A viral joke, "The first one goes to Blathers," from social media reveals a key sentiment of Animal Crossing: New Horizons players: every first catch belongs as a donation to the island's museum, curated by everyone's favorite owl. Whether or not a player is a completionist, having a full and complete museum can be a point of pride and show the effort the player has put into making their island home. The Museum collections are a great way for players to learn about nature and find purpose in the calming in-game acts of fishing, bug catching, and digging for treasures.
Many of the creatures that players donate to Blathers and the Museum are seasonal, making it a little more challenging for players to complete their exhibits. Moreover, developers are adding new content to Animal Crossing all the time, like the new sea creatures that came with the July update. As the game grows, the Museum tends to grow with it. At the time of writing, there are 80 fish and 40 sea creatures for players to find and donate, with more likely to arrive in future updates. Still, players can theoretically complete their Fish Gallery of the Museum right now with every available sea-dweller. Here are all 120 fish and sea creatures a player will need to catch right now to complete the Fish Gallery of the Museum.
All Fish Needed to Complete the Museum in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
There are 80 fish that have been introduced to Animal Crossing: New Horizons so far. Each of these has its own unique active times, habits, and seasons. To catch them all, players will either need to wait for the proper season or time travel within the game. Here is every fish players will need to catch and donate to complete the Museum:
- Anchovy
- Angelfish
- Arapaima
- Arowana
- Barred Knifejaw
- Barreleye
- Betta
- Bitterling
- Black Bass
- Blowfish
- Blue Marlin
- Bluegill
- Butterfly Fish
- Carp
- Catfish
- Char
- Cherry Salmon
- Clown Fish
- Coelacanth
- Crawfish
- Crucian Carp
- Dab
- Dace
- Dorado
- Football Fish
- Freshwater Goby
- Frog
- Gar
- Giant Snakehead
- Giant Trevally
- Golden Trout
- Goldfish
- Great White Shark
- Guppy
- Hammerhead Shark
- Horse Mackerel
- Killifish
- King Salmon
- Koi
- Loach
- Mahi-mahi
- Mitten Crab
- Moray Eel
- Napoleonfish
- Neon Tetra
- Nibble Fish
- Oarfish
- Ocean Sunfish
- Olive Flounder
- Pale Chub
- Pike
- Piranha
- Pond Smelt
- Pop-eyed Goldfish
- Puffer Fish
- Rainbowfish
- Ranchu Goldfish
- Ray
- Red Snapper
- Ribbon Eel
- Saddled Bichir
- Salmon
- Saw Shark
- Sea Bass
- Sea Butterfly
- Sea Horse
- Snapping Turtle
- Soft-shelled Turtle
- Squid
- Stringfish
- Sturgeon
- Suckerfish
- Surgeonfish
- Sweetfish
- Tadpole
- Tilapia
- Tuna
- Whale Shark
- Yellow Perch
- Zebra Turkeyfish
Players will want to keep an eye on the months certain fish will swim away. They will also want to watch for new fish added in future updates.
All Sea Creatures Needed to Complete the Museum in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Sea creatures are a new addition that arrived with Wave 1 of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons summer update. There will likely be more to arrive in future updates.
Right now, only players in the Northern hemisphere (or who change their device's location) can catch these creatures. Here is every sea creature players will need to dive for and donate to complete the Fish Exhibit in the Museum:
- Abalone
- Acorn Barnacle
- Chambered Nautilus
- Dungeness Crab
- Firefly Squid
- Flatworm
- Gazami Crab
- Giant Isopod
- Gigas Giant Clam
- Horseshoe Crab
- Lobster
- Mantis Shrimp
- Moon Jellyfish
- Mussel
- Octopus
- Oyster
- Pearl Oyster
- Red King Crab
- Scallop
- Sea Anemone
- Sea Cucumber
- Sea Grapes
- Sea Pig
- Sea Pineapple
- Sea Slug
- Sea Star
- Sea Urchin
- Seaweed
- Slate Pencil Urchin
- Snow Crab
- Spider Crab
- Spiny Lobster
- Spotted Garden Eel
- Sweet Shrimp
- Tiger Prawn
- Turban Shell
- Umbrella Octopus
- Vampire Squid
- Venus' Flower Basket
- Whelk
Players wanting to collect them all will need to purchase a Wet Suit from Nook's Cranny or Resident Services. These cost 3,000 bells but are well worth the investment for the host of new content.
What Happens When the Museum is Complete in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Right now, players may be disappointed to know there is no reward for completing the Museum. Blathers will express his gratitude for a player's generous donations, but not much else happens. Some players hope Animal Crossing: New Horizons will reintroduce the Museum gift shop, where players can sell duplicates of the creatures in the exhibits. Others hope a possible reward for collecting every possible item in the game arrives in future updates.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available for the Nintendo Switch.