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Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Animals week continues with an exclusive, in-depth look at some of the animals you can earn in the final game. Careful, you might learn something!

Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Animals week continues with an exclusive, in-depth look at some of the animals you can earn in the final game. Careful, you might learn something!

Florida Panther

Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Biome: Wetlands
Location: Florida

Fun Facts

• Florida panthers mark their territory with scrapes (piles of soil, leaves, or pine needles, sometimes with urine or feces on top).
• The Florida panther's diet includes white-tailed deer, wild hog, rabbit, raccoon, armadillo, and birds.
• Florida panther kittens and their mothers keep track of each other with whistles.
• Florida panther kittens can sustain their energy and body heat for several days, which allows their mothers to leave them to search for food.
• The survival of Florida panthers is threatened by population growth and deforestation, which reduce the expansive territories of forested land that it needs to thrive.

To unlock the Florida panther in challenge or campaign games, you must earn a 5-star zoo fame rating for your zoo.

Fennec Fox

Conservation Status: Lower Risk
Biome: Desert
Location: North Africa

Fun Facts

• The fennec fox is the smallest of all canines, smaller than a domestic house cat, but it has the largest ears in proportion to its body.
• The fennec fox's ears are so sensitive that it can hear large insects, such as beetles and locusts, walking on sand.
• Its thick fur seems unusual for a desert animal, but the nocturnal fennec fox needs the insulation to protect it from cold desert nights.
• Fennec foxes spend the day in underground burrows that are interconnected to create a cozy underground community.
• Fennec foxes are commonly hunted for their pelts or sold as pets.

To unlock the fennec fox in challenge or campaign games, you must earn a 2-star zoo fame rating for your zoo.

Crested Gibbon

Conservation Status: Endangered
Biome: Tropical Rainforest
Location: Southeast Asia

Fun Facts

• The crested gibbon gets its name from the tuft of long fur on the crown of its head.
• Male crested gibbons are black; females are golden with black faces.
• The crested gibbon is one of the world's most endangered primates.
• The survival of crested gibbons is threatened by loss of habitat due to deforestation, hunting, and selling offspring as pets.
• Conservation efforts are attempting to protect the last remaining crested gibbon populations and habitats so the species does not become extinct.

To unlock the crested gibbon in challenge or campaign games, you must earn a 4-star zoo fame rating for your zoo.

Caribou

Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Biome: Tundra
Location: Arctic

Fun Facts

• Although called different names, caribou and reindeer are considered to be a single species.
• A caribou calf can run within 90 minutes of its birth to keep up with its migrating herd.
• Caribou hairs trap air, which provides excellent insulation and makes them buoyant in water.
• Caribou are well-adapted to the harsh Arctic tundra because they can live on lichen (also called reindeer moss) during the winter.
• Caribou have a built-in compass, similar to that of migratory birds, that enables them to travel through unfamiliar areas to reach feeding grounds.

To unlock the caribou in challenge or campaign games, you must earn a 1/2-star zoo fame rating for your zoo.

Spectacled Bear

Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Biome: Temperate Forest
Location: South America

Fun Facts

• Spectacled bears are also known as Andean bears, because they mainly live in the Andes mountain range of South America.
• The markings around its eyes, which give the spectacled bear its name, are unique to each bear and can be used for identification purposes.
• The spectacled bear is an important disperser of seeds, passing on seeds of laurel trees and other plants through its droppings.
• Habitat destruction and poaching are the largest threats to the continued survival of the spectacled bear.
• An International Spectacled Bear Symposium held in 1988 brought together field biologists and zoo managers help monitor bear populations in South America.

To unlock the spectacled bear in challenge or campaign games, you must earn a 4-star zoo fame rating for your zoo.

Baird's Tapir

Conservation Status: Endangered
Biome: Tropical Rainforest
Location: Central America

Fun Facts

• The Baird's tapir is the largest indigenous mammal in Central America.
• It is the national animal of Belize and is protected in most Central American countries.
• Locals have nicknamed it the "mountain cow," but the Baird's tapir is actually a relative of the horse and the rhinoceros.
• The Baird's tapir is a "living fossil;" its body shape hasn't changed in 35 million years.
• It is known for its long, flexible upper lip that resembles an elephant's trunk.
• The survival of Baird's tapirs is threatened by loss of habitat due to deforestation.

To unlock the Baird's tapir in challenge or campaign games, you must earn a 1-1/2-star zoo fame rating for your zoo.

African Wild Dog

Conservation Status: Endangered
Biome: Savannah
Location: South Africa

Fun Facts

• The African wild dog is a tireless hunter (and runner), chasing prey for as long as an hour for distances of up to four miles.
• African wild dogs are one of the most endangered predators in Africa.
• The survival of African wild dogs is threatened by contact with domestic dogs, which has introduced distemper and rabies.
• Loss of habitat is also devastating for African wild dogs because they require extensive territory to support their populations.
• Loss of habitat is particularly critical for nomadic animals, including the African wild dog.

To unlock the African wild dog in challenge or campaign games, you must earn a 3-1/2-star zoo fame rating for your zoo.

Giant Sable Antelope

Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Biome: Savannah
Location: South Africa

Fun Facts

• The breathtaking curved horns of the giant sable antelope can reach up to five feet in length.
• If a giant sable antelope were to lose its horns, they would not grow back.
• The giant sable antelope can reach speeds of up to 35 mph and sustain them for some distance.
• The survival of the giant sable antelope has been threatened by 27 years of civil war in Angola, its native territory.
• Only 1,000 giant sable antelope survive in the world, all of them living in central Angola at the Luando Reserve and Kangandala National Park.

To unlock the giant sable antelope in challenge or campaign games, you must earn a 2-star zoo fame rating for your zoo.

American Bison

Conservation Status: Lower Risk
Biome: Grassland
Location: North America

Fun Facts

• The American bison's diet is made up mostly of grasses and sedges, along with the occasional berry or lichen.
• In the winter, the American bison uses its head and hooves to brush snow from vegetation.
• American bison are most active in the early morning, late afternoon, and on moonlit nights.
• The American bison is so buoyant that its head, hump, and tail stay above water when it swims.
• American bison will stampede if frightened, reaching speeds of up to 32 MPH (50km/h).
• Most American bison living today are descendents of a small herd that was placed under government protection in Yellowstone Park in the early 1900s.

To unlock the American bison in challenge or campaign games, you must earn a 1/2-star zoo fame rating for your zoo.

Courtesy Encarta Encyclopedia

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