Planet Zoo 2 launched on October 13th with 136 species, and the roster is very lopsided. Aquariums and aviaries are new, so whole categories of animals are now possible. Meanwhile, a long list of fan favorites from the first game didn’t make the sequel. Frontier hasn’t said what comes next, but the gaps in the launch roster are easy to see.
Quick answer: Planet Zoo 2 has 136 species, 130 in the base game and six in the Deluxe Edition. No DLC or update roadmap has been announced, so every species below is a wish, not a confirmed addition.
Planet Zoo 2 launch roster by enclosure type
Before building a wishlist, you need to know what’s already in the game. The in-game Zoopedia sorts each species by the enclosure it needs. Some animals fit more than one type, so the counts below add up to more than 136.
| Enclosure type | What you build | Species |
|---|---|---|
| Land habitat | Fenced terrain with foliage and shelter | 57 |
| Aquarium | Tank with barriers, water gate and filter | 37 |
| Exhibit | Small glass-fronted box | 46 |
| Aviary | Barrier walls, poles and mesh cover | 12 |
Six species need the Deluxe Edition, the only edition-locked animals at launch:
- Axolotl
- Blue and Gold Fusilier
- Golden Eagle
- Golden Lion Tamarin
- Great Hammerhead
- Longfin Batfish
The total grew through the pre-launch reveals, and older write-ups often quote 125. The final launch figure is 136.
Planet Zoo animals missing from Planet Zoo 2
Planet Zoo 1 animals are the most natural candidates. They were made for the first game and its DLC packs, and many of them anchor entire biomes. None of the species below are in the sequel’s launch roster.
| Species | Type | Continent |
|---|---|---|
| African Crested Porcupine | Mammal | Africa |
| Alpaca | Mammal | South America |
| American Alligator | Reptile | North America |
| American Bison | Mammal | North America |
| American Flamingo | Bird | North America |
| Arctic Fox | Mammal | Arctic |
| Arctic Wolf | Mammal | Arctic |
| Bornean Elephant | Mammal | Asia |
| Brown-throated Sloth | Mammal | South America |
| California Sea Lion | Mammal | North America |
| Capybara | Mammal | South America |
| Cheetah | Mammal | Africa |
| Colombian White-Faced Capuchin Monkey | Mammal | South America |
| Common Wombat | Mammal | Oceania |
| Dhole | Mammal | Asia |
| Egyptian Fruit Bat | Mammal | Africa |
| Emu | Bird | Oceania |
| European Badger | Mammal | Europe |
| Fennec Fox | Mammal | Africa |
| Giant Anteater | Mammal | South America |
| Grey Seal | Mammal | Europe |
| Highland Cattle | Mammal | Europe |
| Honey Badger | Mammal | Africa/Asia |
| Indian Peafowl | Bird | Asia |
| Jaguar | Mammal | South America |
| Japanese Macaque | Mammal | Asia |
| King Penguin | Bird | Antarctica |
| Kirk’s Dik-Dik | Mammal | Africa |
| Koala | Mammal | Oceania |
| Lar Gibbon | Mammal | Asia |
| Lion-Tailed Macaque | Mammal | Asia |
| Little Penguin | Bird | Oceania |
| Llama | Mammal | South America |
| Mandrill | Mammal | Africa |
| Maned Wolf | Mammal | South America |
| Markhor | Mammal | Asia |
| Moose | Mammal | North America |
| Mute Swan | Bird | Europe |
| North Island Brown Kiwi | Bird | Oceania |
| Platypus | Mammal | Oceania |
| Polar Bear | Mammal | Arctic |
| Proboscis Monkey | Mammal | Asia |
| Pygmy Hippopotamus | Mammal | Africa |
| Red Kangaroo | Mammal | Oceania |
| Red River Hog | Mammal | Africa |
| Red-Crowned Crane | Bird | Asia |
| Reindeer | Mammal | Arctic |
| Scimitar-Horned Oryx | Mammal | Africa |
| Southern Cassowary | Bird | Oceania |
| Spectacled Flying Fox | Mammal | Oceania |
| Striped Hyena | Mammal | Africa |
| Wild Water Buffalo | Mammal | Asia |
Oceania and the Arctic stand out. Planet Zoo 2’s only Australasian land animals at launch are Goodfellow’s Tree-Kangaroo and the Saltwater Crocodile. Koalas, red kangaroos, emus, polar bears, and reindeer are all missing. Bats like the Egyptian Fruit Bat and Spectacled Flying Fox are also a good fit for the new aviaries.
Aviary wishlist: Flying birds and bats
Aviaries are one of the sequel’s biggest additions, but only 12 species can fly at launch. That leaves a lot of room. The species below aren’t in the game and would suit mesh-covered enclosures.
| Species | Type | Continent |
|---|---|---|
| White Stork | Bird | Europe |
| Great White Pelican | Bird | Europe |
| Eastern White Pelican | Bird | Africa |
| Blue-Throated Macaw | Bird | South America |
| Hyacinth Macaw | Bird | South America |
| Grey Crowned Crane | Bird | Africa |
| Scarlet Ibis | Bird | South America |
| African Sacred Ibis | Bird | Africa |
| African Grey Parrot | Bird | Africa |
| Lilac-Breasted Roller | Bird | Africa |
| Black-Headed Weaver | Bird | Africa |
| Rodrigues Fruit Bat | Mammal | Asia |
| Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox | Mammal | Asia |
| Snowy Owl | Bird | Europe |
| Eurasian Eagle Owl | Bird | Europe |
| Peregrine Falcon | Bird | Worldwide |
| Gyrfalcon | Bird | Arctic |
| Harpy Eagle | Bird | South America |
| Victoria Crowned Pigeon | Bird | Asia |
| Rhinoceros Hornbill | Bird | Asia |
| Mandarin Duck | Bird | Asia |
| Black Swan | Bird | Oceania |
| Pheasant | Bird | Europe |
Other popular aviary requests include the bald eagle, Andean condor, laughing kookaburra, rainbow lorikeet, kea, Bali myna, Atlantic puffin, and walkthrough-friendly flocks of budgerigars and hummingbirds.
Aquarium wishlist: Fish, invertebrates, and marine mammals
The launch aquarium roster leans heavily on Indo-Pacific reef and open-sea fish. Eels, cephalopods, crustaceans, and freshwater predators are mostly absent. These species would fill those gaps.
| Species | Group | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Spotted Wobbegong | Shark | Oceania |
| Whitespotted Bamboo Shark | Shark | Asia |
| Largetooth Sawfish | Ray | Many |
| Stingrays | Ray | Worldwide |
| Fire Eel | Fish | Asia |
| Freshwater Moray Eel | Fish | Asia |
| Zebra Spiny Eel | Fish | Asia |
| Electric Eel | Fish | South America |
| Red Bellied Piranha | Fish | South America |
| Flame Angelfish | Fish | Oceania |
| Painted Frogfish | Fish | Asia |
| Weedy Seadragon | Fish | Oceania |
| Banded Archerfish | Fish | Oceania |
| Flamboyant Cuttlefish | Cephalopod | Oceania |
| Wolfi Octopus | Cephalopod | Asia |
| Chambered Nautilus | Cephalopod | Asia |
| Peacock Mantis Shrimp | Invertebrate | Asia |
| Hermit Crabs | Invertebrate | Worldwide |
| Sunflower Sea Star | Invertebrate | North America |
| Firebrick Starfish | Invertebrate | Oceania |
| Pacific Walrus | Mammal | North America |
The green sea turtle, giant manta ray, giant Pacific octopus, seahorses, arapaima, and silver arowana are also common requests. The green sea turtle would give the Hawksbill Turtle a companion species, and the Amazonian fish would round out freshwater tanks.
Why dolphins and whales are unlikely
Cetaceans are the one group Frontier has addressed directly. The Planet Zoo 2 FAQ says the studio wants every animal to have an environment that reflects its needs. It also notes ongoing research into cetacean conservation and rewilding at modern aquariums:
“As with a number of other species, we’re keeping a close eye on how the conservation community’s work evolves in this area.”
That isn’t a permanent no, but it does mean dolphins, porpoises, and whales aren’t planned for now.
New land animals that have never appeared in Planet Zoo
Some requests go beyond the first game entirely. These habitat animals weren’t in either Planet Zoo game.
| Species | Type | Continent |
|---|---|---|
| Musk Ox | Mammal | Arctic |
| Emperor Penguin | Bird | Antarctica |
| Rockhopper Penguin | Bird | South America |
| Black-Faced Spider Monkey | Mammal | South America |
| Asiatic Lion | Mammal | Asia |
| African Pygmy Goat | Mammal | Africa |
| Iberian Wolf | Mammal | Europe |
| Yak | Mammal | Asia |
| Naked Mole-Rat | Mammal | Africa |
| Harbor Seal | Mammal | North America |
| Gerenuk | Mammal | Africa |
The gerenuk comes up often because it browses while standing on its hind legs, which would be a distinctive animation. Other frequent requests include the Nile crocodile, eland, greater kudu, serval, coati, colobus monkey, Patagonian mara, echidna, bat-eared fox, and tamandua.
Exhibit animal wishlist
Exhibits already hold 46 species at launch, and Planet Zoo 2 now supports custom exhibits. These small reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates would fit well.
| Species | Group | Continent |
|---|---|---|
| King Cobra | Reptile | Asia |
| Mexican Black Kingsnake | Reptile | North America |
| Turquoise Dwarf Gecko | Reptile | Africa |
| Panther Chameleon | Reptile | Africa |
| Jackson’s Chameleon | Reptile | Africa |
| Mountain Chicken | Amphibian | Central America |
| Golden Mantella Frog | Amphibian | Africa |
| Elephant Shrew | Mammal | Africa |
| Giant Huntsman Spider | Arachnid | Asia |
| Giant Amazonian Ant | Insect | South America |
| Leafcutter Ant | Insect | Americas |
How new animals could reach Planet Zoo 2
No DLC schedule, update roadmap, or post-launch animal has been confirmed. There’s no official date for new species. Frontier’s past behavior does suggest a few likely routes, though:
- Paid content packs, likely built around Wildlife Reserves, as Planet Zoo’s DLC was built around themes and regions.
- Free animals in updates, as Planet Zoo did occasionally, including on its anniversary.
- Free post-launch content in general, which Planet Coaster 2 received in the form of new rides.
Africa, Europe, and South-East Asia already have plenty of species and several reserves each. The emptiest regions are the Americas, Oceania, and the poles, which line up closely with the largest groups on the wishlists above.
Until Frontier announces something, the in-game Zoopedia is the place to check the current roster. If a species from these lists shows up there, it’s in the game.
