Animal Crossing: New Horizons player goes full Blathers mode after discovering critters living in deep sea creature

Animal Crossing: New Horizons
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Despite releasing almost three years ago, Animal Crossing: New Horizons players have discovered something new about the Venus' Flower Basket sea creature. 

As spotted in the Animal Crossing subreddit, the deep sea creature known as a Venus' Flower Basket - which is based on the real-life sea sponge - just got even more real after one player discovered a couple of tiny shrimp living inside of it. Something that isn't immediately obvious when caught or displayed in the museum. 

i_didnt_know_a_venus_flower_basket_had_anything from r/AnimalCrossing

This mirrors the real Venus' Flower Basket, which is often used as a home for shrimp couples. Located deep in the ocean, shrimp will often swim into the sea sponge as babies eventually grow too big to get back out again. Making it a first home and retirement home all in one. Which kind of makes this Animal Crossing: New Horizons discovery a little bittersweet. 

Similar to the Mantis Shrimp found in Animal Crossing, which can cause a crack in its glass enclosure due to the real-life creature's powerful punch, this secret detail can't really be seen unless you use the in-game Nook Phone camera to really zoom in on the animal in its habitat.

If you're planning to grab one of these guys on your island, the good news is that they're in season - at least in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all the other deep sea creatures in the game, you'll need to pick up a wet suit from Nook's Cranny and dive into the ocean surrounding your island. You'll be able to pick up Venus' Flower Basket from October to February (NH) and April to August in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Want to know what else can be found in the sea? Take a look at our Animal Crossing: New Horizons fish guide. 

Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.  

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