In Project Zomboid, survivors and zombies are not the only existing creatures. Besides, we also have animals, which play a role as food resources rather than our allies.
In this guide, we’ll show you the list of animals and their purposes in Project Zomboid.
Recommended Read: Can Zombies Break Walls in Project Zomboid?
Project Zomboid has 22 animals divided into 4 categories: mammals, birds, aquatic animals, and insects. These creatures can all be eaten to reduce hunger, but mammals, birds, and aquatic creatures offer the most nutrients, while insects are mainly used as bait.
Table of Contents
List of Animals and Their Purpose in Project Zomboid
Although the development team of Project Zomboid claims that they’ll release more types of animals in the next update, the exact time and version remain uncertain.
Therefore, this list will only give you the details of 22 animals in the current version of Project Zomboid (Build 41.78.16 on Steam).
Animals in Project Zomboid are categorized into 4 types:
- Mammals: Mouse, Rabbit, Rat, and Squirrel.
- Bird: Bird.
- Aquatic Animals: Little Bait Fish, Bass, Catfish, Crappie, Perch, Pike, Sunfish, Trout, Lobster, Oysters, Shrimp, and Squid.
- Insects: Worm, Cricket, Grasshopper, Cockroach, and Frog.
First, make sure you have a high level of trapping and fishing skills, as these skills are required to catch animals efficiently. Each type of animal has a different trapping strategy, skill requirements, and specific habitats to find.
Obviously, all animals can be consumed raw. However, we recommend cooking them in advance to avoid negative effects and unhappiness.
So without further ado, let’s go through the list of animals in Project Zomboid!
Mammals
Mammals in Project Zomboid include mice, rabbits, rats, and squirrels.
The mammal group is the most nutrient-dense group of all and serves only as a food source. Trapping is the best way to get these animals, although you can find them by looting.
1. Mouse
When consumed, a mouse provides 220 calories, 0.7 carbohydrates, 9.5 proteins, and 3.15 fat. Using a knife, you can transform mice into rodent meat used in various cooking recipes, such as soup, stew, salad, stir fry, roasted vegetables, sandwiches, burgers, savory pies, and more.
You have 2 options to get mice: set up mouse traps in trailer parks, towns, and farms, or search for them in ovens and kitchen counters.
2. Rat
A rat offers 324 calories, 40 proteins, and 16 fat when eaten. Just like mice, rats can be consumed raw or turned into rodent meat for cooking purposes.
They can be used as an ingredient in various recipes, including stew, salad, stir fry, roasted vegetables, sandwiches, burgers, savory pies, and more.
You can find dead rats on kitchen counters and ovens. Additionally, setting up mouse traps in trailer parks or farms is another way to obtain rats.
3. Squirrel
Squirrels offer 480 calories, 84.8 proteins, and 15 fat when consumed. They yield rodent meat, which is an ingredient in cooking recipes like the ones mentioned earlier.
To catch squirrels, you can use cage traps, snare traps, trap boxes, and wooden box traps in their habitat, such as forests and deep forest areas. Squirrels are active at night and are usually caught between 19:00 and 5:00.
4. Rabbit
Served as a food source, rabbits provide 1730 calories, 330 proteins, and 35 fat, making them the most nutritious type of meat in the game.
When butchered, they yield rabbit meat, a more substantial option compared to rodent meat. As mentioned earlier, this can be consumed directly after heating or used in various cooking recipes.
Rabbits are primarily trapped in forests and occasionally in urban areas with trap boxes, trap crates, snare traps, or cage traps. The ideal trap time is between 19:00 and 5:00.
Bird
A single bird provides 161 calories, 22 proteins, and 2 fat, with minimal 0.5 carbohydrates.
Once butchered, a dead bird yields small bird meat, a versatile ingredient for various dishes like soups, stews, and salads. Small bird meat can also be consumed directly to reduce 15 hunger.
Birds are available for trapping both day and night across all locations. When it comes to capturing them, stick traps are your only option.
Aquatic Animals
Aquatic animals make up half of the total animals in Project Zomboid.
What they have in common is relatively nutritious content, abundant numbers, and the ability to be found in various ways.
1. Little Bait Fish
As its name implies, little bait fish is the least nutritional fish, with 30 calories, 8.52 proteins, and 1.5 fat per unit. Therefore, using this fish as bait to catch pike rather than as a food source is recommended.
You can get little bait fish using a fishing net trap or fishing rod.
2. Bass, Catfish, Perch, Pike, Sunfish, Trout, and Crappie
While little bait fish serve as bait, other types of fish are nutrient-dense food sources.
Since they share many similarities, we will list their benefits in a table for quick and easy visual reference.
| Name | Calories | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bass | 184 | 30 | 5 | 4.2 |
| Catfish | 181 | 28 | 5 | 5.7 |
| Crappie | 111 | 12.2 | 5 | 4.2 |
| Perch | 111 | 12.2 | 5 | 4.2 |
| Trout | 219 | 32.56 | 5 | 5.5 |
| Sunfish | 111 | 12.2 | 5 | 4.2 |
| Pike | 207 | 38.13 | 5 | 5.37 |
The final product of all fish is fish fillet, which is a primary ingredient for almost all available cooking recipes.
Although there’s a chance of looting them in the bed of a fishermen’s truck, fishing is the sustainable way to acquire them.
Keep in mind that all types of fish have different sizes: Small, Medium, and Large. The higher your fishing and spear skill levels are, the larger fish you can catch.
3. Lobster
After placing lobster in an oven, you can enjoy it directly, giving 120 calories, 28 proteins, and 7 fat.
Additionally, lobsters play a central role in several cooking recipes like soups, stews, salads, stir-fries, and more.
It’s worth noting that lobsters cannot be fished or caught. Instead, they can be found in refrigerators.
4. Oysters
Oysters offer 15 calories, 22 proteins, 10 carbohydrates, and 4 fat when eaten.
Similar to lobsters, you can use oysters in several cooking recipes, such as soups, stews, salads, stir-fries, and more. Oysters cannot be fished or trapped. Instead, you must find them in refrigerators.
5. Shrimp
Moving on to shrimp, these small foods offer 80 calories, 10 proteins, and 7 fat. Shrimp can be cooked efficiently and are versatile in various recipes, including stews, burgers, pies, tacos, and more.
Generally, shrimp can be enjoyed after cooking, or you can enhance them by using baking soda and flour to create fried shrimp, which adds more calories and nutrition to your meal.
6. Squid
Squid provides 205 calories, 32.52 proteins, 1 carbohydrate, and 13 fat. Squid is an addition to a wide range of meat-based recipes, similar to the previous choices.
Moreover, squid can be eaten after cooking or transformed into squid calamari, which adds different nutritional values to dishes.
Insects
Insects in Project Zomboid are primarily acquired by foraging and looting, but it’s rarer to scavenge.
The mutual aspect of insects, except frogs, is their low nutritional value, making them appropriate for bait rather than being consumed.
1. Worm
Due to its poor nutrition (3 calories, 0 carbohydrate, 0.5 protein, and 0.1 fat), no players eat worms. Instead, they use worms as bait for trapping and fishing.
You can find worms by foraging (at least level 2 Foraging skill), digging grass tiles, or in composters.
2. Cricket
Crickets are small insects that are useful as fishing bait in Project Zomboid. Many fish, including bass, catfish, crappie, perch, sunfish, and trout, are attracted to crickets.
You’ll need a Foraging skill level of 4 to catch crickets, and you can find them in forests and vegetation-rich areas. However, you can’t find them in snowy regions.
3. Grasshopper and Cockroach
Grasshoppers and cockroaches, like crickets, serve as bait for birds and fish in Project Zomboid.
You can find grasshoppers and cockroaches while foraging in forest and deep forest areas, but make sure you possess at least level 6 Foraging skill. Besides, cockroaches can be found in bins or crates of rotten food.
Just like crickets, grasshoppers and cockroaches are unavailable during winter or in snowy environments.
4. Frog
Frogs are creatures you can find while foraging. Once butchered, frog meat provides 66 calories, 14.6 proteins, and 0.28 fat.
This meat can be cooked and enjoyed on its own or become a valuable ingredient in recipes like soups, stews, salads, stir-fries, and roasted vegetables.
Those are all the animals and their purpose in Project Zomboid.
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