Instead of writing tips comparing the in-game creature to the real life animal and begging the devs to unbalance the in-game creature to make it more realistically resemble the real life animal, here's an actual helpful tip to tame the dunkleosteus:

Recommended items: scuba tank, compound bow, crossbows in case one breaks, couple stacks of tranq arrows, compound bow, 25 metal arrows

Recommended level: level 81 (this is just the level where the scuba tank engram unlocks since every tip just says to tranq the dunkleosteus but never how long it takes before you risk drowning)

1. Get an ichthy, a scuba tank, and at least 200 tranq arrows if you're knocking out a 150 since this thing has armor all over its body so it takes 60% less damage from ranged attacks

2. Find a dunkleosteus and using the compound bow kill all aggressives in the area minus the dunkleosteus

3. Using the crossbow shoot the dunkleosteus while facing away from the edge of the map, this should make the dunkleosteus start fleeing away from you and towards the terrain which if you're lucky enough this will force the dunkleosteus to start swimming to the surface.

4. If somehow your dunkleosteus manages to swim all the way to the surface while attempting to flee from you (this seems to happen with higher level dunkles) keep tranqing it while staying behind it as since it is in shallow water it will stop moving.

5. After a long time your dunkleosteus will finally be knocked out and you can use raw meat to tame if you're on singleplayer and it won't wake up before its tamed or if you're on multiplayer using raw meat will take too long and it will wake up so you have to use raw prime meat.

6. You now have a tamed dunkleosteus that hits like a truck, can harvest rocks that are underwater (pretty much only oily rocks as regular rocks only spawn underwater in certain places like herbivore island), and has really bad stamina so you will run out of stamina trying to swim between oily rocks plus its slower than a megalodon.

If you tranq them from the right angle you can get them to start swimming into the ground which will force them up resulting in them swimming to the surface. You can then build walls or structures around it so it doesn't escape then sit back like you are tranqing a giga until it falls unconscious.

Very easy to tame if you know what "your" doing. First tame an Ichthyosaur. Then grab a crossbow and some tranq arrows and find one and knock it out. I'm not going to explain how to efficiently without you drowning but just knock it out. It is not be able to attack if you are on the Ichthy. As you are taming it, be sure to remain on the Ichthy unless feeding narcs, so other creature don't hurt you, and be at the dunkleosteus' side at all times as you definitely won't drown eventually.

Very easy to tame if you know what your doing. First tame an Ichthyosaur. Then grab a crossbow and some tranq arrows and find one and knock it out. It is not be able to attack if you are on the Ichthy. As you are taming it, be sure to remain on the Ichthy unless feeding narcs, so other creature don’t hurt you.

fun fact: did you know the dunkleosteus doesn’t actually have teeth? it’s teeth were the armoured, protective plates on its face. 🔝if you didn’t know

These are one of the few dinos that take less damage/topour from head shots. Aim for the body.

When it says 1.7% chance of death. It means it's going to die.

Taming a dunklosteous is not too hard if you do this.

1. Get lazurous chowder or scuba gear

2. Have kibble or prime meat ready

3. Have at least 2 good crossbows. Kill some alpha raptors to get some.

4. Use a mount. I recommend a Sarcosichus or a Baryonyx. Make sure you can fire off of its back.

5. Find one. They typically spawn near the edge of the map on The Island.

6. Clear out any hostile creatures that are too close. They will interfere with your tame.

7. Shoot it full of tranqs. This may take a while. They are slow, so simply kite them while riding your mount.

8. Once they are knocked out, put kibble and/or prime meat in their inventory. They may need narcotics depending on the level. Make sure to protect them.

9. You now have a Dunklosteous! I suggest bringing a cryopod because they are very slow swimmers.

Hope this helps, good luck! :)

Bring more tranq arrows then you think! Mine took 100 at close range, on the body, at LEVEL 3.

I took cooked prime meat (stays better longer) and got mine in only four feedings. On an icthy they don’t chase (mobile player here) happy taming- Survivor Belle

Be sure to bring lots and I means LOTS of tranq arrows 150 at least to be safe avoid head shots....obviously

Anyone else surprised that their not hostile

How To Tame The Hard Way:

1.) Find A Squid

2.) Tame Squid

3.) Find Dunkleo

4.) Grab Dunkleo

5.) Shoot it With Compound And Toxicant

6.) Enjoy Your Dunkleo

Took me over 150 tranqarrows with a 400% crossbow to ko an X-Dunkleo... what a pain lol

They are slow. Any tamed water mount that isn't a dunkle can out-swim it

They take roughly a fourth of the time it says to knock one with a tuso, the torpor from grabbing a dunkleo ignores it’s armor

A easy tame but be sure to bring lots of tranq arrows it took me 79

Thank God/Wildcard for adding the tranq harpoon, it made taming so much easier

Beware! When taming, if you stay on your ichy, the dunk you are taming will consistently move away from you- BUT- it will agro other Dunks nearby. I recently tamed a max level Dunk on official and I was being chased down by a whole gang of them while tailgating the one I wanted to tame. You can easily out swim them just be aware they don’t take bullying lightly.

Baryonyx are really good for taming these! Once they start running, a Bary is fast enough to chase them, and since it allows rider weaponry you can keep firing. Since Dunkleos are pretty chunky, it's hard to miss a shot on them even while moving. Aim anywhere except the head. I tamed a 135 with a harpoon launcher loaded with tranq spear bolts, SCUBA gear, and my 276 Baryonyx I use for caves.

For mobile players: From experience they won't attack you on Ichthyosaurus (which also allows rider weaponry,) so you can chase one down and tame it with an Ichthy and a crossbow. Harpoon launchers don't exist on mobile.

For both versions, you could also use a Tusoteuthis and grab/hold the desired Dunkleo, but this takes a long time since they have high torpor and I wouldn't recommend it. You could also be interrupted by other hostile creatures such as Megalodons or Plesiosaurs if you do this. If you don't press attack, the Tuso will inflict torpor but no damage. You'll need more tranquilisers than you think.

Really easy to raise baby’s, high weight allows for more meat stacks early, it also eats incredibly slow so it doesn’t burn through food very quickly.