Kiwis are a type of flightless bird native to New Zealand. With their brown feathers, long beaks, and stubby wings, kiwis are iconic symbols of New Zealand wildlife. There are five different species of kiwi living in the wild in New Zealand today: the North Island Brown Kiwi, the Little Spotted Kiwi, the Great Spotted Kiwi, the Okarito Kiwi, and the Southern Brown Kiwi. Kiwis are cherished in New Zealand and featured prominently in the country’s art, literature, and culture. But can you find kiwis in the popular video game Planet Zoo?
What is Planet Zoo?
Planet Zoo is a zoo simulation video game developed and published by Frontier Developments. It was released on November 5, 2019 for Microsoft Windows. In Planet Zoo, players construct and manage their own zoo, including designing enclosures, creating habitats, and caring for the animals. Players can build zoos on various premade maps as well as custom maps. The game features over 80 different animal species for players to care for and exhibit. Planet Zoo aims to provide an authentic, detailed zoo management experience while educating players about each animal species.
Which animals are included in Planet Zoo?
Planet Zoo contains a wide variety of mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, and invertebrate species from around the world. Some of the animals featured in the base game include African elephants, Bengal tigers, grizzly bears, komodo dragons, reticulated giraffes, chimpanzees, hippopotamuses, flamingos, orangutans, giant tortoises, and llamas. Additional animal packs allow players to care for even more species like reindeer, koalas, beavers, penguins, and more.
While the game features many exotic and endangered species, it focuses primarily on animals you would find at traditional zoos around the world. The species included are meant to provide a well-rounded zoo simulation experience across all the major animal taxa.
Are kiwis included in Planet Zoo?
Unfortunately, kiwis are not included as exhibit animals in the base game or any of the DLC animal packs that have been released for Planet Zoo so far. While the game does have quite a few bird species, the kiwi has not yet made an appearance.
Why aren’t kiwis in Planet Zoo?
There are a few possible reasons why kiwis haven’t been included as exhibit animals in Planet Zoo yet:
- Kiwis are native exclusively to New Zealand. Planet Zoo seems to focus first on including animals with more global distributions that zoos around the world would be likely to exhibit.
- Kiwis have very particular habitat requirements that might be difficult to recreate authentically in the game.
- Kiwis are a nocturnal species. Many of the gameplay mechanics in Planet Zoo are built around daytime zoo operations.
- The developers may not have prioritized including kiwis yet compared to other high-profile endangered species from different parts of the world.
Could kiwis be added to Planet Zoo in the future?
Even though kiwis haven’t appeared in Planet Zoo yet, there is still a chance they could be added to the game in a future DLC pack. Frontier Developments has continuously updated Planet Zoo with new features and animals since its release in 2019. Some ways kiwis could still show up in Planet Zoo include:
- A New Zealand animal pack: Kiwis would fit well in a NZ-themed DLC focused on NZ species like keas, tuataras, and kakapos.
- A nocturnal animal pack: Kiwis are very unique as nocturnal birds, so they could appear in a night-themed pack.
- A bird species pack: Another bird DLC could allow Frontier to add more exotic avian species like kiwis and cassowaries.
- A conservation pack: Since kiwis are an endangered species, they could appear in a pack spotlighting vulnerable animals.
Adding kiwis would allow Frontier to showcase another iconic and culturally significant animal while educating players about kiwi conservation. As Planet Zoo continues to expand, a New Zealand animal pack seems like the most likely way kiwis could finally make their debut in the game. Fans eager to manage their own kiwi conservation area in Planet Zoo can remain hopeful for future updates!
Facts about kiwis
While players wait and hope for kiwis to eventually come to Planet Zoo, here are some interesting facts about this unique flightless bird species:
Biology
- Kiwis are the smallest ratites (flightless birds) in the world. They average around 20-40 inches in height and weigh 3-8 pounds.
- They have reduced useless wings, making them completely flightless. Their bones are very light and fragile.
- Kiwis have strong, thick legs with powerful muscles used for running. They can run up to 20 mph.
- They have long bills with nostrils at the end to help sniff out food. Kiwis probe the ground to find worms, insects, fruits, and seeds.
- Kiwis have hair-like feathers, giving them a shaggy appearance. These feathers lack barbules allowing them to lay flat against the body.
- Kiwis have excellent hearing but lack an external ear. Their eyes are small and retina is thick with rod cells helping them see at night.
- Kiwis mate for life and form monogamous pairs. Females lay 1-2 eggs per year in burrows.
- Kiwi chicks hatch fully feathered. They mature and leave the nest burrow after only 1-2 weeks.
Habitat and behavior
- Kiwis thrive in forest, scrubland, swamp, and dune ecosystems. They dig burrows for nesting during the day.
- As nocturnal birds, they are most active at night foraging for food. During the day they rest in burrows.
- Kiwis have overlapping territories. Their home ranges vary from 12-40 hectares depending on the species.
- They are solitary and shy birds that interact as mating pairs. Some species form loose foraging associations.
- Kiwis use a highly developed sense of smell to scavenge for food. They probe the ground and sniff out prey.
- Their call sounds like a high pitched “chi-chi-chi” whistling. Males make loud shrill calls to attract females.
Conservation
- All kiwi species are endemic to New Zealand. They were once widespread but now face extinction threats.
- Habitat loss, invasive predators like stoats, and road accidents have caused kiwi populations to plummet.
- They are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Kiwi recovery programs aim to boost populations through predator control, egg incubation, reintroduction, etc.
- The national symbol of New Zealand is the kiwi. They feature on the 1 dollar coin currency and “Kiwi” is a nickname for New Zealanders.
- Kiwi birds play a significant role in Maori folklore. Their feathers and eggs are culturally treasured.
- Zoos around the world have been successful at breeding kiwis in captivity through special incubation programs.
Conclusion
Kiwis are exceptional nocturnal ratites endemic to New Zealand. While not currently featured in Planet Zoo, kiwis would make a great addition to the game in a future update spotlighting New Zealand wildlife. Including kiwis in Planet Zoo would allow players to support their conservation while learning about and celebrating this iconic national symbol. Kiwis are a threatened species that represent a cherished part of New Zealand’s natural heritage. Hopefully Planet Zoo developers will introduce kiwis soon so players can virtually protect these treasured birds!