New Bugs and Fish in December: Everything arriving and leaving this month in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
What can you catch in the final month of the year?
The year may finally be ending, but there's still new bugs, fish and sea creatures to catch on your island this December in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
If you manage to catch every fish and bug in New Horizons, you'll not only complete two Museum exhibits, but you'll also unlock two of the Golden Tool DIY recipes.
You'll discover exactly which creatures are arriving and leaving your island in December on this page, because the downside to the Critterpedia is it only lists the details of a creature after you've caught it, which can make completing your collection difficult.
There's a host of new bugs, fish and sea creatures to find this December, just like in November and the upcoming January, so read ahead to discover exactly what you should be catching!
On this page:
New Animal Crossing bugs, fish and sea creatures in December
Every month in New Horizons hails the arrival of new bugs, fish and sea creatures to your island.
Finding and catching these creatures will not only work towards completing both the Museum and your Critterpedia, but will eventually allow you to unlock both the Golden Fishing Rod and Golden Net DIY recipes. For these reasons, it's always a good idea to know exactly what's arriving on your island every month.
It should be noted that the following only applies to the northern hemisphere.
For the southern hemisphere, please check our dedicated bug, fish and sea creature guides.
All Animal Crossing bugs arriving in December:
| Animal Crossing Bugs | Months available | Times available | Location | Bug Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor Butterfly | December to March June to September | 5pm to 8am | Flying around flowers | 4000 |
| Rajah Brooke's Birdwing | April to September December to February | 8am to 5pm | Flying around | 2500 |
| Dung Beetle | December to February | All day | On the ground rolling snowballs | 3000 |
All Animal Crossing fish arriving in December:
| Animal Crossing Fish | Months available | Times available | Location | Fish Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pond Smelt | December to February | 24 hours | River | 400 |
| Stringfish | December to March | 4pm to 9am | Clifftop river | 15000 |
| Sea Butterfly | December to March | 24 hours | Sea | 1000 |
| Squid | December to August | 24 hours | Sea | 500 |
| Oarfish | December to May | 24 hours | Sea | 9000 |
All Animal Crossing sea creatures arriving in December:
| Animal Crossing Sea Creatures | Months available | Times available | Sea Creature Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lobster | April to June December to January | 24 hours | 4500 |
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 bugs, fish and sea creatures leaving in December
At the beginning of every month in New Horizons a number of creatures will leave your island's shores. Due this, it's a good idea to ensure that you've caught at least one of every creature that's visited your island. This way you won't have to wait months for them to return or risk time travelling.
When it comes to these departing creatures, we recommend trying to catch them at the beginning of every month, so that you don't feel under pressure at the end of the month.
We have a variety of bug, fish and sea creature hunting tips on our dedicated guides for these creatures in New Horizons, so check those out if you need any assistance.
It should be noted that the following only applies to the northern hemisphere.
For the southern hemisphere, please check our dedicated bug, fish and sea creature guides.
All Animal Crossing bugs leaving in December:
Nothing to worry about this month!
All Animal Crossings fish leaving in December:
| Animal Crossing Fish | Months available | Times available | Location | Fish Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pike | September to December | 24 hours | River | 1800 |
All Animal Crossing sea creatures leaving in December:
| Animal Crossing Sea Creatures | Months available | Times available | Sea Creature Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mussel | June to December | 24 hours | 1500 |
| Turban Shell | March to May September to December | 24 hours | 1000 |
| Spiny Lobster | October to December | 9pm to 4am | 5000 |
Our respective fish, bug and sea creature lists contain every species that can be found throughout the year in New Horizons if you'd like to learn more about which critters can visit your island.