeling with this game. Other than that, this species was my favorite animal when I was a kid, so it also satiated my inner child

5- Nine-banded armadillo: When the nine-banded armadillo was first shown I was pretty bummed about it, I mostly build European zoos and tend to play around with realistic species for them, and nine-banded armadillos can only be found in a single zoo in the whole continent. I really wanted a six-banded armadillo so I wasn't too pumped for this species, but that opinion would quickly change when the first trailer dropped. This animal might just be the best-designed species we have in-game as for now, it's animations and model work are genuinely insanely good looking and I'm always happy to get more South American species, a continent in desperate need of representation.
4- Scimitar-horned oryx: A must-have species for any zoo game, name a more iconic species that have been saved thanks to captive breeding programs other than this amazing antelope. Not only that, but we also got some well-needed north African representation as well as it being the first extinct in the wild species in the game. All around, a must-have animal for Planet Zoo.
3- Red-crowned crane: We were in desperate need of any kind of bird, and I was really not expecting them when the Wetlands Animal Pack got announced. We are still in desperate need of other kinds of birds, but the crane has satiated it for quite a while. It's a stunning-looking (and sounding!) species that brings a lot of life to zoos.
2- Nile lechwe: A lot of people don't seem to enjoy the Nile lechwe, but I genuinely think they are the best-looking even-toed ungulate in the game alongside the fallow deer. Not only that, but it also gave us a representative of the reduncinae subfamily, awareness of a not very well-known endangered species that loads of players have discovered thanks to the game, and in general a great addition to any zoo looking for some antelope variety. I was also very positively surprised when I saw it announced for the pack, unexpected proper species are my favorite additions to the game.
1- Przewalski's wild horse: This was undoubtedly the animal I was looking for the most to be added to the game since the base game. It's an iconic zoo animal and one of my favorite species out there in the wild, the model and animation work Frontier made on it are astoundingly tremendous and the fact that it isn't just a zebra clone as I expected it to be managed to get this species to be my favorite animal in all of Planet Zoo, as well as making the Conservation Pack my favorite DLC thanks to this species, the oryx and the amazing building pieces it brings with it.

Aramar · Jan 2, 2023

Raccoon: they were among my most wanted and they have so many cute animations
Emu: I think this is the best bird we have in the game. Their running animation is so cool
Red fox: I wasn't sure if they would make it to the game, but they did and in a great way. Their foxy walking is a masterpiece
Red deer: I had lost faith in getting them, but they were a surprise choice for the anniversary and they are as perfect as they deserve
Capibara: they are awesome, they are cute, they chill in the hotsprings, they dive... What else can you ask for?
Przewalski's horse: a popular choice which was greatly executed and it forced Frontier to fix the size of the camel. 2x1!
Amur leopard: we finally got a leopard
Red necked wallaby: a cold resistant little "kangaroo". Just what I wanted
Armadillo: a brilliant model with nice animations
Red crowned crane: an unexpected choice that really pleased me in the wetlands pack

DarthQuell · Jan 2, 2023

Hmm, tough, but here we go:

10. Capybara - at the end of the day, these guys won me over

9. Nine-banded armadillo - I've seen them so often I'm person, and they are picture perfect. Their trot, their snuffling, etc

8. Raccoon - I love the sounds they make. Fantastic

7. Spectacled caiman - after the gator, this is my most used croc

6. Axolotl - my favorite salamander

5. Egyptian fruit bat - our 1st WE animal, and entirely unique in the game

4. Butterflies - our 2nd WE animal and our 1st interspecies exhibit animal

3. Striped skunk - I'm surprised by how often I use them, to be honest. Pepe Le Pew is now in my zoos

2. Red crowned crane - an elegant bird I enjoy to use in garden areas

1. Red fox - this is as close to a gray fox as I'll ever get, but just the same I love all foxes

Humble Bumble · Jan 2, 2023

10. Butterflies
9. Emu
8. Amur Leopard
7. Egyptian Fruit Bat
6. Red-throated Wallaby
5. Prezwalski's Horse
4. Maned Wolf
3. Red Deer
2. Common Wombat
1. Asian Short-clawed Otter

Angeł · Jan 2, 2023

10. Red Fox - European representation with tonnes of colour morphs. I have a family living on my street, and despite their shrieks at 3am, I do love them. So they wormed their way into my top 10!

9. Red Necked Wallaby - A lovely pick and a boost for realism. I’ve been to precious few zoos without them, so was glad to have them!

8. Przewalski’s Wild Horse - A beautiful model, conservation icon and a cold-climate animal. What more can I say?

7. Striped Hyena - I love its funky little hairdo, and Middle Eastern representation was really needed. PLUS, I’m a huge hyena fan. Yay for the Striped!

6. Siamang - Added the brachiation AND chorus behaviours to Planet Zoo. This was a win in my book! Plus a gibbon species really was needed.

5. Amur Leopard - I’m a huge fan of cold climate cats, so this one really scratched an itch for me. Was really glad to see this wonderful cat added.

4. Butterflies - Gorgeous! Would never have dreamed of getting five exhibit animals for the price of one. Butterfly houses are a staple of any zoo I’ve been to, so to get these was one of the highlights of Planet Zoo this year.

3. Asian Small Clawed Otter - Adorable, wonderful little creatures. What’s not to love? They are a huge win for realism, great for small mammal representation AND fulfil the cute factor with a realistic model. A+ for this animal.

2. Egyptian Fruit Bat - I’d always wished for bats in Planet Zoo, even more so than birds (sorry bird lovers). This really was my biggest welcome shock of the year. Every zoo I build now has a bat house. Something about these spooky little creatures makes me so happy.

1. Striped Skunk - This was always my number one wish for Planet Zoo. As a kid, my favourite animal was the Skunk simply because it was nobody else’s. I quickly grew to love these misunderstood, feisty little guys. They are (like the otter) a boost for realism, great for more small mammal filler habitats, bring the cute factor and also represent a group of animals that has yet to be represented in game (mephitis). Big win in my opinion!

Favourite Pack - it goes without saying that my favourite was the Twilight Pack this year. A pack that added Bats and Skunks, as well as cold/temperate representation, AND had a Halloween theme was bound to rocket to the top of my list of DLCs.

Overall, this year has been a wonderful year for Planet Zoo. Let’s hope for another brilliant year of content ahead. Thanks for this year, Frontier. It’s truly been brilliant!

biggest_dreamer · Jan 3, 2023

May as well do the full ranking.

Red fox - no surprise here, this had been my second most wanted ever since the binturong made it in.
Caracal - actual surprise here, since this was a "take it or leave it" species beforehand but I wound up falling in love
Raccoon - another species I had no strong feelings toward before they made it in
Capybara
Red-necked wallaby
Egyptian fruit bat
Emu
Przewalski's horse
Red-crowned crane
Asian small-clawed otter
Amur leopard
Butterflies
Blue wildebeest - this was an essential zoo animal no matter how unpopular it is
Nine-banded armadillo - still not thrilled about the species chosen, but this is the absolute best model in the game
Siamang
Red deer
Striped skunk
Striped hyena - the back-to-back "striped" species was wholly unintentional
Scimitar-horned oryx
Common wombat - still would've preferred the southern hairy-nosed wombat
Maned wolf - unfortunately I've never gotten the appeal, and I have yet to use them in game so they haven't had a proper chance to win me over
Nile lechwe
Platypus - criminally low by most people's metrics but aside from the animal itself being a walking (swimming) novelty, I can't help but feel that it didn't need to be prioritized here
Spectacled caiman
Wild water buffalo - it might have gained a few ranks if it were the domestic species
Axolotl - standard exhibits go to the bottom by default, but this was one of the few species I was actively hoping to see in them
Danube crested newt

YesIndeed · Jan 3, 2023

biggest_dreamer said:
May as well do the full ranking.

Red fox - no surprise here, this had been my second most wanted ever since the binturong made it in.

Caracal - actual surprise here, since this was a "take it or leave it" species beforehand but I wound up falling in love

Raccoon - another species I had no strong feelings toward before they made it in

Capybara

Red-necked wallaby

Egyptian fruit bat

Emu

Przewalski's horse

Red-crowned crane

Asian small-clawed otter

Amur leopard

Butterflies

Blue wildebeest - this was an essential zoo animal no matter how unpopular it is

Nine-banded armadillo - still not thrilled about the species chosen, but this is the absolute best model in the game

Siamang

Red deer

Striped skunk

Striped hyena - the back-to-back "striped" species was wholly unintentional

Scimitar-horned oryx

Common wombat - still would've preferred the southern hairy-nosed wombat

Maned wolf - unfortunately I've never gotten the appeal, and I have yet to use them in game so they haven't had a proper chance to win me over

Nile lechwe

Platypus - criminally low by most people's metrics but aside from the animal itself being a walking (swimming) novelty, I can't help but feel that it didn't need to be prioritized here

Spectacled caiman

Wild water buffalo - it might have gained a few ranks if it were the domestic species

Axolotl - standard exhibits go to the bottom by default, but this was one of the few species I was actively hoping to see in them

Danube crested newt

I love the platypus due to it being in all my local zoos and such. That's also why some people really like the prairie dog even though I had never heard if them before playing this game.