How many creatures roam the lands of Minecraft? In the beloved sandbox game, ‘mobs’ is shorthand for the mobile entities that populate your world, encompassing everything from harmless animals to dangerous monsters. As of the 1.21.9 update, there are over 80 distinct mobs in the vanilla version of Minecraft.
While countless more can be added through custom modifications, this guide focuses exclusively on the creatures found in the base game. We’ll detail every single mob, where they can be found, and categorize them by their behavior: passive, hostile, or neutral. Get ready to discover the latest additions and fascinating variants that make Minecraft’s ecosystem so rich.
Latest Minecraft Mobs
Minecraft is constantly evolving with new mobs, and since the discontinuation of the annual mob vote, Mojang now introduces creatures on their own schedule. For the 1.21.9 update, we’re excited to see the return of a familiar contender from a past mob vote: the Copper Golem. Arriving as part of the ‘Copper Age’ update, this charming little companion is designed to assist you with organizing your items, all while adding a touch of rustic charm to your builds in its delightful statue form.
Understanding Mob Behavior: Passive, Neutral, and Hostile
Minecraft mobs fall into one of three behavioral categories: passive, neutral, or hostile. Passive mobs are entirely non-aggressive and will never initiate an attack on players; many will even flee if provoked. Hostile mobs, conversely, will attack players on sight without any provocation.
Neutral mobs represent a middle ground, attacking only if they or certain nearby entities are provoked. For instance, striking a wild wolf will cause it to retaliate. Similarly, llamas will spit if they or their accompanying wandering trader are attacked, and Iron Golems fiercely defend their villagers, attacking anyone who harms them. Many passive mobs can be tamed and even bred, offering players unique opportunities for companionship and resource generation.
Mob Variants: Collecting Them All
Beyond the standard versions, several mobs in Minecraft boast unique variants, providing a fun challenge for players aiming to collect every type for their farms or zoos.
Sheep, for example, have long featured color variations, with the elusive pink sheep being a legendary sight since the game’s early days. The special color-changing Jeb sheep even arrived in version 1.7.4. More recently, the 1.21.5 Spring to Life update in 2025 introduced biome-specific variants for cows, pigs, and chickens, adding even more diversity to the overworld.
Here are all the Minecraft mobs that have variants:
- Sheep
- All wool colors
- Cow
- Warm variant
- Temperate variant
- Cool variant
- Chicken
- Warm variant
- Temperate variant
- Cool variant
- Pig
- Warm variant
- Temperate variant
- Cool variant
- Frog
- Warm variant
- Temperate variant
- Cool variant
All Overworld Mobs
The Overworld, both above and below ground, is home to a vast array of creatures. Here’s a comprehensive list of every mob you can find:
Above-ground mobs
- Sheep (passive)
- Cow (passive)
- Mooshroom (passive)
- Pig (passive)
- Chicken (passive)
- Fox (passive)
- Wolf (neutral)
- Cat (passive)
- Ocelot (passive)
- Rabbit (passive)
- Horse (passive)
- Donkey (passive)
- Mule (passive)
- Cod (passive)
- Salmon (passive)
- Parrot (passive)
- Allay (passive)
- Glow Squid (passive)
- Squid (passive)
- Dolphin (passive)
- Polar bear (neutral)
- Llama (neutral)
- Panda (passive)
- Bee (neutral)
- Goat (neutral)
- Tropical fish (passive)
- Turtle (passive)
- Villager (passive)
- Pufferfish (neutral)
- Axolotl (passive)
- Frog (passive)
- Spider (neutral)
- Bogged (hostile)
- Skeleton (hostile)
- Enderman (neutral)
- Guardian (hostile)
- Elder Guardian (hostile)
- Husk (hostile)
- Stray (hostile)
- Phantom (hostile)
- Creeper (hostile)
- Minecraft slime (hostile)
- Zombie (hostile)
- Zombie Villager (hostile)
- Drowned (hostile)
- Witch (hostile)
- The Creaking (hostile)
- Pillager (hostile)
- Armadillo (passive)
Cave mobs
- Bat (passive)
- Spider (neutral)
- Cave Spider (hostile)
- Enderman (neutral)
- Creeper (hostile)
- Minecraft slime (hostile)
- Zombie (hostile)
- Skeleton (hostile)
- Minecraft Warden (hostile)
Dungeon mobs
- Spider (hostile)
- Skeleton (hostile)
- Zombie (hostile)
Trial Chamber mobs
- Bogged (hostile)
- Breeze (hostile)
- Skeleton (hostile)
- Cave spider (hostile)
Special condition mobs
- Skeleton horse (passive)
- Snow golem (passive)
- Trader llama (neutral)
- Iron Golem (neutral)
- Wandering trader (passive)
- Sniffer (passive)
- Camel (passive)
- Evoker (hostile)
- Vindicator (hostile)
- Ravager (hostile)
- Ravager Jockey (hostile)
- Vex (hostile)
- Chicken Jockey (hostile)
- Skeleton Horseman (hostile)
- Happy Ghast (passive)
- Silverfish (hostile)
- Skeleton (hostile)
- Spider Jockey (hostile)
- Zoglin (hostile)
- Zombified Piglin (neutral)
- Wither (hostile)
All Nether Mobs
Venturing into the fiery depths of The Nether brings its own unique set of challenges and creatures. Surprisingly, many of its inhabitants are neutral:
- Skeleton (hostile)
- Wither Skeleton (hostile)
- Blaze (hostile)
- Ghast (hostile)
- Magma Cube (hostile)
- Enderman (neutral)
- Piglin Brute (hostile)
- Piglin (neutral)
- Baby Piglin (neutral)
- Zombie Pigman (neutral)
- Hoglin (hostile)
- Strider (passive)
All The End Mobs
The mysterious dimension of The End features fewer distinct mobs than other realms, but those you do encounter are certainly memorable:
- Ender Dragon (hostile)
- Enderman (neutral)
- Endermite (hostile)
- Shulker (hostile)
Other Minecraft Mob Secrets
Beyond the common creatures, Minecraft harbors a few delightful (and dangerous) secrets. With just some name tags and an anvil, you can unlock some unique mob transformations and encounters in the vanilla game.
Jeb_
An homage to Minecraft’s lead designer, Jens ‘Jeb’ Bergensten, this name tag easter egg is a visual treat. While finding a rare pink sheep in the Overworld is a cool discovery, imagining a rainbow sheep is even better! Simply rename any sheep ‘Jeb_’ using a name tag, and its wool will cycle through all 16 Minecraft colors. Remember, if you shear this sheep, it will only drop wool of its original, pre-named color.
Dinnerbone
Perhaps the most iconic and amusing name tag trick, applying ‘Dinnerbone’ to a name tag and giving it to almost any mob will cause that creature to turn upside down. It will continue to move and act completely normally, just from an inverted perspective!
Toast
Similar to the Jeb easter egg, ‘Toast’ offers a harmless visual change. Naming any rabbit ‘Toast’ will transform it into a black and white bunny, a sweet tribute implemented by a former Mojang employee to a real-life missing rabbit. Apply the ‘Toast’ name tag to your favorite rabbit for an instant new look.
Johnny
This one has a more sinister twist. If you rename a Vindicator ‘Johnny’, it will become hostile toward *all* other mobs, not just players, with the exception of other illagers. Any mob attacked by Johnny will then also turn hostile towards him. This unique behavior is a direct reference to the axe-wielding protagonist from the classic horror film, ‘The Shining’.
Killer Bunny
Unlike the others, this mob cannot be summoned with a name tag. Instead, it requires the use of a Minecraft command, meaning cheats must be enabled in your world. To spawn this Monty Python-inspired killer rabbit, use the command /summon rabbit ~ ~ ~ {RabbitType:99} in the Java Edition text box. Once summoned, a deceptively cute white rabbit with glowing red eyes, sporting the name tag ‘The Killer Bunny’, will appear. This formidable creature actively hunts players, foxes, and wolves, dealing a significant eight damage on normal difficulty. Proceed with extreme caution!
Understanding all the mobs in Minecraft can greatly enhance your survival and exploration. Whether you’re battling the toughest hostile creatures or seeking out the rarest passive variants, this guide should equip you with the knowledge to thrive in your blocky adventures.