How to Tame Tiktaalik in ARK
Complete walkthrough for taming Tiktaalik: gear, food, knockout strategy, and tips.
Quick Facts
- Diet
- Unknown
- Temperament
- Skittish
- Tame Method
- Knockout
- Rideable
- No
Tiktaalik Taming Details
Tiktaalik is a knockout tame. Its most effective taming food is Kibble (preferred).
Alternative foods: Species-appropriate food.
Taming Steps
1. Prepare your gear
Bring Tranq Arrows or Tranq Darts, a Crossbow or Longneck Rifle, Narcotics or Narcoberries, and bug repellent.
2. Locate the creature
Find a wild Tiktaalik on supported maps. Check the spawn map and bring a fast mount or a flyer for transport.
3. Knock it out
Tiktaalik is a knockout tame. Use a Crossbow, Longneck Rifle with Tranq Darts, or Shocking Tranq Darts. Aim for the head for bonus torpor and keep distance to avoid aggro damage.
4. Feed the right food
Place Kibble (preferred) in its inventory (alternatives: Species-appropriate food). Higher-tier food gives faster taming and higher level bonuses.
5. Maintain torpor
Watch the torpor bar. Feed Narcoberries or Narcotics to prevent it from waking up before the tame completes.
6. Claim & saddle
Once tamed, Tiktaalik will follow your commands. It cannot be ridden.
Tiktaalik base stats
Level 1 wild values, with the gain each point adds in the wild and after taming.
| Stat | Base | Per wild level | Per tamed level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 300 | +20.0% | +27.0% |
| Stamina | 175 | +10.0% | +10.0% |
| Oxygen | 150 | +10.0% | +10.0% |
| Food | 1000 | +10.0% | +10.0% |
| Weight | 150 | +2.0% | +4.0% |
| Melee damage | 1 | +5.0% | +10.0% |
| Movement speed | 1 | +0.0% | +0.0% |
| Torpidity | 150 | +6.0% | +0.0% |
Where it spawns & other details
Related tools & resources
Tiktaalik — Background & Lore
The Tiktaalik is a small fish-like amphibian from the Aquatica map in ASE. It is an early mount that moves well in water, and it can hide to make hostile creatures lose interest.
Where to find it
It is native to Aquatica.
Taming
A passive tame played as hide-and-seek: it covers its eyes for a 30-second countdown while you hide nearby. Each failed round costs about 10% effectiveness, so clear out hostile creatures within about 50 meters first. It eats any fish; 
Raw Fish Meat is the easy choice, while 
Raw Prime Fish Meat and 
Prime Fish Jerky work best.
Breeding
Eggs need 30 to 34 °C, and the baby takes about 1 day 13 hours to mature at 1x.
Uses
- Early mount: agile in water.
- Scouting: its
Hide ability makes hostile creatures drop aggro, rider included.
Tips
Pick your hiding spot before you start. Moving more than 100 meters away also counts as a failed round.