In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, in order to survive or regain stamina, the player must eat food. This article contains information about the miscellaneous animals in the game.
European Rabbit[]
- Ration Name: RABBIT
European Rabbit
- Initial Taste: Tasty
- Danger Level: None
- Stamina Recovery: Moderate
- Capture: Yes
The European Rabbit is said to have come from the Mediterranean region originally, but nowadays are found all over the world. They have been used since ancient times as a source of food, so it might be worth catching them. Rabbits are known to eat their own excrement as it is full of vitamins. It can first be found in Dremuchij South (but only during Operation Snake Eater), and is last (and most commonly) found in the Sokrovenno area. The rabbits in Graniny Gorki have antibodies that protect them against venom, having probably built up an immunity from The Fear using them to test his poison bolts, and are thus a source of serum.
Indian Gavial[]
- Ration Name: GAVIAL
- Initial Taste: Fairly Tasty
- Danger Level: High
- Stamina Recovery: Moderate
- Capture: No
This crocodile originally lived in freshwater regions in India and Nepal. Those found in Tselinoyarsk are captive crocodiles that were brought there for research purposes, but escaped and became wild again. Indian Gavials are large creatures - adult males grow to over six meters in length. They are too large to be captured alive, and it is best to use the survival knife to kill them as it takes a large amount of bullets to kill them (though they can also be humorously killed with a grenade in the mouth).
They are, oddly enough, also the most aggressive creatures in the game, as normally the Indian Gavial are very shy towards humans. It is believed that their unusually aggressive behavior has to do with the high amount of nuclear radiation in Tselinoyarsk as a result of the atomic testing within the region.[1] If Naked Snake gets too close, they will swipe at him with his tail, inflicting a large amount of damage. They can also be found swimming in Chyornyj Prud, where they will attack and kill Snake if he swims too close by grabbing him by the leg and shaking him around like a rag doll.
Japanese Flying Squirrel[]
- Ration Name: SQUIRREL
- Initial Taste: Bad
- Danger Level: None
- Stamina Recovery: Low
- Capture: Yes
Japanese flying squirrels are non-venomous, and they shouldn't attack you. The head, front legs, hind legs, and tail of the Japanese flying squirrel are connected by a membrane of skin, which allows the squirrel to glide from tree to tree. If it catches a good wind, it can fly for more than 100 yards. The first and easiest place to find it is in Dremuchij East at the start of Operation Snake Eater. The last place it can be found is in Tikhogornyj.
Markhor[]
- Ration Name: MARKHOR
- Initial Taste: Tasty
- Danger Level: Low
- Stamina Recovery: High
- Capture: No
The markhor is a kind of wild goat that lives in mountainous areas. It is quite large, so cannot be captured alive. Several can be found in the Sokrovenno area, and the last one is found in Tikhogornyj. Interestingly enough, "markhor" means "snake eater" in Persian. Oddly enough, it is Ocelot's favorite animal; if Snake shoots it during his battle with Ocelot, Ocelot will curse him loudly and become more aggressive.
Rat[]
- Main article: Rat
- Ration Name: RAT
- Initial Taste: Fairly Tasty
- Danger Level: None
- Stamina Recovery: Moderate
- Capture: Yes
The rats in Tselinoyarsk are the descendants of wild Norway rats that were domesticated by humans as pets and lab animals. They are not poisonous, and will not attack. They are, however, quick little creatures, and are hard to capture. It can first be found in Rassvet under Sokolov's cabin, and is last found in Tikhogornyj Behind Waterfall.
Vampire Bat[]
- Ration Name: BAT
- Initial Taste: Bad
- Danger Level: Low
- Stamina Recovery: Minimal
- Capture: Yes
The vampire bat bites its victims and sucks their blood. It is generally found in caves, or any other small, dank, dark, dirty places crawling with insects. They taste bad and give a low amount of stamina. A single grenade can take out most of a flock of bats. If you spook the bats by making too much noise, the whole flock will swarm around their perch, and will attack Snake for minimal damage if he gets too close. They are first found in the various Chyornaya Peschera caves, are later found in the Krasnogorje/Groznyj Grad underground tunnel (to which The Fury also kills several of them with his flamethrower), and are last found in Tikhogornyj: Behind Waterfall. Johnny will also give Snake one as a ration.
Behind the scenes[]
In the Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Trial Edition, if the player captures an Indian Gavial and calls Para-Medic, she will after noting its exposure to atomic testing in the region for its heightened aggression compared to normal, reference the film Godzilla: King of the Monsters and then express surprise that Naked Snake never heard of the film, with Snake then saying "...radioactive and pissed off..." with Para-Medic then asking what's wrong before Snake dismisses her. This was omitted from the final release, with the Godzilla and Indian Gavial calls also being split into two separate calls. On a similar note, the same call also has Para-Medic saying "I see you captured an Indian Gavial", implying that they were initially considered to be able to be captured alive. However in the actual game, as noted above, such is impossible to accomplish.