The biggest addition to part one of Animal Crossing: New Horizons‘ summer update is the ability to swim and dive in the ocean around your island, which means new creatures to catch. In fact, the summer update added an entirely new category in your Critterpedia, titled “Sea Creatures,” and Blathers is accepting donations of new finds at the museum as well. There are 40 total new sea creatures to catch.
Here we’ll go over every new type of sea creature you can find while diving. If you don’t know how to dive yet, check out our guide on how to swim in Animal Crossing for info on where to get a wet suit and how to get into the water for the first time.
How To Find Sea Creatures In Animal Crossing
Sea creatures can only be found while diving underwater in the ocean. You’ll know you’re near one when you see a column of bubbles floating to the surface, or when you’re already underwater and spot a dark shadow beneath the waves. Just dive under and swim over to the shadow to automatically collect the creature. Sometimes the shadow might be moving, so you will have to follow or chase it.
The bubble column appears differently depending on the creature, similar to the way fish shadow sizes differ. Their underwater shadow sizes also differ, as well as their swimming pattern and speed.
What To Do With Pearls And Scallops
While diving for sea creatures, you might come across pearls, which are a rare crafting material. Scallops can also be traded in for DIY recipes if you talk to Pascal, the red sea otter who made his first New Horizons appearance with the July 3 summer update. While we list scallops in the table below along with their price (1,200 bells), you should probably hang onto scallops when you find them–we’re not sure exactly how trading works with Pascal just yet. At the moment, it seems he has a chance of appearing when you catch a scallop and will offer a trade, but if it turns out you can find him swimming around and instigate a trade that way, then having some scallops handy will help. Of course, don’t forget to donate a scallop to the museum at some point too, since they still count as sea creatures. We’ll update with more details on how trading with Pascal works once we can verify. Pearls should definitely be saved up–like cherry blossom petals, they are an important crafting item and required to craft recipes in the new mermaid set.
Every Sea Creature In Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Below you’ll find every sea creature in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, with separate columns dedicated to their Northern and Southern hemisphere availability, by month. We will continue to update as we verify information. Shadow sizes and swimming pattern information will be coming soon as well.
Northern Hemisphere (N) / Southern Hemisphere (S)
| Sea Creature | Months (N) | Months (S) | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abalone | June – Jan | Dec – July | 4 PM – 9 AM | 2,000 |
| Acorn Barnacle | All year | All year | All day | 600 |
| Chambered Nautilus | Mar – June Sept – Nov |
4 PM – 9 AM | 1,440 | |
| Dungeness Crab | Nov – May | All day | ||
| Firefly Squid | Mar – June | 9 PM – 4 AM | ||
| Flatworm | Aug – Sept | 4 PM – 9 AM | 700 | |
| Gazami Crab | June – Nov | All day | 2,200 | |
| Giant Isopod | July – Oct | 9 AM – 4 PM 4 PM – 4 AM |
12,000 | |
| Gigas Giant Clam | Apr – Sept | All day | 15,000 | |
| Horseshoe Crab | July – Sept | Jan – Mar | 9 PM – 4 AM | 2,500 |
| Lobster | ||||
| Mantis Shrimp | All year | All year | 4 PM – 9 AM | |
| Moon Jellyfish | July – Sept | Jan – Mar | All day | |
| Mussel | June – Dec | Dec – June | All day | |
| Octopus | ||||
| Oyster | ||||
| Pearl Oyster | All year | All year | All day | |
| Red King Crab | ||||
| Scallop | All year | All year | All day | |
| Sea Anemone | All year | All year | All day | |
| Sea Cucumber | ||||
| Sea Grapes | June – Sept | Dec – Mar | All day | |
| Sea Pig | ||||
| Sea Pineapple | Apr – Aug | Oct – Feb | All day | |
| Sea Slug | All year | All year | All day | |
| Sea Star | All year | All year | All day | |
| Sea Urchin | All year | All year | All day | |
| Seaweed | Oct – July | Apr – Jan | All day | |
| Slate Pencil Urchin | ||||
| Snow Crab | ||||
| Spider Crab | ||||
| Spiny Lobster | ||||
| Spotted Garden Eel | May – Oct | 4 AM – 9 PM | ||
| Sweet Shrimp | ||||
| Tiger Prawn | ||||
| Turban Shell | ||||
| Umbrella Octopus | ||||
| Vampire Squid | ||||
| Venus Flower Basket | ||||
| Whelk | All year | All year | All day | 1,000 |
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