Sea of Thieves animal locations: Where to find chickens, pigs, snakes, and how to catch them

So you want to achieve Legendary status with the Merchant Alliance? For that you'll need to get cozy with the Sea of Thieves animals, including pigs, chickens, and even bitey snakes. They don't all appear on every island though, so use our guide to ensure you don't waste a minute sailing and snatching up the animals. Oh and watch out for those snakes, they really don't like being caged like that.

If you're wondering where to find certain kinds of Sea of Thieves animals, this guide walks you through all of it. And it needs to be mentioned that particular colors of animals, like golden chickens or black pigs, for example, are not to be found so reliably, as they drop according to some of the game's procedurally generated content, so what's important here is to know which islands play home to which animals. Once you get there, you'll either be lucky or need to try a neighboring island with the right animals. With that caveat out of the way, here's everything else you need to know about where to find animals in Sea of Thieves.

Where to find Sea of Thieves' chicken coops, pig crates, and snake baskets

Each kind of animal can only be caught with its own special container: chicken coops, pig crates, and snake baskets. You have to carry them with both hands just like treasure chests, and you can't sprint with them, which is a bit annoying. Even more annoying? The only reliable way to get a hold of these containers is to undertake a Voyage for the Merchant Alliance, then head back to a Merchant rep and requisition your allotment of crates and coops and so on. Don't forget to do this before you sail away from the outpost! You can even abandon the Voyage after grabbing the stuff if you just want the crates. Empty animal containers wash up on islands, too, but they're rare and tough to spot while half-buried.

Chickens all cooped up in Sea of Thieves.

Where to find chickens in Sea of Thieves

You wouldn't think it, but chickens - white feathered chickens, red-speckled chickens, all chickens - are probably the hardest-to-find trade animal in Sea of Thieves. They can't fly, no, but they have a remarkable talent for never showing up when you want them to, or hiding on the other side of an island that you can't see. If you've scanned an island with your spyglass and still aren't sure whether there's any poultry to be had, your best bet is to disembark and stroll around while listening. Chickens ain't quiet: they cluck regularly, rustle their feathers when startled, and even crow at sunrise. If you want to skip the searching, here's a list of islands that I've verified with my un-patched eye to be fowl-friendly. I'll add more as I find them.

Sea of Thieves chicken locations

Tri-Rock Isle
The Crooked Masts
Mermaid's Hideaway
Wanderers Refuge
Scurvy Isley
Crook's Hollow
Shipwreck Bay
Barnacle Bay
Cannon Cove
Marauder's Arch
Old Faithful isle
Thieves' Haven
Twin Groves

How to catch chickens and care for them

Pick up your chicken coop, run after your fowl target, and hold RT as you keep it in view. Voila, caged chicken! Don't get disoriented and grab the wrong one, though, because there's no easy way to remove a chicken from its coop. Fortunately, after all that searching and chasing you'll find that chickens are the easiest animal to care for; just keep their cages above water and they're good as gold. Don't worry, they (and all the other animals) can tolerate brief submersion while you're on the way to and from your boat.

Where to find pigs in Sea of Thieves

Pigs are fairly abundant and their larger size and distinct trotting gait make them the easiest animal to spot without leaving your ship. Once you're on the island, you'll hear them oink and squeal just like your old See 'n Say toy told you. There're tales that all the pigs in this pirate's paradise smell faintly of crispy bacon, but alas, Sea of Thieves' lack of smell-o-vision makes this legend impossible to prove. Here are some islands where you're sure to find some pigs - I'll keep adding more as I verify them.

Sea of Thieves pig locations

Sunken Grove
Shark Tooth Key
Crescent Isle
Mermaid's Hideaway
Snake Island
Devil's Ridge
Fool's Lagoon
Lone Cove
Blind Man's Lagoon
Cannon Cove
Kraken's Fall
Old Faithful Isle
Paradise Spring
Rum Runner Isle
Sea Dog's Rest
Thieves' Haven

How to catch pigs and care for them

With your pig crate in hand, run down on one of the noisy little trotters while holding RT and keeping them centered in your view. Unfortunately, catching them is the easy part - pigs are total pigs, you see, and they'll starve if they're not fed regularly. Very regularly. With your cherished, life-giving bananas. If you hear one squealing extra-hard, give it a banana and that should quiet it down for a while. Oh, and try to keep them above water too. Pigs aren't amphibious!

Where to find snakes in Sea of Thieves

Snakes are the smallest of the three trade animals but they're easy enough to find - they helpfully keep their heads up in the "ssss hey what are you doing over there ssss" position at all times. They also hiss up a storm whenever you get anywhere near them, so don't worry about walking past unawares. I've spotted more than a few slithery little friends in my travels, here are the verified locations so far.

Sea of Thieves snake locations

Sunken Grove
Liar's Backbone
Lagoon of Whispers
Kraken's Fall
The Crooked Masts
Snake Island
Devil's Ridge
Wanderers Refuge
Lone Cove
Crook's Hollow
Black Sand Atool
Booty Island
Castaway Isle
Crooked Masts
Cutlass Cay
Discovery Ridge
Isle of Last Words
Lonely Isle
Marauder's Arch
Old Faithful Isle
Picaroon Palms
Sandy Shallows

How to catch snakes and care for them

Grab your snake basket, find a snake, then put the basket down. If you rush the snake, it'll plant its non-existent feet and spit poison at you! Take out an instrument instead and play the scaly little so-and-so a tune. It'll calm down and even start swaying to the music, aw! Then you're safe to put the snake in the basket (hold the basket then hold RT on the snake) and run it back to your boat. Do keep your hurdy-gurdy at the ready for when it inevitably gets agitated again. The good news is that snakes don't need any food, and they make great burglar alarms for your hold full of treasure! They do need air though, so watch out for flooding.