Great Jaw

The Great Jaw is Subnautica 2's giant clam Leviathan, about 350 m from the Lifepod at heading 195; it opens as you approach and snaps shut if you touch the red fibers in its core, and the lithium nodules it expels make it a lithium farm. Since update 1.2 you cannot build a base inside it.

20:00 The Great Jaw is the giant clam of Subnautica 2, a Leviathan about 350 m from the Lifepod at a compass heading of 195, in the Tufa Zone south of the start (PCGamesN, May 21, 2026). It opens when you come near and closes on anyone who touches the red, ligament-like fibers in its core, hurting both you and your Tadpole. Keep clear of them and it is harmless, and well worth the visit: the Great Jaw collects lithium as it grows and expels it as nodules you can pick up. Players used it as a ready-made base until update 1.2, which ruled that "Bases can no longer be built inside of Great Jaw" (Unknown Worlds, Aug 19, 2026).

Quick facts

Type	Leviathan; a mollusc in Dexerto's index
Databank name	Tentatively Megamya sudacna, "great clam that bites you" (Dexerto)
Where	About 350 m from the Lifepod, heading 195 (PCGamesN, May 21, 2026), in the Tufa Zone; Beebom also lists it in the Dolerite Spires
Danger	Clamps shut if you touch the fibers in its core
Gives	Lithium nodules
Building inside	Not allowed since 1.2, Aug 19, 2026

Where is the Great Jaw?

6:36 PCGamesN puts it about 350 m from the Lifepod at heading 195, a little west of due south (May 21, 2026). All Things How places a Great Jaw in the Tufa Zone south of the Lifepod (May 20, 2026), and Beebom lists one among the creatures of the Dolerite Spires (May 19, 2026). Game Rant's Biobed guide uses it as a landmark: the "Unauthorized NOA Modification" bunker, with an inventory Biobed, is near the Great Jaw, about 265 m southwest of the Lifepod at 85 m deep (May 23, 2026). In Jade PG CRAFTED's May 16, 2026 guide, on the launch build, she reads it as about 241 m from the Lifepod, heading south, and its open core sits at about 100 m deep. These are the launch build's positions.

How to farm lithium from the Great Jaw

8:33 The Great Jaw's Databank entry says it bioaccumulates lithium as it grows and expels lithium nodules so the metal does not interfere with its nerves; Dexerto calls it a critical lithium source (Dexerto, May 14, 2026). Swim in when it opens, take the nodules, and never touch the red fibers (its adductor tendons) at the center. If it closes on you, it damages you and the Tadpole and, per the Databank, secretes a domoic acid neurotoxin. Lithium makes Plasteel Ingots and the Portable Oxygen Generator; other lithium sources, such as the hot caves south-southeast of the Lifepod, are on Resources. In gameranx's May 16, 2026 video, on the launch build, both fragments of the Portable Oxygen Generator blueprint lie in the Great Jaw's core, one visible from outside and one under scrap metal inside, beside the lithium.

What is the Great Jaw?

A huge omnivorous clam. Its shells are mineral, held by powerful adductor muscles; motion-sensitive eyes line its mantle, and coral polyps inside it photosynthesize, which Dexerto's copy of the Databank says probably supplies most of its food. The scanned specimen is young: adults may take decades or centuries to reach full size, with no upper limit established (Dexerto, May 14, 2026). The Collector Leviathan's entry names Great Jaws among its prey.

Can you build a base inside the Great Jaw?

Not anymore. Players built habitats inside the open clam at launch; Early Access 1.2 Buddy System (Aug 19, 2026) blocked it (Unknown Worlds). Bases built there before 1.2 are not mentioned in the notes. See Best Base Locations for places that are allowed.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Great Jaw in Subnautica 2? About 350 m from the Lifepod at heading 195, in the Tufa Zone south of the start, per PCGamesN's May 21, 2026 guide to the launch build.

Is the Great Jaw dangerous in Subnautica 2? Only if you touch the red fibers in its core: then it snaps shut and damages you and your Tadpole. Otherwise it is safe to swim into.

How do you get lithium from the Great Jaw in Subnautica 2? Pick up the lithium nodules it expels while it is open, staying clear of the fibers at its center.

Can you build inside the Great Jaw in Subnautica 2? No. Update 1.2 Buddy System (Aug 19, 2026) stopped bases being built inside the Great Jaw.