ARK: Survival Evolved

Free tool

ARK Breeding Calculator: Incubation and maturation times

Use the ARK Breeding Calculator to calculate incubation or gestation time, maturation time and imprints for 128 ARK: Survival Evolved species with your own server rates. It's free, requires no account and runs directly in your browser. For example, at 1× rates, a Rex takes 5h 0m to incubate and 3d 20h 36m to mature, with 11 imprints spaced 8h 0m apart.

Built by Justin Schüssler

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Species

Hatch Speed

Server rate for incubation/gestation.

Growth rate

Server rate for baby/juvenile/adolescent.

Cuddle interval

Smaller = more frequent imprint windows.

Select a species above to see the result.

Imprint values are a common approximation based on the game's standard cuddle interval formula; the actual count may vary by ±1. Applies to ARK: Survival Evolved (not ARK: Survival Ascended). Your values may differ with Mods or custom server configurations.

Example result

Here's what the ARK Breeding Calculator results look like

You choose a species and your server rates. The calculator shows incubation or gestation time, maturation time for each growth phase, and imprint windows. The example below is for a Rex at 1× rates; your values depend on the species and rates.

Example · Rex (Tyrannosaurus) · all server rates 1×

Incubation time: 5h 0m
Total Maturation Time: 3d 20h 36m
Imprint interval: 8h 0m
Imprints: 11×; 9.1% imprinting per cuddle

How maturation time is distributed

Maturation time consists of three growth phases, each divided by your server’s growth rate.

Phase	Duration with Rex (1×)
Baby	9h 16m
Juvenile	1d 13h 2m
Adolescent	1d 22h 18m

How it works

How to use the ARK Breeding Calculator

No download, no account: select a species, enter your server rates and see incubation time, maturation time and imprints.

Step 1

Search for and select a species

Type a name into the “Species” field, such as Rex, Wyvern or Therizinosaurus, and select the species from the list. The calculator will then show a result.

Step 2

Enter hatch speed

Enter your server's hatch speed (EggHatchSpeedMultiplier). It applies to egg incubation and gestation. For default rates, leave the value at 1.

Step 3

Enter maturation speed

Enter the maturation speed (BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier). It shortens the Baby, Juvenile and Adolescent stages.

Step 4

Adjust cuddle interval

If your server changes the cuddle interval (BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier), enter its value. A lower value means more frequent imprint opportunities.

Step 5

Read result

You can see the total maturation time, incubation or gestation time, and the duration of each growth stage. Below that are the mating cooldown, egg temperature range, number of imprints and percentage per cuddle, and the imprint interval. Some species also have a note.

Step 6

Compare with 1×

“Reset to 1x” sets all rates back to 1×. Your selected species stays the same, so you can compare your values directly with the default rates.

Background

ARK server rates, imprinting and breeding times explained

Three server rates determine how long incubation, maturation and imprinting take. Here's how the breeding calculator uses them and what else it shows you.

Hatch speed (EggHatchSpeedMultiplier)

Shortens egg incubation and mammal gestation. The calculator divides the species' base time by this value, so at 2×, incubation time is halved.

Maturation speed (BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier)

Divides the duration of the Baby, Juvenile and Adolescent stages. It also shortens the imprint interval by the same proportion, so the number of imprints stays the same.

Cuddle interval (BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier)

Determines the time between imprints, starting from 8 hours at 1×. A lower value gives you more imprints, each contributing a smaller share of the 100%.

Incubation or gestation

83 species in the calculator lay eggs; 45 species, such as Direwolf, Thylacoleo and Mammoth, become pregnant. The result is therefore labeled incubation time or gestation time, depending on the species.

Egg temperature

For egg-laying species, the calculator shows the temperature range in °C, such as 32–34 °C for Rex, 5–6 °C for Quetzal or −90 to −80 °C for Rock Drake. This value does not apply to mammals.

Breeding cooldown

The time you must wait after mating before you can breed again: 18h–48h for most species and 36h–96h for Maewing. The calculator shows the species' default value; your server rates do not change it.

Special cases

Species with special breeding requirements

For Wyvern, Rock Drake, Maewing, Ferox and Achatina, the calculator shows a note directly below the result. Two species are intentionally excluded.

Wyvern: Mating is disabled in unmodded ARK: Survival Evolved; eggs come from wild nests. The times in the calculator apply to such an egg.
Rock Drake: You can only get your first one from a wild egg in an Aberration nest. After that, two tamed Rock Drakes can mate normally.
Maewing: You usually get one from an egg drop (loot, fishing, Alpha kills). Two Maewings breed normally, with a mating cooldown of 36h–96h.
Ferox: Both parents must be in their small form, and the female needs an addiction level of at least 95% for mating to begin.
Achatina: It has no gender, and successful breeding produces two babies from one pregnancy.
Reaper King and Rhyniognatha are intentionally excluded because they do not reproduce through normal mating with eggs or pregnancy.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions about the ARK Breeding Calculator

Quick answers about incubation, maturation, server rates, and imprinting in ARK.

For your selected species, the breeding calculator calculates incubation or gestation time and total maturation time, broken down into Baby, Juvenile and Adolescent stages. It also shows the mating cooldown, the egg temperature range for egg-laying species, the number of imprints and percentage per cuddle, and the imprint interval. The calculator is free, requires no account and runs directly in your browser.

Three values: hatch speed (EggHatchSpeedMultiplier) for incubation and gestation, maturation speed (BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier) for Baby, Juvenile and Adolescent, and cuddle interval (BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier), where a lower value means more frequent imprint opportunities. The default for each is 1×. “Reset to 1x” resets the rates but keeps your selected species.

At 1× rates, the Rex egg takes 5h 0m to incubate, followed by 3d 20h 36m to mature. During that time, there are 11 imprints spaced 8h 0m apart, each contributing about 9.1%. Doubling hatch and maturation speeds halves incubation and maturation times.

The mating cooldown is shown in the result. For most species, it is 18h–48h; for Maewing, 36h–96h; and for Castoroides, 18h–1d 15h 40m. The calculator shows the species' default value, which is not affected by the server rates you enter.

The calculator shows how many imprints your baby gets and what percentage each cuddle contributes. A higher maturation speed shortens maturation time and the imprint interval by the same proportion, so the number of imprints stays the same. To get more imprint opportunities, you need a lower cuddle interval; each cuddle then contributes less. These values are a common approximation based on the game's default cuddle interval formula and may differ by ±1 imprint.

That depends on the species. The calculator shows the temperature range in °C directly in the result, such as 32–34 °C for Rex, 80–90 °C for Wyvern and −90 to −80 °C for Rock Drake. Mammals such as Direwolf and Thylacoleo do not lay eggs, so the calculator shows gestation time instead.

No, the values are for ARK: Survival Evolved. Your times may also differ with Mods or custom server configs.

Some species can't be bred normally, such as Wyvern and Rock Drake (the first egg comes from a wild nest), Maewing (egg drop), Ferox (only in small form with a high enough addiction level), or Achatina (asexual, two babies per gestation). The calculator shows a note about this with the result.

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