Animal Houses are structures in both Zoo Tycoon 1 and 2 which are used to exhibit smaller animals. They act as attractions for visitors and are a great way of boosting their happiness or entertainment rating. They are similar to Mini-Exhibits in the 2013 game.
Zoo Tycoon[]
In the first Zoo Tycoon game, the animal houses needed to be researched. All the houses have a standard animal inside them which has no upkeep cost. After the buildings have been researched they can be further improved with other animals to display in the houses, which have a monthly upkeep cost, but have a greater happiness bonus. One useful tactic is to use these more expensive yet popular animals in houses that are in high traffic areas, while using the free animals in less crowded areas.
The animal houses in Zoo Tycoon are as follows:
Base Game[]
The base game has four houses.
Insect House[]
The Insect House can house up to 4 guests at a time, and has a base value of 15 for children. Adult guests have no innate benefit from the Insect House.
| Animal | Image | Adult Value | Child Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scorpions of Africa | 
|
+5 | +5 |
| Venomous Spiders | 
|
+8 | +12 |
Reptile House[]
The Reptile House can house up to 6 guests at a time, with a base value of 5 for adults and 10 for children.
| Animal | Image | Adult Value | Child Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reptiles of the Rainforest | 
|
+5 | +5 |
| Deadly Snakes of the World | 
|
+10 | +12 |
Primate House[]
The Primate House can house up to 8 guests at a time, with a base value of 5 for adults and 20 for children.
| Animal | Image | Adult Value | Child Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Endangered Primates of the World | 
|
+5 | +3 |
| Primates of South East Asia | 
|
+6 | +6 |
| Lemurs of Madagascar | 
|
+10 | +15 |
Aviary[]
The Aviary can house up to 12 guests at a time, and has a base value of 15 for adults. Children have no innate benefit from the Aviary.
| Animal | Image | Adult Value | Child Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birds of the Tropical Rainforest | 
|
+5 | +3 |
| Birds of Africa | 
|
+8 | +5 |
| Raptors of the World | 
|
+10 | +15 |
Dinosaur Digs[]
Dinosaur Digs adds two additional houses;
Lepospondyl House[]
The Lepospondyl House can house up to 7 guests at a time, with a base value of 4 for adults and 9 for children.
| Animal | Image | Adult Value | Child Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triadobatrachus of the Triassic | 
|
+5 | +5 |
| Karaurus of the Jurassic | 
|
+8 | +8 |
| Diplocaulus of the Permian | 
|
+12 | +12 |
Pterosaur House[]
The Pterosaur House can house up to 12 guests at a time, and has a base value of 15 for adults. Children have no innate benefit from the Pterosaur House.
| Animal | Image | Adult Value | Child Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pterodactyls of the Late Jurassic | 
|
+6 | +6 |
| Ramphorhynchus of the Late Jurassic | 
|
+8 | +10 |
| Dimorphodon of the Early Jurassic | 
|
+10 | +15 |
Marine Mania[]
Marine Mania adds two additional houses:
Crustacean House[]
The Crustacean House can house up to 4 guests at a time, with a base value of 10 for adults and 15 for children.
| Animal | Image | Adult Value | Child Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crayfish of the Mississippi | 
|
+4 | +8 |
| Horseshoe Crabs of Delaware Bay | 
|
+10 | +8 |
| Spider Crabs of the North Atlantic | 
|
+12 | +14 |
Tropical Aquarium[]
The Tropical Aquarium can house up to 4 guests at a time, with a base value of 5 for adults and 15 for children.
| Animal | Image | Adult Value | Child Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clownfish of the Pacific | 
|
+6 | +6 |
| Angelfish of the Amazon | 
|
+8 | +10 |
| Blue Tang of Bermuda | 
|
+10 | +15 |
Endangered Species Theme Pack[]
The Endangered Species Theme Pack includes a special animal house for Southeast Asian bats.
Nocturnal House[]
The Nocturnal House can house up to 6 guests at a time, with a base value of 8 for adults and 12 for children.
| Animal | Image | Adult Value | Child Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawn Bats of Southeast Asia | 
|
+8 | +8 |
| Giant Fruit Bats of Southeast Asia | 
|
+10 | +10 |
| Sulawesi Flying Foxes of Southeast Asia | 
|
+10 | +12 |
Zoo Tycoon 2[]
There are six houses in total in Zoo Tycoon 2, two from the base game and four introduced in Marine Mania. Like in the first game, all of these houses need to be researched. They are smaller than in the first game and can meet visitor entertainment ratings. Unlike the first game, animal houses in Zoo Tycoon 2 do not have descript information on the animals being housed.
Base Game[]
Insect House[]
| Animal | Image | Biome |
|---|---|---|
| Scorpions | 
|
Desert |
| Hercules Beetle | 
|
Boreal Forest |
| Tarantula | 
|
Tropical Rainforest |
Reptile House[]
| Animal | Image | Biome |
|---|---|---|
| King Cobra | Desert | |
| Chameleon | Tropical Rainforest | |
| Turtle | Boreal Forest |
Marine Mania[]
| Aquarium | Image |
|---|---|
| Aquarium with Jellyfish | |
| Aquarium with Octopus | 
|
| Aquarium with Seahorses | |
| Aquarium with Tropical Fish |
Zoo Tycoon 2 DS[]
The insect and reptile houses from the original Zoo Tycoon 2 return in Zoo Tycoon 2 DS. Similar to its PC counterpart, the houses need to be researched. There is a third animal house which is exclusive to this version, being the Aviary House.
| House | Image | Icon | Stars | Unlock | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insect House | 
|
|
4 | TBA | TBA |
| Reptile House | 
|
|
4 | TBA | TBA |
| Aviary House | 
|
|
4 | TBA | TBA |