Pteranodon
Pteranodon Overview
Pteranodon is a flying carnivore in ARK: Survival Ascended, is commonly used for scouting and quick travel between locations. As a carnivore, it responds to knockout taming - favoring Regular Kibble - and ships with 100% base Melee Damage, giving it respectable melee power. It reproduces by laying fertilized eggs that incubate between 29°C and 32°C, with babies maturing over a lengthy period. Survivors lean on it to gather Hide, Raw Meat at much higher rates than hand tools. It earns its place in the stable for survivors looking to graduate from early-game tames.
Spawn Locations
21 mapsThe Pteranodon spawns on 21 maps, typically found in mountains, cliffsides, and elevated terrain. Green cells indicate high spawn density, red means low. Click a cell to see exact spawn chance. If you can't find any, try clearing creatures nearby to free up the population cap.
Each shape is a real spawn volume. Click for exact chance and zone info.
Pteranodon Taming Calculator
Open Calculator→| Food | Qty | Time | Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
 Regular KibbleBest | 4 | 17:03 | 74 Lvl (224) |
 Raw Mutton | 7 | 17:31 | 73 Lvl (223) |
 Raw Prime Meat | 9 | 22:31 | 73 Lvl (223) |
 Cooked Lamb Chop | 13 | 32:28 | 71 Lvl (221) |
 Raw Meat | 26 | 1:05:01 | 62 Lvl (212) |
| +6 more in calculator→ | |||
Breeding
Open Calculator →Quick Info
Pteranodon SaddleLv.38
XP Calculator
Full Calculator→Kill XP
Wild Kill (1.25×)3 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
The Pteranodon's corpse can be harvested for Hide, Raw Meat. The corpse has 120 harvest health, allowing multiple hits before it's fully depleted.
The harvest table below breaks down exact yields per tool. Choose your tool based on which resource you're after - yields vary significantly.
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 Pteranodon has 14 damage type modifiers that affect incoming damage. It shrugs off 6 damage types but is weak to 6, with its worst vulnerability at +120%. Focus damage there for maximum efficiency. 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 | 210.0 | +42.00 | +3.00% |
 Stamina | 150.0 | +7.50 | +0.80% |
 Torpidity | 120.0 | +7.20 | +0.00% |
 Oxygen | 150.0 | +15.00 | +2.00% |
 Food | 1200.0 | +120.00 | +2.00% |
 Weight | 120.0 | +2.40 | +0.60% |
 Melee Damage Multiplier | 100.0% | +5.00% | +7.50% |
 Speed Multiplier | 100.0% | +0.00% | +2.00% |
Hitbox Multipliers
Damage dealt to the Pteranodon varies across 1 hitbox zone. Its weakest point is the Head at 3x - a significant damage bonus when you land your shots there.
Can Damage
Open damage calculator →The Pteranodon can damage: Thatch, Wood. Lower-tier structures are at risk - Stone walls or better will keep the Pteranodon out.
Thatch
Wood
Stone
Metal
Tek| Attack | Base | Thatch | Wood | Stone | Metal | Tek |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack 1Carnivore Medium Flyer | 18 | 39.6 | 21.6 | — | — | — |
| Barrel RollCarnivore Medium Flyer HurtRider | 50 | 110.0 | 60.0 | — | — | — |
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
Pteranodon Tips & Tricks
Read and share community tips for the Pteranodon in ARK: Survival Ascended. Common topics include trap designs, preferred knockout weapons, and narcotic management strategies.
Everything you need to know about the Pteranodon in ARK: Survival Ascended is collected here. Use the stat overview, taming summary, and breeding details below to plan your approach, then explore the dedicated tool pages for step-by-step help.
At base level the Pteranodon has 210 base Health, 100% base Melee Damage, 120 base Weight. Use the taming calculator to project how these stats grow through wild levels and taming effectiveness.
The Pteranodon is a knockout tame - render it unconscious with torpor weapons, then feed it Regular Kibble for the fastest results. Our taming calculator shows exact food quantities, narcotics needed, and time estimates for every level.
Breeding Pteranodons produces fertilized eggs that need incubation between 29°C and 32°C. Full maturation takes 1 day and 13 hours. Use the breeding calculator for imprint timers and food requirements.
Once tamed, the Pteranodon can harvest Hide, Raw Meat. Visit the information tab for the full harvest table with quantities and efficiency data.