With dozens of materials available in Ark: Survival Evolved, it can be hard to keep track of them. Some items only drop from specific dinosaurs, while others can be gathered from around the island. One of the materials that you will come across early in the game is chitin.

Related: Ark: Survival Evolved – How To Get Fiber

Chitin is a renewable resource that comes from creatures that have a hard exoskeleton, such as a shell or a beak. In this guide, we are going to go over everything you need to know about chitin. First, let's take a look at the available ways to gather this material.

How To Get Chitin In Ark: Survial Evolved

trilobite on beach
via [DBH] The Ancient/Steam

As mentioned above, chitin is part of a creature's exoskeleton. This means that to gather chitin, you need to find bugs and fish. Below, we will go over every creature that yields chitin, as well as where you can find them.

Creature

Where To Find Them

Achatina

  • Moist and damp biomes, such as swamps

Araneo

  • Deep in underground caves and caverns

Arthropluera

  • Deep in caves, feeding on carrion

Bloodstalker

  • Exclusive in Genesis Part 1 and 2
  • Cave walls and ceilings
  • Tree tops

Leech

  • Including Diseased Variation
  • Riverbeds

Dung Beetle

  • Caves and volcanic areas

Dunkleosteus

  • Oceans that surround the island

Eurypterid

  • Oceans that surround the island
    • On the ocean floor

Glowbug

  • Introduced in Abberation DLC
  • Everywhere on the Abberation map
  • You can easily spot the Glow bug due to the light they give off

Insect Swarm

  • Exclusive in Genesis Part 1 and 2
  • Everywhere in the bog biome

Karkinos

  • Introduced in Abberation DLC
  • Wanders around waters
    • lakebeds
    • beaches

Lymantria

  • Introduced in Scorched Earth DLC
  • Desert areas

Mantis

  • Introduced in Scorched Earth DLC
  • Caves and desert dunes

Meganeura

  • Moist, wooded areas such as jungles

Jug Bug

  • Oil
  • Water
  • Introduced in Scorched Earth DLC
  • Desert areas

Pulmonoscorpius

  • Caves
  • Warmer areas of the island

Titanomyrma

  • Wooded areas
  • This giant ant is easy to find and more often than not, they will find you first

Trilobite

  • Shallow water
  • Beaches

To efficiently gather chitin from these creatures, you should use a metal hatchet. With this tool, a slain creature will drop a fair amount of chitin.

Overall, there is a wide range of options for gathering chitin. If you aren't strong enough to go face to face with a Pulmonoscorpius, you can run along the water's edge and kill Trilobites.

Gathering With Creatures

dossier file page for Beelzebufo

In addition to slaying for chitin, tamed creatures can gather this material for you. Below, you can find every creature that will gather chitin.

  • Megatherium
  • Sabertooth
  • Therizinosaur
  • Beelzebufo
  • Direwolf
  • Thylacoleo
  • Argentavis
  • Carnotaurus
  • Giganotosaurus

For more information on taming creatures, be sure to check out our guide.

What To Do With Chitin

player in full chitin armor
via TEM187/Steam

Chitin is used in several crafting recipes, and can also be used as an alternative to keratin for certain recipes. Keratin is a material that drops from creatures with claws, hooves, scales, and horns. Let's take a look at all the crafting recipes for chitin below.

Crafting Recipes That Use Chitin

Item

Required Materials

Game Version

Chitin Boots

  • 12 Chitin
  • 6 Hide
  • 4 Fiber

Base Game

Chitin Chestpiece

  • 20 Chitin
  • 10 Hide
  • 4 Fiber

Base Game

Chitin Gauntlets

  • 10 Chitin
  • 5 Hide
  • 2 Fiber

Base Game

Chitin Helmet

  • 15 Chitin
  • 7 Hide
  • 3 Fiber

Base Game

Chitin Leggings

  • 25 Chitin
  • 12 Hide
  • 5 Fiber

Base Game

Aerial Symbiote

  • 100 Chitin
  • 15 Potent Dust
  • Neura Husk

Mobile Version

Chitlin As An Alternative For Keratin

player looking at a Argentavis with a saddle equipt
Argentavis with Saddle

In these recipes chitlin can be used as an alternative to keratin.

Item

Required Materials

Game Version

Araneo Saddle

  • 260 Hide
  • 140 Fiber
  • 100 Chitin, Keratin, or Shell Fragment

Base Game

Argentavis Saddle

  • 350 Hide
  • 185 Fiber
  • 150 Chitin, Keratin, or Shell Fragment

Base Game

Blood Extraction Syringe

  • 10 Hide
  • 1 Chitin, Keratin, or Shell Fragment

Base Game

Cementing Paste

  • 8 Stone
  • 4 Chitin, Keratin, or Shell Fragment

Base Game

Gacha Saddle

  • 350 Hide
  • 185 Fiber
  • 150 Chitin, Keratin, or Shell Fragment

Extinction DLC

Gasbags Saddle

  • 350 Hide
  • 185 Fiber
  • 150 Chitin, Keratin, or Shell Fragment

Extinction DLC

Kaprosuchus Saddle

  • 165 Hide
  • 120 Fiber
  • 65 Chitin, Keratin, or Shell Fragment

Base Game

Lymantria Saddle

  • 130 Hide
  • 125 Fiber
  • 95 Chitin, Keratin, or Shell Fragment

Scorched Eart DLC

Managarmr Saddle

  • 350 Hide
  • 185 Fiber
  • 150 Chitin, Keratin, or Shell Fragment

Extinction DLC

Pelagornis Saddle

  • 230 Hide
  • 125 Fiber
  • 75 Chitin, Keratin, or Shell Fragment

Base Game

Pteranodon Saddle

  • 230 Hide
  • 125 Fiber
  • 75 Chitin, Keratin, or Shell Fragment

Base Game

SCUBA Flippers

  • 12 Hide
  • 5 Fiber
  • 4 Silica Pearls or Silicate
  • 6 Cementing or Achatina Paste
  • 12 Chitin, Keratin, or Shell Fragment

Base Game

Silencer Attachment

  • 50 Metal Ingot
  • 5 Oil
  • 10 Hide
  • 20 Chitin, Keratin, or Shell Fragment

Base Game

Snow Owl Saddle

  • 350 Hide
  • 185 Fiber
  • 150 Chitin, Keratin, or Shell Fragment

Extinction DLC

Velonasaur Saddle

  • 350 Hide
  • 185 Fiber
  • 150 Chitin, Keratin, or Shell Fragment

Extinction DLC

That's everything you need to know about chitin. As you can see, chitin is an important early-game item. At higher levels, you may not need as much, but it's definitely a helpful material to have on hand so you can make cementing paste.

Next: The Most Powerful Bosses in Ark, Ranked