With a total of 40 sea creatures to collect in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, finding all of them is no small task. Additionally, different creatures will appear depending on the month, season, and time of day you’re playing the game.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to find every sea creature in ACNH by highlighting their location, shadow size, movement speed, and the time of day they appear. We’re also including the selling price for each creature in case you’re looking to earn Bells quickly in New Horizons.
If you would like to learn more about island living, check out our ACNH tips and tricks guide to help get you started.
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How To Catch Sea Creatures
To catch the sea creatures that live at the bottom of your island’s oceans, you’ll have to get into the water and dive down to find them. To do this, you’ll want to first make sure you have the most recent update, which should be version 1.3.0 or higher.
This update adds the wet suit (required for diving), sea creatures, and other new features to New Horizons. Once your game is updated, you should be able to purchase a wet suit from Nook’s Cranny for 3,000 Bells and use it for diving. For a more detailed breakdown, read our full guide on how to get a wet suit and swim in ACNH.
After equipping a wet suit, head into the water by pressing A while facing the ocean or jump off one of your island’s docks. While in the water, you can press A and use the left analog stick to swim in any direction. As you explore, you will start to see shadows accompanied by bubbles coming from the ocean’s floor.
Once you’ve identified a sea creature’s shadow, dive underwater by pressing Y and make your way towards them. Some animals may try to escape, requiring you to chase them down. Once you’re close enough to the shadow, your character will automatically catch the creature and return to the surface.
List Of Sea Creatures
Similar to bugs and fish, the type of sea creatures you’ll find will depend on the season and time of year in your region (Northern or Southern hemisphere). Below we’ve provided a list of every sea creature along with the conditions in which they appear in your island’s oceans.
Seaweed
• Months: Oct – July (Northern), Apr – Jan (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Large
• Movement Speed: Still
• Sell Price: 600 Bells
Sea Grapes
• Months: June – Sep (Northern), Dec – Mar (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Still
• Sell Price: 900 Bells
Sea Cucumber
• Months: Nov – Apr (Northern), May – Oct (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Medium
• Movement Speed: Slow
• Sell Price: 500 Bells
Sea Pig
• Months: Nov – Feb (Northern), May – Aug (Southern)
• Time: 4PM – 9AM
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Fast
• Sell Price: 10,000 Bells
Sea Star
• Months: All Year
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Slow
• Sell Price: 500 Bells
Sea Urchin
• Months: May – Sep (Northern), Nov – Mar (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Slow
• Sell Price: 1,700 Bells
Slate Pencil Urchin
• Months: May – Sep (Northern), Nov – Mar (Southern)
• Time: 4PM – 9AM
• Shadow Size: Medium
• Movement Speed: Medium
• Sell Price: 200 Bells
Sea Anemone
• Months: All Year
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Large
• Movement Speed: Still
• Sell Price: 500 Bells
Moon Jellyfish
• Months: July – Sep (Northern), Jan – Mar (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Slow
• Sell Price: 600 Bells
Sea Slug
• Months: All Year
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Slow
• Sell Price: 600 Bells
Pearl Oyster
• Months: All Year
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Medium
• Sell Price: 2,800 Bells
Mussel
• Months: June – Dec (Northern), Dec – June (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Slow
• Sell Price: 1,500 Bells
Oyster
• Months: Sep – Feb (Northern), Mar – Aug (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Slow
• Sell Price: 1,100 Bells
Scallop
• Months: All Year
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Medium
• Movement Speed: Slow
• Sell Price: 1,200 Bells
Whelk
• Months: All Year
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Slow
• Sell Price: 1,000 Bells
Turban Shell
• Months: Mar – May / Sep – Dec (Northern), Mar – June / Sep – Nov (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Slow
• Sell Price: 1,000 Bells
Abalone
• Months: June – Jan (Northern), Dec – July (Southern)
• Time: 4PM – 9AM
• Shadow Size: Medium
• Movement Speed: Medium
• Sell Price: 2,000 Bells
Gigas Giant Clam
• Months: May – Sep (Northern), Nov – Mar (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Large
• Movement Speed: Fast
• Sell Price: 15,000 Bells
Chambered Nautilus
• Months: Mar – June / Sep – Nov (Northern), Mar – May / Sep – Dec (Southern)
• Time: 4PM – 9AM
• Shadow Size: Medium
• Movement Speed: Medium
• Sell Price: 1,800 Bells
Octopus
• Months: All Year
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Medium
• Movement Speed: Slow
• Sell Price: 1,200 Bells
Umbrella Octopus
• Months: Mar – May / Sep – Nov (Northern and Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Fast
• Sell Price: 6,000 Bells
Vampire Squid
• Months: May – Aug (Northern), Nov – Feb (Southern)
• Time: 4PM – 9AM
• Shadow Size: Medium
• Movement Speed: Fast
• Sell Price: 10,000 Bells
Firefly Squid
• Months: Mar – June (Northern), Sep – Dec (Southern)
• Time: 9PM – 4AM
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Slow
• Sell Price: 1,400 Bells
Gazami Crab
• Months: Jun – Nov (Northern), Dec – May (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Medium
• Movement Speed: Medium
• Sell Price: 2,200 Bells
Dungeness Crab
• Months: Nov – May (Northern), May – Nov (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Medium
• Movement Speed: Medium
• Sell Price: 1,900 Bells
Snow Crab
• Months: Nov – Apr (Northern), May – Oct (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Large
• Movement Speed: Fast
• Sell Price: 6,000 Bells
Red King Crab
• Months: Nov – Mar (Northern), May – Sep (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Large
• Movement Speed: Fast
• Sell Price: 8,000 Bells
Acorn Barnacle
• Months: All Year
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Still
• Sell Price: 600 Bells
Spider Crab
• Months: Mar – Apr (Northern), Sep – Oct (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Large
• Movement Speed: Fast
• Sell Price: 12,000 Bells
Tiger Prawn
• Months: June – Sep (Northern), Dec – Mar (Southern)
• Time: 4PM – 9AM
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Medium
• Sell Price: 3,000 Bells
Sweet Shrimp
• Months: Sep – Feb (Northern), Mar – Aug (Southern)
• Time: 4PM – 9AM
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Slow
• Sell Price: 1,400 Bells
Mantis Shrimp
• Months: All Year
• Time: 4PM – 9AM
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Medium
• Sell Price: 2,500 Bells
Spiny Lobster
• Months: Oct – Dec (Northern), Apr – June (Southern)
• Time: 9PM – 4AM
• Shadow Size: Large
• Movement Speed: Fast
• Sell Price: 5,000 Bells
Lobster
• Months: Apr – June / Dec – Jan (Northern), June – July / Oct – Nov (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Large
• Movement Speed: Fast
• Sell Price: 4,500 Bells
Giant Isopod
• Months: July – Oct (Northern), Jan – Apr (Southern)
• Time: 9AM – 4PM / 9PM – 4AM
• Shadow Size: Medium
• Movement Speed: Fast
• Sell Price: 12,000 Bells
Horseshoe Crab
• Months: July – Sep (Northern), Jan – Mar (Southern)
• Time: 9PM – 4AM
• Shadow Size: Medium
• Movement Speed: Medium
• Sell Price: 2,500 Bells
Sea Pineapple
• Months: Apr – Aug (Northern), Oct – Feb (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Slow
• Sell Price: 1,500 Bells
Spotted Garden Eel
• Months: May – Oct (Northern), Nov – Apr (Southern)
• Time: 4AM – 9PM
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Slow
• Sell Price: 1,100 Bells
Flatworm
• Months: Aug – Sep (Northern), Feb – Mar (Southern)
• Time: 4PM – 9AM
• Shadow Size: Small
• Movement Speed: Slow
• Sell Price: 700 Bells
Venus’ Flower Basket
• Months: Oct – Feb (Northern), Apr – Aug (Southern)
• Time: All Day
• Shadow Size: Medium
• Movement Speed: Fast
• Sell Price: 5,000 Bells
What To Do With Sea Creatures You Catch
Any sea creatures you catch can either be donated to the museum or sold for Bells in Nook’s Cranny. Depending on the rarity and selling price of the creature, you may want to prioritize one option over the other.
To make a donation, you’ll first have to unlock and then upgrade the museum by speaking to Blathers. Every time you donate a specimen, Blathers will offer to tell you a bit about the creature’s history before putting it on display in the museum.
To sell a creature to Nook’s Cranny, approach Timmy or Tommy like you would to sell any other item. Avoid using the drop box outside to sell critters, since it offers a lower amount of Bells than the standard selling price.
Remember that any Scallops you find can be exchanged for unique rewards by talking to Pascal, the red otter who sometimes appears in your island’s oceans.
Lastly, since Pearls don’t count as sea creatures and can’t be donated to the museum, you can either sell any you find for a cool 10,000 Bells each, or hold onto them if you plan on crafting the mermaid furniture set.
