After a successful mate, the Tiktaalik lays a fertilized egg. Incubation temperature must stay between 30°C and 34°C - use Air Conditioners, Standing Torches, or Dimetrodons to maintain the range. At the correct temperature, the egg hatches in approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

After hatching or birth, the baby Tiktaalik matures over a lengthy period, reaching adulthood in about 1 day and 13 hours at 1x maturation. Hand-feeding is required until 10% maturation. After that, a Feeding Trough handles the rest.

Mutations can add +2 levels to any stat and change colors. Stacking mutations across generations is the key to min-maxed breeding lines. Use the breeding calculator to plan food requirements, incubation timers, and maturation phases.

Maturation has three phases: Baby (0–10%) lasts ~222 min and requires constant hand-feeding. Juvenile (10–50%) spans ~15h - it can eat from a Trough now. Adolescent (50–100%) takes ~19h - continues eating from troughs, nearly fully grown.

Imprint bonuses are significant: a fully imprinted Tiktaalik gains 30% extra damage and damage resistance with its imprinter mounted. You'll be asked to cuddle, walk, or feed specific kibble at regular intervals during maturation.

Planning a mass raise? The Tiktaalik raising calculator breaks down food needs per phase so nothing goes to waste. The Baby phase (0–10%) takes ~222 minutes and is the most hands-on, requiring direct feeding or a Maewing.

Raising multiple Tiktaalik simultaneously? Set the dino count and the calculator scales food requirements automatically. Match your food choice to your play schedule - longer spoil timers mean less babysitting.

ARK: Survival Ascended features the Tiktaalik as a tamable, piscivore creature that survivors will encounter in the wild.

Starting at 300 Health, it's moderately tough. Its base Melee Damage sits at 100%, giving it decent hitting power. With 175 base Stamina, the Tiktaalik has moderate endurance. A base Weight of 150 means modest carrying capacity.

The Tiktaalik is passively tamed - approach it carefully and feed it by hand without knocking it out. Its preferred food is Simple Kibble.

Once tamed, the Tiktaalik is primarily used for resource harvesting, excelling at gathering specific materials. Breeding produces fertilized eggs that hatch within a 30°C–34°C temperature window. A wild Tiktaalik is worth 2 base experience when killed. It can be cloned at a Cloning Chamber for 0.15 Element plus 0.01 Element per level.