The Hesperornis reproduces by laying fertilized eggs after mating. Incubation temperature must stay between 22°C and 30°C - use Air Conditioners, Standing Torches, or Dimetrodons to maintain the range. At the correct temperature, the egg hatches in approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Full maturation from baby to adult takes ~1 day and 4 hours (1x rate), progressing over a lengthy period. During the baby phase (0–10%), hand-feed it directly. From 10% onward (juvenile), it can eat from a Feeding Trough.

Offspring inherit parental stats and have a small chance to mutate, gaining +2 levels in a random stat. Use the breeding calculator to plan food requirements, incubation timers, and maturation phases.

Raising a baby Hesperornis involves three maturation phases: Baby (0–10%) lasts ~168 min and requires constant hand-feeding. Juvenile (10–50%) spans ~11h - it can eat from a Trough now. Adolescent (50–100%) takes ~14h - continues eating from troughs, nearly fully grown.

Imprinting during maturation provides permanent stat bonuses. At 100% imprint, the Hesperornis gains 30% bonus damage and resistance when ridden by the imprinter. You'll be asked to cuddle, walk, or feed specific kibble at regular intervals during maturation.

The raising calculator above shows exactly how much food you need for each maturation phase of the Hesperornis. Budget ~168 minutes for the Baby phase - this is when hand-feeding or Maewing nursing is mandatory.

Raising multiple Hesperornis simultaneously? Set the dino count and the calculator scales food requirements automatically. Different food types have different spoil timers - factor that into which food you stockpile.

The Hesperornis is a tamable, aquatic, piscivore creature in ARK: Survival Ascended.

Melee starts at 100% - solid damage output that scales with level-ups. Health-wise, the Hesperornis sits at 95 base, making it very frail. With 200 base Stamina, the Hesperornis has decent staying power. A base Weight of 70 means not built for hauling.

This is a passive tame: no tranquilizers needed. Get close without startling it, then offer food from your last hotbar slot. Its preferred food is Kibble (Kairuku Egg).

As a tame, the Hesperornis is well-suited for deep-sea exploration, cave diving, and ocean resource runs. Breeding produces fertilized eggs that hatch within a 22°C–30°C temperature window. Defeating one in the wild grants 0.5 base XP. It can be cloned at a Cloning Chamber for 0.25 Element plus 0.01 Element per level.