Ichthyosaurus
Ichthyosaurus Overview
Survivors looking at Ichthyosaurus in ARK: Survival Ascended will find an aquatic carnivore that provides safe and efficient underwater traversal with good utility. Tamed via passive taming (Simple Kibble is the optimal food), this carnivore enters service with 100% base Melee Damage, giving it solid damage output. It gives live birth after a gestation period, with offspring maturing over a lengthy period. Its harvest profile centers on Raw Meat, making farming runs noticeably faster. Players target Ichthyosaurus once they need a reliable workhorse beyond the starter mounts.
Spawn Locations
19 mapsFound across 19 maps in oceans, deep rivers, and underwater caves. Green zones have the highest spawn density. Each species has a population cap per area, so wiping out other creatures nearby can trigger new Ichthyosaurus spawns.
Each shape is a real spawn volume. Click for exact chance and zone info.
Ichthyosaurus Taming Calculator
Open Calculator→| Food | Qty | Time | Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
 Simple KibbleBest | 5 | 2:49 | 74 Lvl (224) |
 Raw Mutton | 11 | 4:08 | 73 Lvl (223) |
 Raw Prime Meat | 14 | 5:22 | 72 Lvl (222) |
 Cooked Lamb Chop | 20 | 7:49 | 69 Lvl (219) |
 Raw Meat | 40 | 16:04 | 57 Lvl (207) |
| +6 more in calculator→ | |||
Breeding
Open Calculator →Quick Info
XP Calculator
Full Calculator→Kill XP
Wild Kill (1.25×)4 base × 15.9 level × 4 × 1.25× wild kill × 1× server
Server Settings(Game.ini)
Official servers use non-1× defaults; the values above already reflect official rates.
Drops & Harvest Resources
You can gather Raw Meat from a Ichthyosaurus corpse. The corpse has 230 harvest health, allowing multiple hits before it's fully depleted.
Different tools yield different quantities - check the table below to pick the right tool for the resource you need. Generally, a Pick favors meat while a Hatchet favors hide and secondary materials.
| Resource |  Pick |  Hatchet |
|---|---|---|
| 60%~11~8 hits | 40%~7~6 hits |
Estimates based on game-extracted data (weights, quantities, harvest multipliers, damage type chains). Each harvest event independently rolls each resource - higher weight = higher drop chance. Actual yields vary with RNG.
Damage Resistances
The Ichthyosaurus's damage profile includes 14 modifiers that alter how much damage it takes from different sources. With 7 resistances and 6 weaknesses, its biggest vulnerability takes +120% extra damage - exploit that for faster kills. See the full breakdown in the table below. Values under 100% indicate resistance, above 100% indicate weakness.
Base Stats
Full Stats→| Stat | Base (Lv.1) | Wild +/Lv | Tamed +/Lv |
|---|---|---|---|
 Health | 275.0 | +13.75 | +1.00% |
 Stamina | 300.0 | +60.00 | +4.00% |
 Torpidity | 300.0 | +18.00 | +0.00% |
 Food | 1000.0 | +100.00 | +2.00% |
 Weight | 250.0 | +5.00 | +0.80% |
 Melee Damage Multiplier | 100.0% | +5.00% | +5.00% |
 Speed Multiplier | 100.0% | +0.00% | +1.50% |
Hitbox Multipliers
The Ichthyosaurus has 1 hitbox zone, each with a different damage multiplier. Its weakest point is the Head at 1.5x - a significant damage bonus when you land your shots there.
Can Damage
Open damage calculator →The Ichthyosaurus can damage: Thatch, Wood. It can break through Thatch and Wood, so upgrade to Stone at minimum for protection.
Thatch
Wood
Stone
Metal
Tek| Attack | Base | Thatch | Wood | Stone | Metal | Tek |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack 1Carnivore Medium | 15 | 82.5 | 45.0 | — | — | — |
Numbers reflect base melee at level 1, 100% TE, no imprint. The damage calculator lets you scale by melee %, server multipliers, and pick a specific structure for exact hit counts.
Tools & Guides
Ichthyosaurus Tips & Tricks
Check out what other players have learned about the Ichthyosaurus - and contribute your own tips. Players share the best approach angles, food recommendations, and tricks for safe passive taming.
Welcome to the full Ichthyosaurus guide for ARK: Survival Ascended. Here you can quickly review its stats, taming requirements, breeding info, and resource gathering potential, then dive into our detailed calculators and maps for more depth.
The Ichthyosaurus starts with 275 base Health, 100% base Melee Damage, 250 base Weight. These base values scale with each wild and tamed level-up, so check the taming calculator to see exactly what stats you can expect at different levels.
Taming the Ichthyosaurus is done passively: sneak up and offer Simple Kibble from your last hotbar slot. The taming calculator has detailed quantities for each level.
The Ichthyosaurus gives live birth after a gestation period. Babies mature in 2 days and 9 hours. Check the breeding calculator for detailed imprint schedules and raising costs.
Once tamed, the Ichthyosaurus can harvest Raw Meat. Visit the information tab for the full harvest table with quantities and efficiency data.