In the expansive wilderness of ARK: Survival Evolved and ARK: Survival Ascended, the Procoptodon stands out as an incredibly versatile marsupial. Often referred to by players as the giant kangaroo, this prehistoric creature offers remarkable mobility and unique pouch mechanics that aid in breeding other dinosaurs. Securing one for your tribe requires a solid understanding of its strict dietary preferences during the initial taming process and throughout its domestic life.

The Preferred Foods for Taming a Procoptodon

Unlike standard herbivores that graze on basic berries, the Procoptodon has a highly specialized appetite when being tamed. Its absolute favorite food item is the rare mushroom, which provides the highest taming efficiency and reduces the time required to complete the process. Surviving survivors should prioritize gathering these fungal items from swamp trees or giant beaver dams before initiating the knockout phase.

If rare mushrooms are difficult to source in your current region, plant species x seeds serve as an excellent alternative. While these seeds are slightly less efficient than mushrooms, they still provide significantly better results than standard island vegetation. Utilizing these top-tier resources ensures your new companion awakens with the maximum possible bonus levels intact.

Berries and Alternative Maintenance Foods

Once a kangaroo is successfully domesticated, its daily dietary requirements become much easier for survivors to manage. In your base, adult individuals will happily consume standard berries such as mejoberries, tintoberries, and amarberries from a nearby feeding trough. This transition allows players to conserve their rare mushrooms for advanced crafting recipes or future taming endeavors.

It is important to note that while berries keep an adult healthy, they are incredibly inefficient during the initial taming process. Attempting to tame a wild specimen with berries will severely drop the efficiency bar and extend the process for several hours. Therefore, you should always stock your inventory with the preferred specialized options before hunting for a high-level target.

The Critical Role of Food in Raising Babies

Breeding these marsupials introduces unique mechanics that depend heavily on a steady and accessible food supply. A juvenile procoptodon consumes an enormous amount of resources during its initial growth phases before it can use standard feeding troughs. Tribemates must manually monitor the infant's inventory and keep it stocked with fresh berries to prevent starvation.

Furthermore, the unique pouch mechanic allows a female kangaroo to carry a baby, which drastically reduces the food consumption rate of the offspring. This biological advantage makes the maturation process much safer and less resource-intensive for growing tribes. Utilizing an adult female to shield developing infants ensures a much higher success rate during demanding breeding cycles.