All 5 Cuddlefish egg locations, how to hatch one in Alien Containment, every interaction, and the Man's Best Friend achievement.
Subnautica Cuddlefish — All Egg Locations and How to Hatch One
The Cuddlefish is the only companion in Subnautica: a small, grey, bioluminescent creature that only exists by hatching one of five hidden Cuddlefish Eggs in an Alien Containment, then follows you around, plays high-fives and magic tricks, and waits about 20 real-life minutes to hatch. This guide covers all five egg locations, the hatch process, every interaction including the "Say Farewell" scene at the end of the game, and the achievements tied to it.
Here's what you'll learn:
- All 5 Cuddlefish Egg locations, from the easiest to the riskiest
- Exactly how to hatch one (Alien Containment, incubation time)
- Every interaction: follow commands, high fives, tickling, magic tricks
- The "Man's Best Friend" achievement and the end-game farewell
- Why Cuddlefish can't breed (and why that matters)
Official resources: Steam store page · Official Subnautica Wiki — Cuddlefish · Official Subnautica Wiki — Cuddlefish Egg · Wikipedia — Subnautica
How to Get a Cuddlefish
The Cuddlefish has no wild spawns — the databank literally says "Strangely this species has not been encountered in the wild, and the scanned specimen had to be artificially hatched within an alien containment unit." There are five Cuddlefish Eggs hidden around the map, and each hatches into exactly one Cuddlefish per save file. The process:
- Build an Alien Containment in your base (blueprint from the Floating Island Degasi habitat or the Grand Reef Degasi base; parts: 2 Titanium + 1 Glass + 1 Titanium Ingot — the Alien Containment page has the exact recipe).
- Find an egg at one of the five locations below.
- Pick it up (it's an inventory item, size 1) and place it in the Alien Containment.
- Wait for incubation — roughly one in-game day, about 20 real minutes per the official Cuddlefish page.
- Name it. When the egg hatches you get a prompt to name your Cuddlefish, and it becomes a permanent companion for that save.
The Cuddlefish is the only real "pet" mechanic in the game, and it only pays off if you have it for most of the run. Grab the easiest egg (the Northwestern Mushroom Forest caves) within the first few hours and let it hatch while you do everything else.
All 5 Cuddlefish Egg Locations
Egg locations verified against the official Cuddlefish Egg page and the community map at subnauticamap.io:
| # | Location | Biome | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwestern Mushroom Forest Caves | Mushroom Forest | Easy — swim the caves near the seafloor; no predators |
| 2 | Northeastern Mushroom Forest Caves | Mushroom Forest | Easy — same cave system, other side of the forest |
| 3 | Deep Grand Reef Degasi Seabase | Deep Grand Reef | Medium — inside the Degasi habitat; Crabsquids and Ghost Leviathan juveniles nearby |
| 4 | Lost River Laboratory Cache | Lost River (Ghost Canyon) | Hard — inside the Precursor cache; deep, cold, Ghost Leviathans patrol |
| 5 | Dunes Sinkhole | Dunes | Hard — a sinkhole in Reaper Leviathan territory; only go late-game |
The Dunes sinkhole egg sits in the middle of one of the most Reaper-heavy zones on the map. Players who rush it in the early game routinely lose a Seamoth. If you want all five, take the Cyclops or Prawn Suit, bring decoys, and go at the end of the run — see the Cyclops guide for how to survive Reaper territory.
What the Cuddlefish Actually Does
Once hatched, the Cuddlefish is a passive follower with 10,000 health (tied with the Reefback for the most HP of any killable creature — it is effectively unkillable in normal play). From the official wiki behavior notes:
- Follows you everywhere — including into the deep biomes — and teleports to you if it gets too far away. You can't lose it.
- Follow toggle: press RMB (right-click) to make it stop following, and again to make it follow.
- Play interactions (LMB): the Cuddlefish performs a high five, gets tickled, and shows you a magic trick — the famous "where did it go" vanish-and-reappear animation.
- Chirps: it communicates with a series of chirps and chirrups; the databank notes it "seems to understand the concept of other minds" — the game's nod to true sentience.
- "Say Farewell": after you build the Neptune Escape Rocket Cockpit, an interaction appears that lets you say farewell — the Cuddlefish wraps a tentacle around your hand and rests its head on it. It's the emotional gut-punch of the ending.
Per the official Cuddlefish databank entry: "Assessment: Emotional connection between living creatures is an essential component of psychological health."
Achievements and Quirks
- "Man's Best Friend" — the achievement for hatching a Cuddlefish for the first time.
- Cuddlefish can't breed. Unlike every other fish in the game, two Cuddlefish in an Alien Containment will not reproduce — the only fauna with that rule.
- Cuddlefish can't be fed to the Bioreactor (hatched ones, anyway) — it's the only creature in the game that can't be used as bioreactor fuel. The eggs can.
- Size 2x2 — it takes up a quarter of the Alien Containment floor.
- Bug warning: playing with your Cuddlefish while standing inside a base piece can clip it through a wall and get it stuck. Free it with a Propulsion Cannon or by building a Moonpool — the official wiki bug list has the details.
The "play" animation is notorious for clipping the Cuddlefish through walls if you're standing inside a base component when you trigger it. If it vanishes into a wall, a Propulsion Cannon or an adjacent Moonpool usually unsticks it — and no, it won't die, but you also can't command it through geometry.
Is the Cuddlefish in Below Zero?
No — Below Zero replaced it with the Pengling, which you can hatch from eggs and feed with fish, but Penglings live at Delta Island, don't follow you into the ocean, and don't do high-fives. If you want the faithful underwater companion, it's the original game's Cuddlefish, full stop. For more on how Below Zero's creature set differs, see the Subnautica Below Zero map guide.
FAQ
Where are all the Cuddlefish eggs in Subnautica?
The five eggs are in the Northwestern Mushroom Forest Caves, the Northeastern Mushroom Forest Caves, the Deep Grand Reef Degasi Seabase, the Lost River Laboratory Cache, and the Dunes Sinkhole. The Mushroom Forest caves are the safest picks.
How do you hatch a Cuddlefish?
Build an Alien Containment, place the egg inside, and wait about one in-game day (~20 real minutes). When it hatches you're prompted to name it, and it becomes your permanent companion.
Can you get more than one Cuddlefish?
Yes — there are five eggs total, and each hatches a separate Cuddlefish. All five can live in the same containment, but note that they can't breed, so five is the maximum per save.
What does the Cuddlefish do in Subnautica?
It follows you, teleports to you when you're far away, responds to follow commands (RMB), and plays high-five, tickle and magic-trick animations on interaction. After building the Neptune Rocket cockpit you can "Say Farewell" for a special ending scene.
Can you breed Cuddlefish?
No. Unlike all other fauna, Cuddlefish don't reproduce in Alien Containment — the five eggs are a hard cap per save file.
Related Guides
- Subnautica Peeper — Locations, Food & Eye Facts
- Subnautica Monsters — Every Creature & Leviathan Explained
- Subnautica Sea Emperor — Story, Location & Blue Tablet
- Subnautica Mods Guide — Best Mods and How to Install
Last updated: August 13, 2026.
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