Kairuku

Creature

Group

Birds

Diet

Piscivore

Temperament

Friendly

Release Versions

223.0
Nov 12, 2015

729.0
Dec 16, 2015

501.0
Dec 6, 2016

1.0
May 24, 2018

599.0
Nov 30, 2018

311.74
Jun 11, 2020

678.15
Sep 1, 2021

Variants

Eerie Kairuku

Spawn Command

cheat summon Kairuku_Character_BP_C
or
cheat SpawnDino "Blueprint'/Game/PrimalEarth/Dinos/Kairuku/Kairuku_Character_BP.Kairuku_Character_BP'" 500 0 0 35
Variant Kairuku (Gauntlet2)
cheat summon Kairuku_Character_BP_STA_C
or
cheat SpawnDino "Blueprint'/Game/Genesis2/Missions/ModularMission/Gauntlet2/STA/Dinos/Kairuku_Character_BP_STA.Kairuku_Character_BP_STA'" 500 0 0 35

Domestication

Tameable

Rideable

Breedable

Yes

No

Yes

Torpor Immune

No

Taming Method

Preferred Kibble

Preferred Food

Preferred Food

Equipment

Hats

Humans Can Carry

Yes

Reproduction

Egg

Kairuku Egg

Incubation Range

22 - 30 °C / 72 - 86 °F

Egg Incubator: 26 °C / 79 °F

Incubation Time

1h 30m 54.109s

Baby Time

2h 48m 21.01s

Juvenile Time

11h 13m 24.041s

Adolescent Time

14h 1m 45.051s

Total Maturation Time

1d 4h 3m 30.102s

Breeding Interval

18h - 2d

Habitat

Common Rare
Untameable Cave

The Kairuku (Ky-roo-koo) is one of the Creatures in ARK: Survival Evolved.

Basic Info[]

Dossier[]

This section is intended to be an exact copy of what the survivor Helena Walker, the author of the dossiers, has written. There may be some discrepancies between this text and the in-game creature.

“

Species

Kairuku waitaki

Time

Late Paleogene

Diet

Piscivore

Temperament

Friendly

Wild

Kairuku waitaki is an amazingly docile and friendly creature, to everything but fish. Honestly, I'm not quite sure how Kairuku manages to stay populated across the Island's colder climes, with the many predators stalking these frozen lands. It is weak, and has only one small defensive trait: suspended in Kairuku blubber are small, dense particles that act as a light form of armor. Adding to Kairuku's problems, a clever survivor discovered that refining Kairuku blubber (concentrating the particles in it) can yield a natural form of the same Polymer utilized in advanced tribes' manufacturing processes. This has caused many tribes to hunt Kairuku extensively, a practice colloquially known as "Kairu Clubbing."

Domesticated

There is no reason to tame Kairuku for combat, since they are useless at it. Still, Kairuku are regularly tamed for their cuteness and friendly nature, and the fact that their bodies run extremely hot. Just standing near Kairuku can help keep a survivor stay warm through long, harsh nights on the icebergs.

„

~ Helena

Behavior[]

The Kairuku can be found on the mainland of the northwestern part of the island, or swimming in the waters surrounding them. They are sparse throughout the eastern shores of the island, often being hunted by dilos. They are passive creatures that will not attack anything. If they are attacked, they will attempt to flee. They can often be seen in small colonies consisting of individuals of various ages.

Appearance[]

Resembles a typical penguin in all aspects save for their long, pointed beak and wood stork-like head scales. Although clumsy and sluggish on land, they are excellent swimmers.

Color Scheme and Regions[]

This section displays the Kairuku's natural colors and regions. For demonstration, the regions below are colored red over an albino Kairuku. The colored squares shown underneath each region's description are the colors that the Kairuku will randomly spawn with to provide an overall range of its natural color scheme. Hover your cursor over a color to display its name and ID.

This information can be used to alter the Kairuku's regions by entering cheat SetTargetDinoColor <ColorRegion> <ColorID> in the cheat console. For instance, cheat SetTargetDinoColor 0 6 would color the Kairuku's "back and markings" magenta.

Region 0:
Back and Markings

13

14

20

22

24

27

34

35

Region 1:
Beak

14

19

21

23

28

30

32

33

36

Region 2:
Feet

13

14

20

22

24

26

27

29

31

33

34

35

Region 3 is not used
for this Creature.

Region 4:
Osteoderms

14

20

22

24

27

29

31

34

Region 5 is not used
for this Creature.

Drops[]

The younger the Kairuku is, the more prime meat (0-6) and Organic Polymer it drops. Using a Wooden Club will also increase the yield of Organic Polymer.

Base Stats and Growth[]

Attribute	Base Value	Level Increase		Taming Bonus
Attribute	Base Value	Wild	Tamed	Additive	Multiplicative
Health	95	+19	+5.4%	0.07
Stamina	200	+20	+10%
Oxygen	N/A	N/A	N/A
Food	900	+90	+10%		15%
Weight	70	+1.4	+4%
Melee Damage	8	+0.4	+1.7%	14%	17.6%
Movement Speed	100%	N/A	+1%	200%
Torpidity	300	+18	N/A	0.5

For a comparison of the stats of all creatures, see Base Creature Statistics.
For an explanation of exactly how the levelup calculation works, see Creature Stats Calculation.

Movement [u/s]	Base Speed			Sprinting Speed			Stamina
Movement [u/s]	Wild	Tamed¹	Tamed²	Wild	Tamed¹	Tamed²	Stamina
Walking	70	?	?	147	80.85	242.55	4
Swimming	450	?	?	?	?	?	?

¹These are the base speeds of the creature at 100% Movement Speed.
²These are the speeds of the creature tamed and non-imprinted.
For a comparison of the speeds of all creatures, see Base Creature Speeds.

Attack Values
Melee	Stamina Cost	Attack Range			Description
	Stamina Cost	Base	Minimum	Activation	The Kairuku pecks at the target.
	0	80	0	125	The Kairuku pecks at the target.
Attack Type	Damage	Projectile Values			Torpor Values		Status Effect: Stamina			Status Effect: Torpidity
Attack Type	Damage	Life	Impulse	Radius	Base	Mult	Duration	Damage Mult	Amount	Duration	Damage Mult	Amount
Melee	8

Wild Stats Level-up

Type in values of a wild creature to see on which stats it's emphasized. Green values on a high-level creature are very good for breeding. If you have already tamed your creature you can try to recover the breeding stats with an external tool.^[1]

Kairuku

The stat-calculator does not work in the mobile-view, see here for alternatives: Apps

Note that after the creature is tamed it gets bonuses on some stats depending on the taming effectiveness. This makes it hard to retrieve the levels on a tamed creature, so this tool is only for wild ones, but gives a first impression, how well the stats are distributed.

Taming[]

Level 1					Time
Basic Kibble	1	0	0	0	0:00:36
Raw Mutton	2	0	0	0	0:01:07
Cooked Lamb Chop	4	0	0	0	0:02:14
Raw Prime Meat	3	0	0	0	0:01:41
Cooked Prime Meat	5	0	0	0	0:02:47
Raw Prime Fish Meat	6	0	0	0	0:01:41
Raw Meat	7	0	0	0	0:03:54
Cooked Prime Fish Meat	11	0	0	0	0:03:09
Cooked Meat	13	0	0	0	0:03:37
Raw Fish Meat	16	0	0	0	0:04:27
Cooked Fish Meat	32	0	0	0	0:04:27
KO: × 30; × 13; × 4; × 2; × 2; × 1
Torpidity-depletion: 1 / s, Time until all torpidity is depleted: 00:05:00

Level 30					Time
Basic Kibble	2	0	0	0	0:01:12
Raw Mutton	4	0	0	0	0:02:14
Cooked Lamb Chop	7	0	0	0	0:03:54
Raw Prime Meat	5	0	0	0	0:02:47
Cooked Prime Meat	9	0	0	0	0:05:00
Raw Prime Fish Meat	11	0	0	0	0:03:04
Raw Meat	13	0	0	0	0:07:14
Cooked Prime Fish Meat	22	0	0	0	0:06:17
Cooked Meat	26	0	0	0	0:07:14
Raw Fish Meat	32	6	2	1	0:08:54
Cooked Fish Meat	64	6	2	1	0:08:54
KO: × 83; × 34; × 10; × 6; × 4; × 2
Torpidity-depletion: 1.67 / s, Time until all torpidity is depleted: 00:08:14

Level 60					Time
Basic Kibble	3	0	0	0	0:01:47
Raw Mutton	6	0	0	0	0:03:21
Cooked Lamb Chop	10	0	0	0	0:05:33
Raw Prime Meat	7	0	0	0	0:03:54
Cooked Prime Meat	13	0	0	0	0:07:13
Raw Prime Fish Meat	17	0	0	0	0:04:44
Raw Meat	20	6	2	1	0:11:07
Cooked Prime Fish Meat	33	0	0	0	0:09:26
Cooked Meat	39	4	1	1	0:10:51
Raw Fish Meat	49	30	8	4	0:13:37
Cooked Fish Meat	98	30	8	4	0:13:37
KO: × 137; × 56; × 16; × 9; × 7; × 4
Torpidity-depletion: 2.17 / s, Time until all torpidity is depleted: 00:10:28

Level 90					Time
Basic Kibble	4	0	0	0	0:02:23
Raw Mutton	7	0	0	0	0:03:54
Cooked Lamb Chop	13	0	0	0	0:07:13
Raw Prime Meat	9	0	0	0	0:05:01
Cooked Prime Meat	18	0	0	0	0:10:00
Raw Prime Fish Meat	22	0	0	0	0:06:07
Raw Meat	27	30	8	4	0:15:01
Cooked Prime Fish Meat	44	5	2	1	0:12:34
Cooked Meat	53	28	7	4	0:14:44
Raw Fish Meat	66	65	17	9	0:18:21
Cooked Fish Meat	132	65	17	9	0:18:21
KO: × 191; × 78; × 22; × 13; × 9; × 5
Torpidity-depletion: 2.63 / s, Time until all torpidity is depleted: 00:12:05

Level 120					Time
Basic Kibble	5	0	0	0	0:02:58
Raw Mutton	9	0	0	0	0:05:01
Cooked Lamb Chop	17	0	0	0	0:09:27
Raw Prime Meat	11	0	0	0	0:06:07
Cooked Prime Meat	22	0	0	0	0:12:13
Raw Prime Fish Meat	28	0	0	0	0:07:47
Raw Meat	33	55	15	8	0:18:21
Cooked Prime Fish Meat	55	26	7	4	0:15:42
Cooked Meat	66	55	15	8	0:18:21
Raw Fish Meat	83	107	28	14	0:23:04
Cooked Fish Meat	165	106	28	14	0:22:56
KO: × 245; × 100; × 28; × 16; × 12; × 6
Torpidity-depletion: 3.05 / s, Time until all torpidity is depleted: 00:13:21

Level 150					Time
Basic Kibble	5	0	0	0	0:02:58
Raw Mutton	11	0	0	0	0:06:07
Cooked Lamb Chop	20	0	0	0	0:11:06
Raw Prime Meat	14	0	0	0	0:07:47
Cooked Prime Meat	27	7	2	1	0:15:00
Raw Prime Fish Meat	34	0	0	0	0:09:27
Raw Meat	40	91	24	12	0:22:14
Cooked Prime Fish Meat	67	55	15	8	0:19:08
Cooked Meat	80	91	24	12	0:22:14
Raw Fish Meat	100	156	41	21	0:27:47
Cooked Fish Meat	199	154	41	21	0:27:39
KO: × 299; × 122; × 34; × 19; × 14; × 7
Torpidity-depletion: 3.46 / s, Time until all torpidity is depleted: 00:14:24

Note that the values are for optimal cases, always bring extra supplies!
For a level-dependent count of resources needed, try an external taming calculator.

KO Strategy[]

The Kairuku has low health and high torpor, making it very difficult to knock one unconscious without killing it. An engram-quality bow or a Longneck Rifle with Tranquilizer Darts are recommended, as the former deals damage in smaller increments, allowing for easier control, and the latter deals low damage and high torpor.
Once attacked, all Kairuku in the area will attempt to flee, but their slow speed makes it easy to keep up with them so long as they do not reach the water.

Combat[]

This section describes how to fight against the Kairuku.

General[]

Kairukus are harmless creatures that can be easily killed by any player. They provide great amounts of material for a small fight, so attacking them can be very beneficial to a player of any level.

Strategy[]

Since it is incapable of fighting back, any battle is purely one-sided in favor of the player. It is possible to take a Kairuku down to tame using tranq arrows, however, the guaranteed way to knock one out is with tranquilizer darts shot from a longneck. Do not try to knock out a Kairuku with another dinosaur for the Kairuku will die very quickly.

Weaponry[]

Kairukus can be easily killed with bare hands. Anything that does greater damage will simply make the process faster. Often, simply walking over them with a mount that applies crush damage(Rex, Spino, Giga, Bronto, etc.) will kill them, sending their bodies rolling to the side.

Dangers[]

Fighting Kairukus is not dangerous as they cannot possibly hurt the player. However, due to the cold climate in the Snow Biome, it is recommended to wear Fur Gear while fighting them. Also make sure to not chase them into bigger dinosaurs that are dangerous, like Sabertooths or a pack of Direwolves. Its biggest threat however is the fact that if you kill it you have to live with the soul crushing guilt of having done so. (the same can be said with Dodo)

Weakness[]

Kairukus are slow, have low health and don't fight back.

Utility[]

Roles[]

Organic Polymer: Killing and harvesting a Kairuku will produce organic polymer. Surprisingly, the best tools for this are the Wooden Club and Chainsaw (Scorched Earth). Having a male and female Kairuku results in the ability to breed them, producing a baby that can be killed and harvested for polymer and also prime meat, which is cruel but effective.
Storage Container: Kairukus make great storage boxes for any light weight materials like fiber or hide. Pretty much anything you will have a huge quantity of stacks and don't want to make multiple containers for. They can sit on top of your smithy for easy access (Level weight). Kairukus make especially better storage boxes compared to other small dinos for two main reasons: their diet is one of the easiest to satisfy (a nearby trough with any meat) and they provide an insulation bonus to cold when you are close to them making any cold base locations more manageable without having to actively do anything.
Water Combat: While helpless on land, a swarm of trained Kairuku can be quite an effective escort underwater. A dozen or more set to follow a player and defend them can take out any sea creature due to their agility and speed underwater. Most effective when their melee, speed, and stamina are leveled up. The swarm movement is truly beautiful to watch. You will need to be a conscientious shepherd as individuals can get stuck in rock formations or in coastal areas.
Egg Farm: Kairuku can make a good egg farm for smaller creatures if you do not wish to waste greater kibble on such creatures.
Pet: Due to their cuteness, they are definitely a survivor's favorite.
Fisher:
Damage:

Passive Abilities[]

Insulation - Standing next to a Kairuku provides 26 Hypothermic insulation, which decreases based on your distance from it, up to about 1 foundation horizontally or 1 wall vertically. Standing next to multiple Kairuku will compound the effect.

Collectibles[]

Spotlight[]

Notes/Trivia[]

For information pertaining specifically to the real-world Kairuku, see the relevant Wikipedia article.

Dossier revealed on 9/14/15 on Steam.^[2]
Kairuku's genus name means "diver who returns with food" in Māori.
The Kairuku is the first creature in the game to have babies in the wild.
Kairuku can be picked up by anything that has the ability to carry(baby, juvenile, adolescent and adult).
The Dossier states that hunting Kairukus is a practice called "Kairu Clubbing." This is most likely a satirical reference to seal clubbing (which is the hunting of seals for their pelts and blubber without them putting up a fight), because both animals are small, blubberous, and found in cold climates.
K. waitaki is the same name as the type species of genus Kairuku. All other animals in the game share only the generic name with their real-life counterparts.
Since the v241, The best way to move them is to pick them up in your hands and toss them, but you can't hold a tool or weapons while doing so.
If you do tame a Adolescent or younger wild Kairuku (likely through the use of Tripwire Narcotic Trap or ForceTame), you won't be able to imprint on them when the timer finishes.
Kairuku are able to wear helmets like the Gigantopithecus and Mesopithecus
- Will Wear the Flak Helmet on a backwards Pitch due to the face mask on the helmet.
Real world penguins breathe air and hold their breath underwater, but Ark's Kairuku don't use oxygen.

Changelog[]

Patch	Changes
223.0	Kairuku is added to the game
223.1	Reduced Organic Polymer yield from Clubbing a Kairuku by 40%
261.0	Removed Kairuku from the Snow Cave on The Island Fixed Kairuku spawns in singleplayer.
262.0	Kairuku now only spawn on icebergs and snowy coasts on The Island
293.100	With the new kibble rework, Kairuku now has a favored kibble, Basic Kibble. Base taming affinity effectively increased by 30%

Gallery[]

References[]

↑ ARK Smart Breeding
↑ Jat (14 September 2015). "Introducing the Kairuku!". Announcements. ARK: Survival Evolved Steam Community. Retrieved September 30, 2015.

[1] ARK Smart Breeding

[2] Jat (14 September 2015). "Introducing the Kairuku!". Announcements. ARK: Survival Evolved Steam Community. Retrieved September 30, 2015.

[1]

[2]