RDR2 animals: how many species are in the game and how to get perfect pelts

Wildlife is one of the defining features of RDR2’s world. On 24 September 2018, a month before release, Rockstar posted on its official X (then Twitter) account that the game’s habitats are home to “around 200 species of animals, birds and fish”. GameRevolution, Push Square, GamesRadar and others reported the figure. For comparison, the press counted roughly 36–38 huntable animals in the first Red Dead Redemption.

Inside the game the number looks different. The animal section of the Compendium has 178 entries according to PowerPyx, rdr2.org and GTABase. Subspecies count separately (several owls, hawks and pigs), and the legendary animals sit at the end of the list. Fish have their own section with 30 entries, and story mode has 19 horse breeds (GTABase data). Rockstar never explained how it counted “around 200”, so both numbers are correct; they just answer different questions.

Every species has its own habitat: alligators live in the Lemoyne swamps, mountain goats in snowy Ambarino, bison on the plains. For the regions themselves, see the RDR2 map.

The Compendium does not sort animals by biological class: entries run page by page, and PowerPyx’s guides show mammals, birds, reptiles, dogs and livestock side by side. We grouped examples by class for convenience, using the in-game English names.

The Compendium also has dogs, domestic animals and livestock: cows, bulls, sheep, pigs and chickens.

The Compendium lives in the pause menu: Progress → Compendium → Animals. An entry unlocks when you study the animal. Aim at it or look through binoculars and press the study button: R1 on PlayStation, RB on Xbox (on PC, check the controls menu). Binoculars and a scoped rifle let you study skittish animals from a distance.

What studying gives you:

• the name and the star rating, shown in the corner of the screen;
• a Compendium entry with the recommended weapon for a clean kill and what the pelt is used for (per rdr2.org);
• progress towards the Zoologist achievement, which asks you to study every species and subspecies.

Tracking is not needed for the trophy; PowerPyx says studying is enough. You cannot study an aggressive animal while it attacks; the guide suggests a poison throwing knife so the animal wanders off and you can take a look.

The second animal achievement is Skin Deep: skin every animal that has a pelt. Small birds and critters that go straight into the satchel do not count. According to PowerPyx, legendary animals are not needed for either trophy. Full list on the RDR2 trophies and achievements page.

Every animal is rated 1 to 3 stars, and according to PowerPyx the rating is random. A perfect pelt only comes from a three-star animal, but three stars alone are not enough. You need a clean kill:

• One shot. A second shot lowers the quality. PowerPyx puts it as “1 hit = 1 kill”, otherwise the pelt is no longer three stars.
• The weak spot. For most animals it is the head; for bears and bison, per Gamepressure, the heart. Once Dead Eye is upgraded, it highlights weak spots in red.
• The right weapon. A round that is too powerful leaves a hole: a sniper rifle will ruin a squirrel. One that is too weak will not kill with the first shot.

After the kill, aim at the carcass: if it still shows three stars, skin it. Guides recommend bait (Herbivore Bait or Predator Bait) to make the animal stand still so it is easier to study and hit. If there is no three-star animal nearby, set up camp and sleep; spawns are random.

Where perfect pelts go: Pearson at camp for satchels and camp upgrades, the Trapper for clothing, or a butcher for cash. For Ms. L. Hobbs’ hunting requests, do not skin the animal; send the whole carcass. Earning ideas are in the RDR2 money guide.

The hunter’s cheat sheet. The size split comes from the PowerPyx guide; it matches rdr2.org’s advice (“the bow on small animals, rifles on medium and big animals”) and the in-game Compendium. If you are unsure about a species, study it and open its entry.

A caveat from the guides: the Varmint Rifle sometimes damages the pelts of tiny animals, and players disagree about snakes, so check the Compendium. Where to buy these rifles and what they cost: RDR2 weapons.

RDR2 has no fixed spawn points: animals appear at random within their habitat. Below are only the spots the guides actually name.

• Bear Claw near Manzanita Post (New Austin): according to rdr2.org and PowerPyx, one of the best hunting spots after the story; all three owl species appear there, mostly at night.
• American Bison: rdr2.org calls it one of the rarest animals; look south of Valentine and west of Blackwater.
• American Alligator and Alligator Snapping Turtle: the Lemoyne swamps near Saint Denis and Bayou Nwa (rdr2.org).
• Red Swamp Crayfish: inside crawfish holes in Bayou Nwa; you loot them rather than hunt them (PowerPyx).
• Cuban Land Crab: the north shore of Flat Iron Lake and its islands (PowerPyx).
• Guarma animals (Blue and Yellow Macaw, Great Green Macaw, Scarlet Macaw): Chapter 5 only, and you cannot return to the island. PowerPyx and rdr2.org say they are not needed for Zoologist or Skin Deep.

If the animal you want is not around, the guides all say the same: use bait, sleep at camp, or quit to the menu and continue, and the wildlife around you will reshuffle.

For 100% completion, according to GTABase, PowerPyx and Gamepressure, the Compendium needs at least 50 animals (out of 178) and 10 fish (out of 30), plus 10 horse breeds. You also need 5 legendary animals, all 10 Master Hunter challenges and Ms. L. Hobbs’ hunting requests. The full checklist is on the RDR2 100% completion page, and collectibles are in the RDR2 collectibles section.

Zoologist (study everything) and Skin Deep (skin everything that can be skinned) are the longest animal trophies, so work on them alongside your regular hunting.

Story mode has 16 legendary animals, from the Bharati Grizzly Bear to the Bullgator. Hunting opens in Chapter 2 after “Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego”, and each animal can be killed only once. A legendary pelt is always perfect and goes to the Trapper, while the Fence turns teeth, horns and claws into talismans and trinkets; the Buck Antler Trinket, for example, improves pelt quality. Locations, chapters and rewards are in the RDR2 legendary animals table. Horses have their own Compendium section; see RDR2 horses.

Online has the same habitats and wildlife but a different economy: carcasses and pelts can be turned into goods in the Trader role (Butcher’s Table, 15 gold bars). The main difference is the Naturalist role: Harriet Davenport’s Sample Kit in Strawberry costs 25 gold bars, and instead of killing animals you sedate them and take samples. More on the Red Dead Online page.