Our Dinkum Critters Catching Guide we'll explain what critters are, where to find them and what to do with them once you’ve caught them!
What is a Critter in Dinkum?
Critters are any small creatures that you can snag when diving underwater. They’re not fish and cannot be caught by use of the Fishing Pole, you do need to physically get in the water and dive, even if the critter is just on the square next to you. There’s a total of 19 different critters to find in Dinkum throughout the seasons.
Dinkum Critter Catching Tricks and Tips
Through exhaustive trial and error, we’ve cooked up a few critter catching tips to help you make the most of your expedition.
First, clear the area of any potential predators before you set out. Mainly, this is keeping an eye out for nearby sharks and crocodiles, which can and will attack you while you’re in the water, but if you’re next to an area heavily populated by emus and Tasmanian devils, or any other land predators, we recommend getting rid of those too. Additionally, keep an eye out for jellyfish that tend to lurk in the sea. If you're near enough to spear one and get it out of the way, you can also get a nice reward of Jelly for doing so.
Critter catching is easier on days when it’s not raining. The rain hitting the water further obscures your vision and makes it harder to see what’s under the surface, which is normally blurry anyway. It's also important to note that critters count towards your level of fishing skill, rather than your level of foraging skill.
A good rule of thumb is if it’s not moving, it’s probably a critter. Critters can move small distances in the game, but if it’s wiggling about it’s probably a fish or a plant. If it’s staying mostly still, it’s a critter. This applies to both the ocean and to the inland waters.
While you’re on the lookout for critters, also keep an eye out for anything sparkly. Underwater sparkles usually indicate a pearl that you can dive and Harvest. Pearls sell at John’s store for 5,000 apiece, which is a nice supplement to your income. You can also get Pearl Picker milestones the more you collect.
List of Dinkum Critters
Here's a list of Dinkum Critters that you can catch in the game.
Bay Bug
- Habitat - Everywhere
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter
- Bay Bug Sell Price: 4,540
Biscuit Sea Star
- Habitat - Northern oceans and southern oceans
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter
- Biscuit Sea Star Sell Price: 1,200
Black Sea Cucumber
- Habitat - Northern oceans and southern oceans and rivers
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Autumn/Winter
- Black Sea Cucumber Sell Price: 12,540
Blue Mussel
- Habitat - Northern oceans and southern oceans
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter
- Blue Mussel Sell Price: 799
Blue Sea Slug
- Habitat - Northern oceans and southern oceans
- Time Found - Evening
- Season - Winter
- Blue Sea Slug Sell Price: 12,540
Cushion Sea Star
- Habitat - Northern oceans and southern oceans
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Spring
- Blue Mussel Sell Price: 2,540
Eleven Armed Sea Star
- Habitat - Northern oceans and southern oceans
- Time Found - Morning
- Season - Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter
- Eleven-Armed Sea Star Sell Price: 8,540
Fresh Water Mussel
- Habitat - Rivers
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter
- Fresh Water Mussel Sell Price: 800
Fresh Water Prawn
- Habitat - Rivers
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter
- Fresh Water Prawn Sell Price: 1,540
Inland Crab
- Habitat - Rivers
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter
- Inland Crab Sell Price: 740
King Prawn
- Habitat - Northern oceans and southern oceans
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter
- King Prawn Sell Price: 3,540
Mud Crab
- Habitat - Rivers
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Summer/Autumn
- Mud Crab Sell Price: 4,540
Pink Sea Urchin
- Habitat - Northern oceans and southern oceans
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter
- Pink Sea Urchin Sell Price: 1,540
Purple Mottled Crab
- Habitat - Northern oceans and southern oceans
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Summer
- Purple Mottled Crab Sell Price: 440
Purple Sea Urchin
- Habitat - Northern oceans and southern oceans
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Spring
- Purple Sea Urchin Sell Price: 8,040
Spiny Sea Urchin
- Habitat - Northern oceans and southern oceans
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter
- Spiny Sea Urchin Sell Price: 640
Tiger Prawn
- Habitat - Northern oceans and southern oceans
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter
- Tiger Prawn Sell Price: 1,540
White Yabbie
- Habitat - Rivers
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter
- White Yabbie Sell Price: 980
Yabbie
- Habitat - Everywhere
- Time Found - Morning/Day/Evening
- Season - Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter
- Yabbie Sell Price: 1,899
What To Do With Critters in Dinkum
Once you’ve caught a bunch of critters in Dinkum, what then? Well, you have a couple of options.
After you’ve set John up with his store and you have a rotating set of visitors to the island, Theodore will eventually come by and express his desire to set up a museum on the island. Either in the tent or in the museum, you can donate critters to Theodore’s collection in exchange for Permit Points. However, he only takes one of each type, but once the museum is open you can go and see the critters in the exhibits, which is pretty cool.
Critters can also be sold to John for various prices if you’re looking for some extra funding for your next island project. Not all critters are worth a ton of money and each individual one does take up a separate slot in your backpack or toolbar, just like bugs.
Finally, critters can be requested by various people as part of daily requests or on the bulletin board. We recommend keeping a spare set of some common critters handy so you don’t have to go searching for a White Yabbie every time someone decides to ask. Fortunately, unlike bugs they can be kept in storage containers and chests rather than their own habitats. Critters can also be used in photography requests, but you will need to find them in the wild to complete these.
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That's it for our Dinkum Critters guide! If this helped, there's more below!