The hunting and fishing scene in Red Dead Redemption 2 is full of unique aquatic creatures and nearly invulnerable beasts. Whether it’s random interactions with animals while out on the road or hunting them down with fervor, the wildlife in RDR2 is a crucial part of the experience. Some prove to be much more of a challenge than others, but all the animals offer something of value, such as pelts, meat, and specialty items.
The most popular creatures to track down are the legendary ones, such as the Bull Gator, White Bison, and Sockeye Salmon, but there are other valuable critters worth searching for. Many of Red Dead Redemption 2‘s wild game can often be found off the beaten path, offering players an additional opportunity to further explore the beautiful map. There are more than 200 different types of animals in the game, but some of the most interesting ones have been overlooked in the game’s history.
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10 Legendary Beaver Drops Valuable Materials
Legendary Beaver Pelt & Legendary Beaver Tooth
This adorable little creature may not put up much of a fight, but it promises a great reward to players who can track it down and kill it. One of the items that can be found on the Beaver, the Legendary Beaver Tooth, is used to craft the Beaver Tooth Trinket, which slows weapon deterioration by 10%. This is a vital skill; clean weapons over dirty ones can make the difference between life and death in Red Dead Redemption 2‘s many combat sequences. The Legendary Beaver is located west of Van Horn Trading Post and slightly south of the Elysian Pool.
9 Iguanas Come In All Shapes & Colors
Iguanas Can Be Harvested For Iguana Carcasses
Thanks to its rarity, the Iguana is one of the most interesting animals in Red Dead Redemption 2. In the game’s main chapter, while playing as Arthur Morgan, Green Iguanas are only located on an unnamed island in Flat Iron Lake and in Guarma, an area that requires a glitch to return to after chapter five. The Perfect Iguana Skin can be used to craft iconic outfits, a new satchel, and even the Iguana Scale Trinket, which negates damage received on horseback by 10%. After completing the first six chapters, Sand Iguanas are also available for hunting all over New Austin while playing as John Marston.
How to Find All The Legendary Animal Locations in Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 players can show off their hunting prowess by tracking down all 16 legendary creatures across the map. Here are their locations.
8 Bald Eagles Are Tricky To Spot In The Sky
Provides Eagle Feathers & Eagle Carcasses
Although there is no legendary variant of the Bald Eagle to hunt down in Red Dead Redemption 2, the material gain from successfully killing one of these birds is well worth it. The carcass can be sold for anywhere between one and four dollars, depending on the quality, and the feathers have many crafting applications. Eagle feathers are required to craft weapons such as improved throwing knives and tomahawks, as well as special poison and dynamite arrows. Bald Eagles are most commonly found in the mountains of Ambarino and West Elizabeth, and a Varmint Rifle or Bow will yield the highest quality carcasses.
7 The Legendary Elk Is A Massive Beast
Drops The Legendary Elk Pelt & Legendary Elk Antler
Thanks to its massive size, the Legendary Elk is one of the tougher animals to bring down in all of Red Dead Redemption 2, but players who bring the firepower and don’t let it escape will be well-rewarded. There is an incentive to hunt down this beast earlier in the game rather than later, thanks to the trinket directly attached to one of the items it drops.
The Legendary Elk Antler can be used to craft the Elk Antler Trinket, which provides a 10% increase to all money looted — making it exponentially more valuable the earlier it is acquired. The Legendary Elk roams in the forest east of Bacchus Station, north of Fort Wallace between New Hanover and Ambarino.
6 The White Cougar Pelt Is Quite Valuable
Drops The White Cougar Pelt
There may be a Legendary Cougar that offers more valuable rewards, such as the Cougar Fang trinket, which provides a 10% bonus to stamina experience, but the one and only White Cougar is far more interesting. The interaction with the white cougar comes during one of Leopold Strauss’ missions, “Money Lending and Other Wins IV,” where Arthur goes to collect a debt from Winton Holmes.
Holmes leads Arthur into a cave with the promise of a White Cougar pelt, which will pay off all he owes and more, but things go awry when the cougar kills Holmes. This seemingly unimportant mission captures the clueless and unaware nature of so many of RDR2‘s stranger and side characters, and the appearance of the White Cougar, whose pelt can be sold for $38, is the icing on the cake.
5 Catching The Legendary Lake Sturgeon Comes With A View
Can Be Sold As Part Of Jeremy Gill’s Quest
The first aquatic creature to make an appearance on the list is the Legendary Lake Sturgeon, which is one of the most challenging and rewarding fish to catch in Red Dead Redemption 2. Players are forced to abandon the shore as the only ways to catch the Legendary Lake Sturgeon are to either find a boat and row out into the water, or stand on the train track bridge above.
Reel quickly, or a train chugging into Saint-Denis will come along and either kill Arthur or force him into the water. The Legendary Lake Sturgeon can be found by using the Special River Lure in the swampy waters west of Saint-Denis, and just south of Calliga Hall.
4 The Legendary Bull Gator Is Terrifying
Provides The Legendary Alligator Skin & Legendary Alligator Tooth
There is nothing about the Legendary Bull Gator that terrorizes the swamps of Lagras that isn’t cool. It is far and away the most intimidating of all the legendary animals and the only one besides the Legendary Bear to make an appearance in a main mission. The beast is so gargantuan that it is believed to be a myth by all who reside in the swamp that have yet to see it. The Legendary Alligator is located just north of Lakay and its tooth can be used to craft the Legendary Alligator Tooth Talisman, which slows the decay of the Deadeye core by 10%.
3 Panthers Prefer To Hunt At Night
Provides Panther Carcass, Heart, & Claw
The regular Panthers in Red Dead Redemption 2 present more of a challenge than any other normal animal. Although there is a Legendary variant, the prerequisite requirements even to unlock the ability to hunt make the work far outweigh the reward. These predators are agile and durable and only give the player a couple of well-placed shots to take them down before they close in for the kill. For those who don’t feel it’s worth the trouble of completing all the Master Hunter challenges, regular Panthers are located in the forest near Braithwaite Manor.
2 The Legendary Salmon Puts Up Quite A Fight
Can Be Sold As Part Of Jeremy Gill’s Quest
The second fish to make an appearance on the list and arguably the coolest is the Legendary Salmon. Like the Legendary Lake Sturgeon and all other legendary fish, this mammoth of a salmon doesn’t offer any special crafting materials but is one of the best legs of the “A Fisher of Fish” quest. To catch this bright red creature, Arthur or John must venture into the Grizzlies, the snowy region where the first chapter of the game takes place. The Legendary Salmon is a must-catch fish in Red Dead Redemption 2 because it presents an immense challenge and offers a reason to return to the snow biome later in the game.
1 Armadillos Are Cuddly Little Creatures
The Armadillo Drops Only An Armadillo Carcass
Last on the list is the Armadillo, which has a compelling case for the coolest animal in Red Dead Redemption 2 thanks to its flaky skin and unique body. Sharing a partial similarity with the Iguana, the Armadillo cannot be found until the epilogue. However, they do not reside on a small island in New Hanover like their scaly compatriots. One of the RDR2‘s best outfits, The Desperado, also requires a perfect Armadillo carcass to craft, making these creatures both adorable and valuable. Armadillos can be found all over New Austin but reside most prominently in the northeast regions.
The many animals in Red Dead Redemption 2 can be described as one of the game’s most prevalent side characters, and hunting them down is intensely satisfying and rewarding. The detail that Rockstar puts into the creatures with life-like features and special crafting potential is a feat of gaming ingenuity. The open world of RDR2 is just as alive as the characters that reside within it, and the animals are largely to thank for that.
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Franchise
- Red Dead
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One , PlayStation 4 , Microsoft Windows , Stadia
- Released
- October 26, 2018
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Genre(s)
- Action , Open-World , Western , Adventure
- Platforms
- Xbox One
