The Deinosuchus is the largest crocodilian in Ark, and it tames nothing like the rest of the carnivore roster.
There is no knockout. There are no tranquilizer darts, no torpor bar to watch, no club. You wait for it to bask with its mouth open, and you walk up and put food in its mouth while it lets you.
Why you want it
Size and presence. The Deinosuchus is a titanic crocodilian — bulkier and wider-jawed than any other aquatic predator, with heavily armored scutes along its back and a bite built for crushing.
The ambush role. Wild ones swim through swamps, rivers and oceans, or bask on riverbanks and wait for prey to come within striking range. A tamed one turns that patience into a weapon you control.
The amphibious niche. It moves between water and land in a way most mounts cannot, which makes it useful in terrain where other tames are trapped.
The numbers
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Group | Amphibious, Reptiles |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Temperament | Aggressive |
| Preferred Kibble | Superior Kibble |
| Fallback Foods | Raw Mutton, Cooked Lamb Chop, Raw Prime Meat |
| Equipment | Deinosuchus Saddle |
| Egg | Deinosuchus Egg |
| Incubation | check the egg window in-game |
| Feces Size | Large |
The taming method: passive
The Deinosuchus is a passive tame. That changes the entire approach, and it makes the tame easier in some ways and more fragile in others.
Wait for the window. Find a Deinosuchus that is basking with its mouth open. This is the only state where it accepts food, and it happens on riverbanks and shallow water where the animal is warming itself.
Get close without spooking it. Put Superior Kibble in the last slot of your hotbar and approach. A ghillie suit makes this dramatically easier by reducing your detection range. Even with the suit, do not get too close too fast — the Deinosuchus is aggressive, and a spooked one is a very fast one.
Feed. When you are in range with the kibble selected, press use. Each feed raises taming effectiveness. Repeat until the bar fills.
There is no torpor management, no narcoberry stockpile, and no risk of it waking up mid-tame. The entire risk is front-loaded into the approach.
Practical advice
Bring ghillie. The suit is the difference between a calm approach and a chase. If you do not have one yet, this is a good reason to make one.
Pick your target carefully. Choose a Deinosuchus in an open basking spot with escape routes, not one boxed in by terrain you cannot cross.
Watch the neighbors. Swamps and riverbanks are crowded with aggressive creatures. Clear the area or accept that something else will interrupt you mid-feed.
Do not spam the feed key. Feeding at the wrong time does not just fail; it draws attention. Wait for the mouth-open state and feed deliberately.
Where to find one
The Deinosuchus generally swims through swamps, rivers and oceans, and spends time basking on riverbanks waiting for prey to come within striking range.
If you are hunting one to tame, patrol the riverbanks at the edges of swamps and slow-moving water. The basking behaviour that makes it tameable also makes it findable — look for the shape of it half out of the water with its mouth open.
Raising it
Once tamed, it is a standard carnivore: raw meat and cooked meat keep it fed, and the saddle unlocks the riding and attack capabilities.
The wiki leaves the egg’s incubation window blank, so check it in-game if you decide to breed rather than tame, and expect a standard carnivore gestation once you have a pair.