The ‘Far Cry 5’ Animals List: When to Tame, and When to Aim

Jeremy Ray
Games Xbox
Games Xbox PlayStation PC Gaming

We now have the first Far Cry game set in the USA, and along with Montana comes a host of new Far Cry 5 animals you’ll learn to either love, or hurriedly run away from.

Much has already been said about your pupper partner Boomer, as well as all of your controllable NPC allies. But what about all the other animals you’ll encounter?

It turns out, it’s quite finite which animals are tamable this time around, and you’ll have to complete quests to add them to your Fangs for Hire list.

But that doesn’t mean this series is finished. There’s still the possibility of DLC, so some of the gaps in the main game might be filled later on.

Bears

Both black bears and grizzly bears will be found in Far Cry 5‘s Montana, and we’ve already seen a black bear chasing some poor cultist in one of the trailers.

It seems important to the developers to maintain accuracy with what’s actually in Montana. It’s quoted as a reason fishing is in the game. This could be the sole reason there are two types of bears in the game, but it’s also possible the bears differ in how they behave.

Far Cry 5 animals black bear attacking human
Would you stop and open the door?

In real life, the curved claws of black bears allow them to climb trees, nullifying campers’ usual “bear bag” technique of keeping food safe. But could there be differences in aggression, or might one be more easily tamable?

Grizzly bears are bigger, but neither are a joke. Out of all the Far Cry 5 animals, these the toughest predators. But it’s also your toughest friend.

Far Cry 5 companions animals Cheeseburger

You can unlock a bear named Cheeseburger in the game, and it’s one of the most fun companions you can possibly have. Be sure to get over to the F.A.N.G. Center and do the Right to Bear Arms quest. You’ll need some salmon!

Grey Wolves/Coyotes

Sometimes you’ll hear these howling nearby as if they’re calling their buddies. Other times they’ll sneak right up on you.

I was about to jump into a plane on a riverside when completely out of nowhere, I started to take damage. It turned out to be not just one wolf, but about six of them. They had surrounded me without making a single sound.

Hey, I’m no zoologist. I couldn’t tell while fighting them off whether they were wolves or coyotes. But they did go down easier than in previous games, so they’re at least different to the wolves we’ve seen before. In times past, being surrounded by six wolves could’ve been a death sentence. Here, it was an annoying delay.

Far Cry 5 wolf coyote
Is it a wolf? Is it a coyote? Boomer's up for the challenge either way

Cougars

You very much can unlock a cougar as your friend, and we highly recommend it.

Say hello to Peaches, which you can unlock through the quest Here, Kitty Kitty. You’ll find it at Peaches Taxidermy at Henbane River.

Far Cry 5 companions animals Peaches cougar

Having a cougar around can be a great option when you want a furry friend that’s almost as deadly as a bear… but not nearly as noisy.

Bison

Another animal that’s tied, albeit somewhat tragically, to the American identity. The American bison (or buffalo) nearly went extinct through hunting and disease, and is only around today thanks to concentrated efforts.

This one’s not at all confirmed, so the question is both if there is bison, and how bison would be included.

It would be a kind of magical experience to witness a herd of bison in-game. While most bison in the world today are raised for meat and hides, there are rare, free roaming herds in existence. And you know what? One of those herds is on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana. This could, indeed, be a thing.

One thing’s for sure, this is one herbivore that won’t go down easy. When angry, a genetically pure bison can run up to 40mph (64kmph), and jump vertically up to 6ft (1.8m). They’re big, they’re fast and they’re agile. I still back a bear as the primary thing to be afraid of, but don’t underestimate these beasts.

Deer, Moose and Elk

All in the same family, though some will be more aggressive than others. Deer seem quite plentiful judging from the footage out in the wild, and you’ll likely see predators taking them down from time to time.

They’re not the scariest of the Far Cry 5 animals, but you should still get prepared to be charged once in a while by those massive antlers.

Fish

Ubisoft really wants you to like the fishing, and is making a big deal about this part of the game. It’s claiming the main reason is Montana is so good for it, and that might be true. It’s also quite possible the designers were looking for something a bit more relaxed to do in between all the gunfights and vehicle explosions.

Expect the game to make a big song and dance out of the size of river fish you catch, similar to the competitions it’s been holding at trade shows. There’s a lot to be said for pacing, even in an action game.

Far Cry 5 fishing hole
That's a different pupper. Intriguing.

Owls

Unfortunately, there’s no Beaks for Hire. Yet, anyway.

While these probably wouldn’t offer too much of a threat, owls could be a tough one to tame. They were tamable in Primal, and the benefits of having a more nimble aerial ally are self evident. If you thought Boomer was good at sniffing out and tagging enemies, imagine how good your skybound pal would be.

There are a handful of different owl species in the Montana region. Other birds we could see are hawks and geese. The developers have confirmed ducks in one of the trailers, which means get ready for duck hunting quests.

But I’m most excited about…

Bald Eagles

Alright, real talk. Ubisoft never mentioned the presence of a bald eagle in Far Cry 5. But you know what? It kinds of needs to be. In fact, it’d make sense if it were quite rare — as rare as they are in real life.

This is the first game set in America in a series that’s known for its wildlife. On top of that, the theme of this game is dripping in Americana — albeit a false, warped version of Americana in line with its false, warped version of religion. The symbolism alone is powerful.

Add to that the massive success of Senu in Assassin’s Creed Origins — the first game where you can actually be the eagle — and it would be very surprising to see Ubisoft not give the people what they want here.

Skunks

Just imagine the fun you could have with a skunk in an open world game like Far Cry 5. Just imagine the fun with a skunk in a land full of backwards cultists who deserve a good sprayin’.

One thing’s for damn sure, you’re not going to win any stealth missions if you’ve been sprayed recently by one of these. Maybe tomato juice will be a consumable? Maybe you’ll even be able to tame one and wield its stinky stream at will?

Will the cult ostracise someone who stinks too much? What happens if you spray the same person over and over? What happens if you spray the leader? I have so many questions. It’d practically be a subgenre of Youtube video.

Far Cry 5 animals bobcat lynx
Mid-sized cat alert. Must... Not... Try to pet...

Bobcats, Lynxes and Wolverines

There’s been a lot of conversation around whether the Far Cry 5 animals list will include honey badgers, and that’s not likely. What is bound to happen is some or all of the above animals causing trouble around towns in Far Cry 5.

One of the trailers shows a creature of around this size that could be a wolverine biting a man in the crotch. It doesn’t look like it tickled.

Far Cry 5 animal attack
As the jaws tightened around my crotch, I felt the need to clarify this species

Could that be a dog? It’s awfully thick. It seems… Wolveriney. Hmmm.

Cows, Sheep and Rodents

Less exciting, but you’ll definitely see cows, bulls, bighorn sheep, and various rodents like weasels around the place.

Far Cry 5 animals bull cow
We'll definitely see bulls, but will we see bison?

I’m not sure if taming these would have any value, but it might be funny. Who knows what the developers might come up with?

One thing’s for sure, while the bulls aren’t tamable, the game isn’t shy about getting you to harvest their testicles for quests.

We’ll update this post as more information on Far Cry 5 animals comes to light!

Jeremy Ray
Decade-long games critic and esports aficionado. Started in competitive Counter-Strike, then moved into broadcast, online, print and interpretative pantomime. You merely adopted the lag. I was born in it.