Where the animals live, which ones are dangerous, and how hunting, photography and peyote plants fit together.
What animals live in GTA 5?+
Around thirty species, from deer, coyotes and mountain lions in the hills to sharks, dolphins and whales off the coast.
Can I play as an animal?+
Yes. Eating a peyote plant transforms you into an animal, and the Director Mode casting menu includes unlocked animals on current platforms.
Is there a wildlife photography challenge?+
Yes. On current-gen versions, photographing all twenty target animals for the LS Tourist Board unlocks the Kraken submersible.
Where do I find the animals?+
Land animals live in the north of the map. Deer, coyotes, boars and rabbits are common in the forests and scrub around Mount Chiliad, Paleto Forest and the Grand Senora Desert, especially at dawn and dusk. Cougars stay in the remote mountains and dense forest. Birds are everywhere, with seagulls on the coast and hawks over the countryside.
Sea life needs a boat or a dive. Dolphins and stingrays stay near the coast, sharks and the orca patrol deeper water, and the humpback whale is only seen far offshore. Each animal page lists its habitat so you know where to look.
Which animals can kill you?+
The cougar is the one to fear on land. It stalks from cover and a single pounce is usually fatal, so listen for the growl and shoot first when you are hiking in the mountains. Boars charge when provoked but rarely kill. In the water, tiger sharks and hammerheads attack swimmers and can kill in one bite, and the orca is a predator too.
Everything else runs away. Dogs can bite if provoked, and the rest of the animals are ambient life you can watch, hunt or photograph.
How does hunting work?+
Trevor unlocks hunting after Cletus's Strangers and Freaks missions. You take the sniper rifle out into the wilderness, use the elk call to draw animals in and take clean shots, then photograph the kill and send it to Cletus for cash. Scores are higher for clean kills on rarer animals, and the activity is part of the 100% checklist.
Only the animals the hunting activity recognises count for scoring. The animal pages state which ones are hunting targets.
What are peyote plants and how do I play as an animal?+
Peyote plants are small cactus buds hidden around the map in the enhanced versions of the game. Eat one and you hallucinate yourself into an animal for a while, with the species decided by where the plant is: underwater plants make sea creatures, high plants make birds and ground plants make land animals. The animal pages say which ones have a plant. The humpback whale and the cow have none.
Sasquatch is the odd one out. Golden peyote plants appear only after full completion, at dawn in foggy or snowy weather, and they turn you into the beast.
What is the wildlife photography challenge?+
In the enhanced versions, the LS Tourist Board asks you to photograph twenty specific animals with the Snapmatic camera and send the photos in. Finishing the set unlocks the Kraken submersible, which also has its own spawn cheat afterwards.
The hard part is finding the rarer animals. The habitat notes on the animal pages tell you where each one lives and when it tends to appear, which cuts the search down a lot.
