Planet Zoo 2 research

The 1.0.4 notes mention improved navigation in the research menus, which tells you how much of the care loop runs through this screen. Research per species, not per zoo: the second habitat of the same species benefits, a different species does not.

What research actually changes

• Care items — food and habitat enrichment that welfare checks count.
• Habitat objects — the pieces a species' enrichment list assumes exist.
• Diagnostics — the information tools that make keepers and vets useful.
• Progression surfaces — accreditation rewards include research equipment such as the Observation Platform, Camera Trap and Acoustic Monitor.

Order of operations

1. Research the species you already own before buying a new one.
2. Build the habitat to the published space and barrier values first — research does not fix a fence.
3. Add research-dependent enrichment once unlocked, then re-check welfare.
4. For breeding programmes, finish species research before the first pregnancy.
5. Re-read the research menu after each patch: 1.0.4 and 1.0.5 both touched menus and item behaviour.

Research and the rest of the site

This site does not publish a research tree diagram: Frontier has not published the full dependency list, and an invented tree would be worse than none. The explorer shows enclosure-level dependencies from the Zoopedia instead.