[Top 10] Ark: Survival Evolved Most Useful Dinosaurs (and How to Get Them)

1. Doedicurus (Best for Harvesting Obsidian and Stone, and Transporting Resources)

How to Get Doedicurus

The Doedicurus is one of The Island’s non-aggressive herbivores, generally found on mountains and grasslands. Large and well-armored, it has a supply of fat under its plates to keep it warm and fed in the cold.

What Makes Doedicurus Great?

• This is a very docile dinosaur, making taming it an easier task. 
• The Doedicurus’ spiky tail is perfect for quickly harvesting stone and obsidian.
• The Doedicurus is very hard to kill due to its armor plating. 
• When the Doedicurus’ health drops to a certain point, it will roll into a ball, making it extremely difficult to kill and making it take significantly less damage.

Doedicurus Details

2. Therizinosaurus (Best for Gathering Berries, Thatch, Wood, and Meat)

How to Get Therizinosaurus

It is surprisingly slow for its size and is a solitary creature (so no pack to back it up). I suppose the fact that its sheer power rivals Tyrannosaurus is the only thing that allows this very aggressive medium-sized herbivore to thrive on the island.

What Makes Therizinosaurus Great?

• The Therizinosaurus is great at removing trees and foliage from its path due to it’s large claws. 
• They are incredibly adept at collecting berries, thatch, wood, hide, and fiber in large quantities.
• The Theri is amazing for hunting and fighting, as their large claws deal damage multiple times per attack.

Therizinosaurus Details

3. Argentavis

How to Get Argentavis

Lording over the skies, Argentavis Atrocollum has few aerial rivals. It is a small consolation for The Island’s other avian creatures, then, that Argentavis seems to have little interest in anything alive.

What Makes Argentavis Great?

• Argentavis may be slower than most other flying creatures in Ark, but it has a significantly higher amount of stamina.
• The Argentavis is easily one of the best choices for traveling or hauling things through the air since it can stay in the air up to three times longer than Ark’s other flying dinosaurs.
• The Argentavis is great at assisting with taming smaller dinosaurs as well. It can carry smaller creatures in its talons, meaning you can take smaller dinosaurs to safer places to tame them. 
• The Argentavis’ saddle also acts as a mobile Smithy, making it far easier to craft on the go with this great flying beast.

Argentavis Details

4. Quetzal

How to Get Quetzal

From afar, it’s hard to believe that Quetzalcoatlus is the largest avian on The Island. It shares a similar silhouette with the Pteranodon, but upon closer inspection, is a far more enormous creature.

What Makes Quetzal Great

• The Quetzal is great for being used as a carrier to move long distances. With it’s ability to house an entire base on it’s back, it can carry a large amount of dinosaurs, crafting tables, and resources.
• The quetzal is great for transporting farming dinosaurs to places they can be used to save time, as well as bringing a forge to make your metal farming much faster.
• The quetzal can stay in the air for an extended period of time, and fly from one end of the map to the other with ease.

Quetzal Details

5. Rex

How to Get Rex

Arguably the deadliest creature on The Island, Tyrannosaurus Dominum is a killing machine. Active mostly when hunting for food or defending its nest, a good plan is to avoid every Tyrannosaurus.

What Makes Rex Great?

• The Rex is great for battling due to its extensive amount of power.
• Unlike the Giga, which is a larger predator in Ark, the Rex can be taken into boss fights.
• Compared to most other predators, The Rex’s health and stamina are both much higher. 

Rex Details

6. Mammoth

How to Get a Mammoth

This behemoth towers over many creatures on The Island, and doesn’t seem to fear anything but the Tyrannosaurus. I’ve seen them stomp would-be predators out of their way. Mammoths can grab and throw things with their powerful trunks, and manage a fearsome trumpeting roar within them as well.

What Makes the Mammoth Great

• The Mammoth can charge through foliage and trees and collect berries, wood, thatch and fiber with ease and in very large amounts.
• Mammoths can survive well in the cold and have a high amount of health.
• Mammoths are able to lift and carry survivors and other animals.
• The Mammoth makes a great tank due to it’s faster speed than the Bronto or Diplo, and the fact that it is more portable.

Mammoth Details

7. Ankylosaurus

How to Get Ankylosaurus

Unlike many of the herd animals on The Island, Ankylosaurus Crassacutus tends to live in small family units. I believe they can afford to stick with smaller groups because of their incredibly thick skin, for which they’re named. 

What Makes Ankylosaurus Great

• The spike-ridden Ankylosaurus has a large club for a tail, which makes it perfect for harvesting stone, metal, obsidian, and even crystal. 
• The Anky is extremely slow, which makes it an easy target for taming.
• The Anky’s spiked tail also makes a great weapon if you are to be attacked while you are out collecting resources. 

Ankylosaurus Details

8. Carnotaurus

How to Get Carnotaurus

Carnotaurus Pressor is a distinctive creature that falls between a medium and large predator. It lives primarily on flat, clear ground where it can capitalize on its speed. Additionally, it seems to have no qualms about running away from larger predators rather than fighting. 

What Makes Carnotaurus Great

• The Carno has a couple of sharp spikes on its head that are great for hunting, rather than collecting meat and hide. 
• The Carno has a crazy amount of speed, making tracking or chasing other prey a much easier task. 
• The Carno has a long down-time where it must regain stamina after sprinting toward or away from other creatures. This makes it a less rounded mount, but still a great one for fast travel.

Carno Details

9. Ichthyosaurus

How to Get Ichthyosaurus

Ichthyosaurus Curiosa is a comparatively small carnivore found in the shallows around The Island. It’s slightly larger than a human, but that’s still compared to the Leviathans roaming these waters. It seems to be very interested in any creature around it’s size, often approaching and following humans swimming through its waters with a friendly nudge.

What Makes Ichthyosaurus Great

• The Ichthyosaurus is arguably one of the best mounts for someone starting to explore The Island’s waters. 
• They are exceptionally fast swimmers, and can travel underwater at great speeds, compared to the slower, yet more fierce Megalodon.
• It can take you to the depths of the ocean in seconds, allowing for easy pearl harvesting, and can get you away from nearly any underwater predator with ease

Ichthyosaurus Details

10. Beelzebufo

How to Get Beelzebufo

Beelzebufo Palucocus is the largest frog I’ve ever seen. Almost impossibly large, it can actually fit a full-grown human adult on its back, though just barely. This is a dangerous prospect, though, as secretions from Beelzebufo’s skin and saliva have a narcotic effect on most creatures.

What Makes Beelzebufo Great

• Beelzebufo’s long tongue makes it amazing at killing insects, which makes it a perfect mount for venturing through The Island’s swamp biomes, and an excellent crafting mount. 
• The Beelzebufo actually turns its prey into cementing paste.
• This massive frog is one of the best taming mounts, as its tongue has the ability to actually torpor prey, knocking them out with ease. This not only saves you time, but it also saves you resources and narcotics. 

Beelzebufo Details

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