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New Fish and Bugs in May: What's arriving and leaving this month in Animal Crossing New Horizons

What's coming - and going - from New Horizons this month.

With the seasonal nature of the game, new Fish and Bugs come and go from Animal Crossing: New Horizons on a monthly basis, which means you can expect to see different creatures, including sea creatures, around your island compared to April and, the next month, June.

For completionists hoping to complete the Museum and get all Golden Tools, ensuring you have caught at least one of every Fish and Bug type is one of the most important activities in the game.

Though the Critterpedia explains when creatures come and go, you won't know this information unless you have caught them first.

Which is why this page - which explains all new Fish and Bugs for May, as well as all Fish and Bugs leaving by the end of the month - might come in handy.

On this page:

New Animal Crossing fish and bugs arriving in May

Each month, at least one new fish, bug and sea creatures will appear around your island in New Horizons.

Catching these will help you complete both the Critterpedia and the various exhibits in the Museum, so it's good idea to always know which have arrived to help you get a head start.

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It should be noted that the following only apply to the northern hemisphere.

All new fish arriving in Animal Crossing: New Horizons in May:

Animal Crossing FishMonths available Times available LocationFish Price
AngelfishMay to November4pm to 9amRiver3000
BettaMay to November9am to 4pmRiver2500
CatfishMay to October4pm to 9amPond800
FrogMay to August24 hoursPond120
Giant TrevallyMay to October24 hoursPier4500
Mahi-MahiMay to October24 hoursPier6000
Nibble FishMay to September9am to 4pmRiver1500
RainbowfishMay to November9am to 4pmRiver800

All new bugs arriving in Animal Crossing: New Horizons in May:

Animal Crossing BugsMonths available Times available LocationBug Price
Banded DragonflyMay to October8am to 5pmFlying around4500
Diving BettleMay to September8am to 7pmOn ponds and rivers800
Great Purple EmperorMay to August4am to 7pmFlying around3000
PondskaterMay to September8am to 7pmOn ponds and rivers130
Queen Alexandra's BirdwingMay to September8am to 4pmFlying around4000
Rosalia Batesi BeetleMay to SeptemberAll dayAppears on a tree stump3000
ScorpionMay to October7pm to 4amOn the ground8000
Violin BeetleMay to June
September to November
All dayAppears on tree stumps450

All new sea creatures arriving in Animal Crossing: New Horizons in May:

Animal Crossing Sea CreaturesMonths available Times available Sea Creature Price
Sea UrchinMay to September24 hours1700
Slate Pencil UrchinMay to September4pm to 9am2000
Gigas Giant ClamMay to September24 hours15000
Vampire SquidMay to August4pm to 9am10000
Spotted Garden EelMay to October4am to 9pm1100

The Animal Crossing 2.0 update and Happy Home Paradise is here! We can help you with the new additions - including where to find Brewster, Gyroids, new villagers, ordinances, new fences, storage shed, new hairstyles, Froggy Chair, group stretching and Kapp'n boat tours. Cooking is now unlockable, so you need to know how to make both flour and sugar, as well as how to grow carrots, potatoes and tomatoes. Meanwhile, if you're new to Animal Crossing, our New Horizons tips can help with the basics. From the off, there's fish and bugs to catch, flowers and fruit to grow with. One long term goal is building your Happy Home Academy score. Finally, you need tools such as the new ladder and vaulting pole to fully explore.


Animal Crossing fish and bugs leaving in May

Perhaps more pressing than new fish arriving are those disappearing from the island. This is particularly important as once they're gone, they won't be back for some time.

Though some will come back every few months, often it can take until the same season the following year for them to reappear - which is quite the wait if they are the last one or two you need to complete your Critterpedia or Museum.

You're running out of time to find an Oarfish...

Of course, if you miss a fish or bug it isn't the end of the world - it just means you will have to be patient!

Our respective fish list, sea creatures list and bug list pages also offer advice on how to catch some of the harder to get varieties which appear in these lists. Ultimately, you should aim to catch them sooner in the month than later - you don't want a mad scramble and late nights to ruin what should otherwise be a tranquil Animal Crossing experience.

It should be noted the following only apply to the northern hemisphere.

All Animal Crossing fish leaving at the end of May:

Animal Crossing FishMonths available Times available LocationFish Price
Golden TroutMarch to May
September to November
4pm to 9amClifftop river15000
LoachMarch to May24 hoursRiver400
OarfishDecember to May24 hoursSea9000

All Animal Crossing bugs leaving at the end of May:

None - hurrah!

All Animal Crossing sea creatures leaving at the end of May:

Animal Crossing Sea CreaturesMonths available Times available Sea Creature Price
Turban ShellMarch to May
September to December
24 hours1000
Umbrella OctopusMarch to May
September to November
24 hours6000
Dungesness CrabNovember to May24 hours1900

Hope you get everything you need in time. If you want to look further ahead in the year, or want to know about the gaps in your Critterpedia, our respective fish list, sea creatures list and bug list pages display every species available in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

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