Subnautica 2 Creature Guide: Leviathans & Fauna Ranked

Updated 2026-10-14: rewritten after a fact check against the official Subnautica 2 wiki. The old version listed five Leviathans (the Coral Crab and Great Jaw aren't Leviathans), put the Collector, Hammerhead and Water Slug in a "Sparse Plains" starting biome that doesn't exist under that name, told you to abandon your Tadpole when a Shiver closes in, and recommended the Seaglide, which isn't in the game.

Subnautica 2 creatures by threat

The three Leviathans

The wiki lists three Leviathan species, and only two will hurt you. Our Leviathan guide covers them in depth.

The Collector is a 110m squid. Two patrol the map: one in the Intermediary Basin trench you cross to reach the Overgrown Ruins, one above the Karakorum Metal Farms. It grabs Tadpoles, eats divers, and reaches into crevices with its tentacles. Surfacing may make it lose interest; flares and the Camouflage biomod also work. Full breakdown in our Collector guide.

The Shiver appears the moment you cross the Early Access barrier into the Void: an 89m female who doesn't attack, and three 39m males who do. A male kills a diver in one grab and can crush a Tadpole. They won't follow you out of the Void, so the escape is to turn back, ideally in your sub. More in the Shiver guide.

The Deepwing Brooder is harmless. Brooders travel in lines of three around the map's edge, up to 28m long, and produce Deepwing Egg Clumps, one of the best foods in the game. See one, follow it.

Image: Subnautica 2 key art (Unknown Worlds)

The Great Jaw: big, but not a Leviathan

The Great Jaw is a 62m clam, classed as a mollusc, anchored in the Dolerite Spires at about 100m on the south-west edge of the map. It works like a Venus flytrap: trigger the sensory structures in its core and the shell closes on you and floods you with neurotoxin. There are fragments and raw materials inside, and the wiki's route in is the hole on the west side, squeezing between the tendrils. Early Access 1.2 stopped players building bases inside it. Our Great Jaw guide has the loot run.

Predators you'll actually meet

Marrowbreach. A big aggressive shark-like predator found across Coral Gardens: the Shallows, the Plateaus and the Graveyard. The first one is at Camp One, where the game tells you you're being hunted. Hotfix 3 made its hits hurt more but spaced its attacks out. This is the creature the Sonic Resonator's 10-second stun is for.

Nibbler Mango. Blue with yellow stripes, aggressive, bites for 5. They circle before attacking, and Hotfix 3 made them slower, less perceptive, and more sensitive to the Multitool, while raising their damage. Hit one with the Multitool and it flees. Scan one for Slow Metabolism.

Hammerhead. Rust-colored, territorial and defensive rather than hunting you down. It lives in Coral Gardens and the Lead Zone, is drawn to flares, and since Hotfix 3 no longer attacks unpiloted Tadpoles. Throw a flare and leave. Scanning it gives Homing Sense.

Screenshot: Subnautica 2 (Unknown Worlds)

Fauna worth scanning

Coral Crab. A passive forager hiding under a coral dome in the Dolerite Spires; dead ones litter the Graveyard and South Raceway. Scan a live one for Water Retention.

Water Slug. A tiny immobile slug found everywhere. Eat it for +15 water (and -5 food) once you have the Digestion adaptation; without it, you take damage. Scan it for Water Secretion.

Acid Raion. An anchored brain-shaped organism in Shallows caves. Cut its three pouches off with the Multitool before you take the Medical Gel Sac in the middle, or it sprays you with acid.

Every creature scan feeds the Biomod system; our Biomod guide covers what each one does.

How to handle a creature that notices you

1. Leviathan? Don't fight. Surface (Collector) or leave the Void (Shiver).
2. Marrowbreach? Stun it with the Sonic Resonator as it turns toward you, then use the 10 seconds to break line of sight or reach the Tadpole.
3. Nibblers? Swing the Multitool; most creatures flee from a hit.
4. Hammerhead? Throw a flare away from you and move out of its territory.
5. Great Jaw? Don't touch the core. If you're inside, you've already lost.

Our weapons guide has the full toolkit.

Our take

Subnautica 2's fauna is less dangerous than its reputation. Outside the Collector's trench and the Void, a Sonic Resonator and a flare handle almost everything. The creatures are worth seeking out rather than avoiding, because the Biomods they unlock are half of your progression. Why none of them can be killed is its own story; see our immortal creatures explainer.

Frequently asked questions

Are Leviathans killable in Subnautica 2? No. They can't be killed and must be avoided. Nothing you carry hurts fauna: the Multitool can't harm it and the resonators only stun.

What Leviathans are in Subnautica 2? Three species: the Collector, the Shiver and the passive Deepwing Brooder.

What is the most dangerous creature in Subnautica 2? The Shiver males, but only past the Early Access barrier. In normal play, the Collector and the Marrowbreach.

Which creatures give Biomods when scanned? Collector (Sonic Echo), Nibbler Mango (Slow Metabolism), Hammerhead (Homing Sense), Coral Crab (Water Retention) and Water Slug (Water Secretion), among others.

Is the Great Jaw a Leviathan? No. It's an anchored mollusc in the Dolerite Spires.

Related Reading

• Subnautica 2 Biomes Guide: where each creature lives.
• Subnautica 2 Co-op Guide: scanning with a bait player.
• Subnautica 2 Oxygen Survival Guide: staying alive long enough to swim away.
• Subnautica 2 Base Building Guide: a safe base away from the predators.
• Subnautica 2 Complete Guide Hub: every Subnautica 2 guide.

References

• Subnautica 2 Wiki: Collector Leviathan, Shiver Leviathan, Deepwing Brooder, Great Jaw, Marrowbreach, Nibbler, Hammerhead, Coral Crab, Water Slug, Acid Raion
• Hotfix 3 notes and Early Access 1.2 notes on Steam