These pictures were taken inside the game. A script walks the zoo, finds each animal with a clear view, holds it still and takes three shots. Nothing was posed in a separate studio. What you see is what Seven sees on his rounds.
Verdance Hall
On the mapThallo IV. The biggest room in the zoo after the zoo itself. In Omaha this is the Lied Jungle, just inside the gate. Here it is a glass barrel vault with its own rain.
Kesh Dune Dome
On the mapKesh. A geodesic dome on the rise, where Omaha keeps the Desert Dome. The sand inside came from Kesh, one bag at a time.
Umbra Vault
On the mapUmbra. Next to the dome and half under it, like Omaha's Kingdoms of the Night. The lights stay off on purpose. Let your eyes adjust.
Canopy Gorge
On the mapMbali. Cliffs on three sides and a window on the fourth, after Hubbard Gorilla Valley. The gorillas watch the visitors more than the visitors watch the gorillas. Also here: Lantern Chimp.
Pelagia Deep
On the mapPelagia. Pelagia Deep sits where the Scott Aquarium sits in Omaha, with a glass tunnel straight through the main tank. Mind the drips.
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Lumen SharkPelagia · Shark, with a little anglerfish
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Tide DolphinPelagia · Bottlenose dolphin
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Abyss OrcaPelagia · Orca
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Choir WhalePelagia · Humpback whale
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Bell JellyPelagia · Jellyfish
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Reef OctopusPelagia · Octopus
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Spark SquidPelagia · Squid
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Glass SeahorsePelagia · Seahorse
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Lantern CrabPelagia · Crab
Hive Gallery
On the mapVesp. A six-sided pavilion between the aquarium and the grasslands, like Omaha's Butterfly and Insect Pavilion. The walls are real hive paper, sealed in glass.
Apex Hall
On the mapRakh. The cat hall. Thick glass, warm rocks, and three keepers who never turn their backs.
Ombra Savanna
On the mapOmbra. Twenty-eight acres of grassland in the east, as in Omaha. Only a moat and a force field keep the herds in. Also here: Crown Lion, Crown Lioness.
Floe Shelf
On the mapGlacia. A cold pool on the south walk, after Owen Sea Lion Shores. The ice is real. So is the smell.
Kaltor Highlands
On the mapKaltor. Terraced pens on the south side, like Omaha's Asian Highlands. Bamboo for the pandas, rocks for everyone else. Also here: Rakh Tiger.
Skyvault Aviary
On the mapAerith. A net vault eight hundred feet long, the same as the Simmons Aviary. The birds can fly the whole length without touching a wall. Also here: Ember Toucan.
Nursery Pens
On the mapEarth. The petting pens. Every animal here comes from Earth. Visitors from other worlds find them the strangest exhibit in the zoo.
