5 rare animals in GTA Online and how to find them

GTA Online saw the inclusion of animals with The Chop Shop update in December 2023. Before that, wildlife was exclusive to Grand Theft Auto 5's single-player game mode, aka Story Mode. As part of the same multiplayer update, Rockstar added the Shoot Animals Photography Challenge, which requires taking a picture of 15 different beasts in the game. Now, these creatures have different spawn locations, and some are harder to find than others.

Using Snapmatic on the phone, players must take close-up photos of animals, making sure they are centered in the frame and free of any obstacles. When an image is taken successfully, gamers will get a request to email it to the LS Tourism Board, whose phone number is available as a contact.

Here's a list of some of the hardest-to-find animals, all of which the player needs to take pictures of during the wildlife photography challenge in GTA Online. Players should note that animals are exclusive to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of this game.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions.

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5 rare animals and their locations in GTA Online

1) Pigs

Pig locations for the Shoot Animals Photography Challenge (Image via GTAWeb)

Pigs aren't really hard to find in the game world unless you don't know where to look. These are mostly found in pig farms around Grapeseed, the small town north of the Alamo Sea. So this is the best location to look for them. That said, Alamo Shores, Harmony, and Sandy Shores are also good spots. There are some scattered areas across Great Chaparral where you can find pigs as well.

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2) Chicken Hawks

Chicken Hawk locations for the Shoot Animals Photography Challenge (Image via GTAWeb)

Chicken Hawks are most commonly seen flying over Blaine County and Martin Madrazo's Lock-up in the Grand Senora Desert. They are harder to find elsewhere but do spawn on the map in various other locations. Players can look for them at any of the spots marked in the picture above. Additionally, they can also occasionally be found around the Palomino Freeway near East Los Santos.

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3) Great Cormorants

Great Cormorant locations for the Shoot Animals Photography Challenge (Image via GTAWeb)

Great Cormorants are among the rarest birds in Grand Theft Auto Online. Thankfully, there are plenty of them around the Lago Zancudo region in the delta of the Zancudo River. Some can even be found near East Los Santos, where the Los Santos River settles into a canal after coming out of the Land Act Reservoir in the Tataviam Mountains.

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4) Pugs

Pug locations for the Shoot Animals Photography Challenge (Image via GTAWeb)

Pugs are one of the rarest land animals that are needed for GTA Online's Shoot Animals Photography Challenge. They only spawn in a few select locations around Los Santos and are much rarer than most other dog breeds. Mirror Park and Rockford Hills are known spots where the elusive Pug can be spotted. The dogs have also been seen around Vespucci Beach as well.

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5) Crows

Crow locations for the Shoot Animals Photography Challenge (Image via GTAWeb)

Although this might seem surprising, but crows are the rarest birds in the game and are quite hard to spot for the Photography Challenge. Grand Theft Auto Online has only two major regions where they spawn. These are the Lago Zancudo region near the Fort Zancudo military base and the Sandy Shores area close to the airfield.

The rewards for the challenge include $20,000 and 500RP for each photograph you take, as well as $40,000 and 5,000RP for completing a list. Taking a picture of the first animal will unlock the Park Ranger ($2,980,000). After 10 animals are photographed, the trade price ($2,235,000) for this vehicle will be unlocked.

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Check out our other GTA Online guides:

All animal locations || Current weekly update || Fooligan Jobs bonuses || Power Play Guide || Returning cars this week || Current Showroom cars || Current Salvage Yard vehicles