What is the ideal zoo roster?

[Wildlife Watcher]

Loxodonta Cobra's two threads about "Unnecessary Zoo Tycoon 2 animals" and what animals we expect in zoo games got me thinking more about the selection of species in various zoo games. The aforementioned threads demonstrate that we all have certain expectations about what animals will be included in a game, as well as species we desire and those we could live without.

For example, I think that the earlier negative reactions to the lack of polar bears, kangaroos, jaguars, and penguins in the Planet Zoo base game is a good demonstration of what people want/expect in zoo-themed games. I also think the fact that aviaries are highly requested for Planet Zoo shows that a lot of us would prefer zoo games to having flying birds in them, even though they've often been left out in the past.

But I want to hear your opinions specifically on this. What animals should the best zoo games have? What is the minimum selection of species that would keep you satisfied?

 

[CrashMegaraptor]

I almost feel like a good outlier for what "should" be in a good base roster would probably be the original "Zoo Tycoon" and "Wildlife Park" games. I should point out that neither roster is perfect (both have White Tiger and Black Panther, for example, both of which would easily be considered a waste of space today), but they generally get a good balance of animal families without too much frontloading (for the most part).

• At least four or five cat species, ideally different in terms of looks, behaviour and habitat. The lion, tiger, jaguar, cheetah and snow leopard is a tried-and-tested combination, and it genuinely works.
• At least three bear species - again, a tried-and-tested format of grizzly bear, giant panda and polar bear is very popular, but I imagine the grizzly could be replaced.
• At least one canid (usually a wolf)
• A couple of "miscellaneous" carnivorans, usually on the smaller side (ZT had the spotted hyena, WP had the common raccoon).
• At least two antelope species, ideally a large one and a small one.
• Both the giraffe - pick whichever species you like - and the okapi
• At least one suid (such as a warthog), camelid, hippo and deer
• At least one equid (such as a zebra) and rhinoceros
• Either species of elephant.
• At least three or four primates, with half the roster being great apes.
• At least one marsupial - if two or more, one should be a kangaroo
• A couple of miscellaneous species that don't fit into the above categories (I.E. Anteater, Capybara). Probably optional, but most zoo games have them these days.
• At least three birds, one of which should be an ostrich, and another should be a penguin. Usually a flamingo works best here too.
• One or two large reptiles - your average zoo game tends to have a giant tortoise, large monitor lizard and/or a crocodilian, the latter being a must.
  
  Is it cliched? Yes, but it works. It is genuinely what most people like to see. Anything other than that is a bonus to your average gamer.

 

[StellarChaser]

If there are no any further updates or replenishment, here is the roster what I think the zoo game"must have"

• African Savannah and Asian Elephant
• Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Jaguar, Snow Leopard, Cougar, Cheetah, one Lynx, so at least 7 Feline species
• 1 Grey Wolf, 3 Foxes (Red, Arctic, Fennec), Maned Wolf, so at least 5 Canine species
• At least 4 Bear species, Giant Panda, Polar Bear, Spectacled Bear, and one of Brown Bear/Asian Black Bear/American Black Bear
• At least 1 Pinniped (usually Sea Lion or Seal)
• At least 1 Hyena
• For small carnivores, Red Panda, Meerkat, at least 1 Otter are must-haves
• 2 Griaffid species, 1 Giraffe species + Okapi
• At least two Antelopes, one large and one small
• At least 2 Camelids, 1 Old World and 1 New World
• At least 1 for each of Suid, Bovine, Caprine and Deer
• At least 1 Zebra and 1 Rhino species
• River Hippo
• At least 1 Kangaroo
• At least 2 Rodent species, more specifically Capybara and 1 Porcupine
• At least 2 Great Apes (1 Orangutan, and 1 of Gorilla/Chimpanzee), 1 Gibbon, 2 Monkeys (one Old World and one New World) plus Ring-tailed Lemur, so 6 Primates at least
• At least 3 Xenarthra species, 1 Armadillo (usually Nine-banded), 1 Anteater (usually Giant) and 1 Sloth
• At least 5 birds, 1 Peacock (usually Indian), 1 Flamingo, 1 Penguin, one of Ostrich/Emu, and one of Swan/Pelican
• At least 2 large Reptiles, btw Giant Tortoise, large Monitors and Crocodilians