Pet family

Pet families are a system of classification for hunter pets. A pet's family, which is generally based on its species, dictates what food it can eat; what abilities it will have; and what requirements, if any, a hunter needs to meet in order to tame it.
In Dragonflight, there are 60 pet families. In Classic Wrath, there are 32 pet families. In Classic, there are 17 pet families.
==Restricted families==
===Exotic families===
Certain pet families, known as Exotic Beasts, can only be tamed and used by Beast Mastery hunters. These families are often composed of unusual species like core hounds, devilsaurs, and spirit beasts.
===Skill families===
A small number of families can be used by any hunter specialization, but the hunter must first know how to tame them. Generally this involves reading a tome to learn the required skill.
Mechanicals are a special case among skill families; gnomes, goblins, and mechagnomes, being engineering-oriented races, can tame them by default. Other playable races have the usual requirement of using an item to learn about the family.
Although they are not standalone pet families, some specific species of pets belonging to otherwise normal families have similar requirements:
*Cloud serpents (lesser dragonkin (formally serpents) and, in one case, spirit beasts) can only be tamed by pandaren hunters by default. Other races must first use How to School Your Serpent.
*Gargons (stone hounds) can only be tamed after using Gargon Training Manual.
*Undead beasts (various families) can only be tamed by undead hunters by default. Other races must first use Simple Tome of Bone-Binding.
==Abilities==
All pets have access to the common abilities Growl (pet ability) and Dash (pet ability); beyond that, a pet's abilities are decided by what family it belongs to.
Every pet family has two specialization-specific abilities and two family abilities. Some families are allowed additional abilities as well; see other abilities below for a general explanation on these extra abilities, or list of families for all families and what abilities they have.
===Specialization===
Each pet family has a specific specialization, which grants a passive ability and an active ability:
*Cunning: Pathfinding and Master's Call
*Ferocity: Predator's Thirst and Primal Rage
*Tenacity: Endurance Training and Survival of the Fittest (hunter ability)
Prior to Battle for Azeroth, pet specialization could be changed after taming, and it had a more profound effect on a pet's role in combat. Cunning pets, for example, did less damage than Ferocity pets but offered a variety of PvP-oriented abilities. Now, each specialization deals the same amount of damage, and the two spec-specific abilities are the only difference.
===Family abilities===
Each family has a damaging ability and a utility ability. The three damaging abilities—Bite, Claw (pet ability), and Smack—are all functionally identical. The utility ability can fall into one of six types:
*Defense: Reduce damage taken by 50% for 12 sec.
*Dodge: Increase dodge change by 30% fo 20 sec.
*Mortal Wounds: Grievously wound the target, reducing the effectiveness of any healing received for 10 sec.
*Slow: Reduce movement speed by 50% for 6 sec.
*Tranquilize and Dispel: Remove 1 Enrage and 1 Magic effect from an enemy.
*Triggered Defense: When health falls below 40%, reduce damage taken by 60% for 15 sec. Can only occur once every 120 sec.
**Note: The stone hound ability Stone Armor is slightly different in that it offers 40% damage reduction but regenerates 3% max health every second.
===Other abilities===
Certain pet families have additional abilities beyond the "default" ability types listed above. These include:
*Exotic abilities: All exotic families have a unique ability. Some of these abilities grant combat bonuses such as additional damage or defense, while others grant utility such as water walking.
*Bonus abilities: A very small number of families are given an extra ability—usually a form of stealth. This ability is not dependent on whether the family is exotic.
*Tricks: A few families have an ability that causes them to do a small, non-utility behavior, such as doing a flip or going to sleep.
==Diet==
Each pet family has its own dietary preferences that dictate what it will eat when using Feed Pet. Food items are divided into six types for this purpose: bread, cheese, fish, fruit, fungus, and meat. Certain families, such as gruffhorns and boars, are able to eat a wide variety of food; others, such as rodents, will only eat a single type. Several pet families are exclusive meat-eaters.
Mechanical pets are an exception, as they eat "mechanical bits" instead of food. Mechanical bits are items like bolts, wiring, and other gizmo parts; many of them are created by engineering or sold by engineering vendors.
Raw food types were briefly introduced as sub-types of meat and fish that only a few families would eat, but they were phased out with Wrath of the Lich King.
==List of families==
	Family name 	Exotic 	Spec. 	Family ability 	Additional abilities 	Skill requirement 	Diet 	Diet 	Diet 	Diet 	Diet 	Diet
	Family name 	Exotic 	Spec. 	Family ability 	Additional abilities 	Skill requirement 	 	 	 	 	 	
	Aqiri 	✓	Cunning 	Tendon Rip (Slow) 	Exotic: Dune Strider 	 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	✓
	Basilisk 	 	Cunning 	Petrifying Gaze (Slow) 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	 	 	✓
	Bat 	 	Ferocity	Sonic Screech (Dispel) 	 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	✓
	Bear 	 	Tenacity	Thick Fur (Defensive) 	Trick: Rest (pet ability) 	 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓
	Beetle 	 	Tenacity	Harden Carapace (Defensive) 	 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Bird of prey 	 	Cunning 	Talon Rend (Slow) 	Trick: Trick 	 	 	 	✓ 	 	 	✓
	Blood beast 	 	Tenacity	Blood Bolt (Slow) 	 	:Blood-Soaked Tome of Dark Whispers 	 	 	✓ 	 	 	✓
	Boar 	 	Cunning 	Bristle (Defensive) 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓
	Camel 	 	Cunning 	Hardy (Defensive) 	 	 	✓ 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Carapid 	✓	Tenacity	Bulwark (pet ability) (Defensive) 	Exotic: Calcified Carapace 	 	 	 	 	 	 	✓
	Carrion bird 	 	Ferocity	Bloody Screech (Mortal Wounds) 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	 	 	✓
	Cat 	 	Ferocity	Catlike Reflexes (pet ability) (Dodge) 	Bonus: Prowl (pet ability) 	 	 	 	✓ 	 	 	✓
	Chimaera 	✓	Ferocity	Frost Breath (Slow) 	Exotic: Froststorm Breath 	 	 	 	 	 	 	✓
	Clefthoof 	✓	Ferocity	Thick Hide (pet ability) (Defensive) 	Exotic: Blood of the Rhino 	 	✓ 	✓ 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Core hound 	✓	Ferocity	Obsidian Skin (Defensive) 	Exotic: Molten Hide 	 	 	 	 	 	 	✓
	Courser 	 	Ferocity	Fleethoof (Dodge) 	 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Crab 	 	Tenacity	Pin (Slow) 	 	 	✓ 	 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Crocolisk 	 	Ferocity	Ankle Crack (Slow) 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	 	 	✓
	Devilsaur 	✓	Ferocity	Monstrous Bite (Mortal Wounds) 	Exotic: Feast 	 	 	 	 	 	 	✓
	Direhorn 	 	Tenacity	Gore (pet ability) (Mortal Wounds) 	 	:Ancient Tome of Dinomancy(not required for Zandalari trolls) 	 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Dragonhawk 	 	Tenacity	Dragon's Guile (Dodge) 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	 	✓
	Feathermane 	 	Tenacity	Feather Flurry (Dodge) 	Bonus: Updraft 	:Tome of the Hybrid Beast 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓
	Fox 	 	Cunning 	Agile Reflexes (Dodge) 	Trick: Play 	 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	 	✓
	Gorilla 	 	Ferocity	Silver Back (Defensive) 	 	 	✓ 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Gruffhorn 	 	Cunning 	Gruff (pet ability) (Defensive) 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓
	Hound 	 	Cunning 	Lock Jaw (Slow) 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓
	Hydra 	 	Tenacity	Acid Bite (Mortal Wounds) 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	 	 	✓
	Hyena 	 	Cunning 	Infected Bite (Mortal Wounds) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	✓
	Lesser Dragonkin	 	Ferocity	Shimmering Scales (Defensive) 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	 	 	✓
	Lizard 	 	Tenacity	Grievous Bite (Mortal Wounds) 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓
	Mammoth 	 	Tenacity	Trample (Slow) 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Mechanical 	 	Cunning 	Defense Matrix (Defensive) 	 	:Mecha-Bond Imprint Matrix(not required for gnomes, goblins, or mechagnomes)	Non-standard food type; see diet above.	Non-standard food type; see diet above.	Non-standard food type; see diet above.	Non-standard food type; see diet above.	Non-standard food type; see diet above.	Non-standard food type; see diet above.
	Monkey 	 	Cunning 	Primal Agility (Dodge) 	 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Moth 	 	Cunning 	Serenity Dust (Dispel) 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Oxen 	 	Tenacity	Niuzao's Fortitude (Defensive) 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Pterrordax 	✓	Cunning 	Ancient Hide (Defensive) 	Exotic: Updraft 	 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	 	✓
	Raptor 	 	Cunning 	Savage Rend (Mortal Wounds) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	✓
	Ravager 	 	Ferocity	Ravage (pet ability) (Mortal Wounds) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	✓
	Ray 	 	Ferocity	Nether Energy (Dispel) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	✓
	Riverbeast 	 	Tenacity	Gruesome Bite (Mortal Wounds) 	 	 	✓ 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Rodent 	 	Cunning 	Gnaw (rodent pet ability) (Mortal Wounds)	Trick: Rest (pet ability) 	 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	
	Scalehide 	 	Ferocity	Scale Shield (Defensive) 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Scorpid 	 	Ferocity	Deadly Sting (Mortal Wounds) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	✓
	Serpent 	 	Cunning 	Serpent's Swiftness (Dodge) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	✓
	Shale beast 	✓	Cunning 	Solid Shell (Defensive) 	Exotic: Shimmering Shale 	 	 	 	✓ 	 	 	✓
	Spider 	 	Ferocity	Web Spray (Slow) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	✓
	Spirit beast 	✓	Tenacity	Spirit Pulse (Dispel) 	Bonus: Spirit WalkExotic: Spirit Mend	 	 	 	✓ 	 	 	✓
	Sporebat 	 	Cunning 	Spore Cloud (Dispel) 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Stag 	 	Tenacity	Nature's Grace (pet ability) (Dispel) 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Stone hound 	✓	Tenacity	Stone Armor (Defensive) 	Exotic: Eternal Guardian 	 	 	 	✓ 	 	 	✓
	Tallstrider 	 	Ferocity	Dust Cloud (Slow) 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Toad 	 	Tenacity	Swarm of Flies (pet ability) (Dodge) 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	✓
	Turtle 	 	Tenacity	Shell Shield (Defensive) 	 	 	✓ 	 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Warp stalker 	 	Cunning 	Warp Time (Slow) 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	 	 	✓
	Wasp 	 	Ferocity	Toxic Sting (Mortal Wounds) 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Waterfowl 	 	Tenacity	Oiled Feathers (Dispel) 	Trick: Trick 	 	✓ 	 	✓ 	 	 	
	Water strider 	✓	Cunning 	Soothing Waters (pet ability) (Dispel) 	Exotic: Surface Trot 	 	 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	
	Wind serpent 	 	Ferocity	Winged Agility (Dodge) 	 	 	✓ 	✓ 	✓ 	 	 	
	Wolf 	 	Ferocity	Furious Bite (Slow) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	✓
	Worm 	✓	Tenacity	Acid Spit (Slow) 	Exotic: Burrow Attack 	 	✓ 	✓ 	 	 	✓ 	
==External links==
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Category:Hunters
Category:Pets