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The subject of this article is from the Echoes update.
The information from this article is up-to-date as of 13 February, 2024

Genus is a fauna characteristic.

Summary[ | ]

Genus (pl. genera) is a characteristic of fauna in No Man's Sky. Unlike the procedurally-generated Family characteristic, the game's code references the Genus characteristic in determining where a species spawns. For example, the game will always spawn one butterfly species (genus Rhopalocera) and two predatory T-Rex species (genus Tyranocae) on "prehistoric planets." A genus is also restricted to one (or in some cases two) ecosystems, ie, "Aquatic" or "Subterranean."

Species & Family[ | ]

These groups appear to be isolated to one planet - a species or family will never appear on two different planets. The name for each creature contains two procedurally-generated parts: a unique Species name (the first half) and a Family name (the second half).

Families in No Man's Sky are much more broad than they are in Earth biology, but they do share some characteristics. For example, one family may all be water dwellers, and others seem to all be four-legged terrestrial creatures. Unlike "Genus" and "Species," "Family" is not an actual term used by the game code, but nonetheless a useful term to describe the identical name parts between some species.

Examples of Families and Common Traits[ | ]

  • Bahalbus - Passive, quadrupedal terrestrial species.
  • Ouisque - Beaked, flying bird-like species.
  • Sitalie - Fish-like species with stripes / spots.
  • Ubsans - Passive, quadrupedal terrestrial species.

Genus List[ | ]

Rarities listed represent the level listed for each genus in the game code, and not necessarily what is most often encountered during surveys. Note that each genus has a chance to spawn smaller or larger than average for their species. Smaller species may have a lower rarity while larger species will often have a higher rarity level. Many genus subtypes will also have a different rarity than regular members of their genus with those known being listed. Megafauna will always be found with a rarity of Rare.

Terrestrial Genera[ | ]

1 Although this genus does fly on occasion, it spends most of its time on the ground.

2 This genus can appear either above ground or in caves, but a specific species will be limited to one or the other. I.e., you may find a Blob in a cave, but it won't freely wander out from the cave.

Aquatic Genera[ | ]

Flying Genera[ | ]

  • Agnelis - Birds, common
  • Cycromys - ID says "FlyingLizard," the winged species that are much larger than Agnelis, common
  • Oxyacta - Wraiths / flying snake-like organisms, rare
  • Protocaeli - Protoflyers
  • Rhopalocera - Pygmy butterflies, Anomalous butterflies, Large butterflies, common

Pre-release information[ | ]

All creatures in No Man's Sky have been assigned a scientific name in the form of Genus species. Although similar, this naming convention appears to be assigned in a somewhat different manner than in our universe.

Example: a variety of creatures have been discovered that fall under the Ictaloris genus. All of them are water dwellers, and fish-like in form and shape. However, a species would only be given the same genus if they had developed on the same planet. It is more likely that the genus is being assigned based on the functionality and basic structure of the creature.

Genus[ | ]

The following genus names have been assigned in the pre-release version of the game:

  • Anastomus
  • Bos
  • Cleome
  • Enchus
  • Felidae
  • Ictaloris
  • Logallopa
  • Mphus
  • Nsoniscu
  • Odylus
  • Settacus
  • Tetraceris

Release history[ | ]

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