Sabertooth Salmon
Water · 18 maps
Overview
The Sabertooth Salmon is a small aquatic carnivore found in freshwater and oceanic environments. It serves as a mobile fish basket for passive taming of other aquatic creatures, allowing players to safely transport and tame fish without direct interaction. This makes it invaluable for setting up underwater taming operations.
It can be airlifted by Quetzal or Karkinos for fast deployment to remote water locations.
Spawn Locations
18 mapsSabertooth Salmon spawns in cave systems, freshwater rivers, grasslands near water, open oceans, and redwood forests. It appears across 18 ARK maps and is very commonly encountered. Look for movement in shallow coastal zones or near underwater cave entrances for the highest spawn density.
Each shape is a real spawn volume. Click for exact chance and zone info.
Taming
Sabertooth Salmon cannot be tamed through conventional methods. Instead, it is captured using a Fish Basket, which allows passive collection without knockout or sedation. No special bait or tools are required.
Use the calculator below for your settings.
Sabertooth Salmon is tamable using a Fish Basket.
Drops & Harvest Resources
Killing a Sabertooth Salmon yields Raw Fish Meat and Raw Prime Fish Meat. The Mining Drill harvests the most Raw Fish Meat, while a Metal Weapon is optimal for obtaining Raw Prime Fish Meat.
| Resource |  Pick | Harvest Weapon |  Metal Weapon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100%~5~3 hits | 100%~7~3 hits | 100%~5~2 hits | |
| 0%~0~3 hits | 4%~0~3 hits | 13%~1~2 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
Sabertooth Salmon has a strong vulnerability to Melee Dino Carnivore Medium Flyer HarvestPolymer attacks, taking +900% more damage. It also suffers +120% damage from Instant HurtDinos and +55% from Melee DmgMetal RaidDino sources. Spike walls, mining drills, and ranged turrets are highly effective due to its resistances.
Kill XP
Wild Kill (1.25×)0.5 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.
| Stat | Base (Lv.1) | Wild +/Lv | Tamed +/Lv |
|---|---|---|---|
 Health | 65.0 | +13.00 | +4.00% |
 Stamina | 100.0 | +10.00 | +2.00% |
 Torpidity | 15.0 | +0.90 | +0.00% |
 Food | 100.0 | +10.00 | +2.00% |
 Weight | 18.0 | +0.36 | +0.80% |
 Melee Damage Multiplier | 100.0% | +5.00% | +10.00% |
 Speed Multiplier | 100.0% | +0.00% | +1.00% |
Hitbox Multipliers
The head of the Sabertooth Salmon has a 1.5× damage multiplier, making headshots effective for faster kills. All other body zones apply standard damage.
Can Damage
Can break Thatch. Build at least in Wood.
Thatch
Wood
Stone
Metal
Tek| Attack | Base | Thatch | Wood | Stone | Metal | Tek |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack 1Carnivore Small BloodDrain | 4 | 22.0 | — | — | — | — |
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
Sabertooth Salmon Tips & Tricks
The Sabertooth Salmon is immune to damage from Mining Drill Harvest, making it safe to harvest with a Mining Drill.
It takes +900% damage from Melee Dino Carnivore Medium Flyer HarvestPolymer attacks, making it extremely vulnerable to certain flyers.
It can be carried by Quetzal or Karkinos, enabling rapid aerial transport to taming sites.
It damages Thatch structures, useful for breaking weak underwater builds.
This page details the Sabertooth Salmon's stats, taming mechanics, breeding behavior, harvest yields, and combat data. For precise planning, refer to the taming calculator, breeding calculator, and spawn map located on this page.