Mob conversion
Mob conversion is a game mechanic whereby certain mobs can convert to mobs of a different type, or to a different variant of the same type of mob, under specific circumstances.
List of mob conversions
Mob type conversions
In these instances, a mob converts to another type of mob. In Java Edition, data is transferred according to #Data transfer.
| From | To | Method |
|---|---|---|
 Hoglin
|
 Zoglin
|
Being outside the Nether for too long |
 Husk
|
 Zombie
|
Drowning in water |
 Mooshroom
|
 Cow
|
Shearing |
 Pig
|
 Zombified Piglin
|
Lightning strike |
 Piglin
|
Being outside the Nether for too long | |
 Piglin Brute
| ||
 Skeleton
|
 Stray
|
Freezing in powder snow |
 Tadpole
|
 Frog
|
Aging naturally |
 Villager
|
 Witch
|
Lightning strike |
 Zombie Villager
|
Killed by either zombies, zombie villagers, husks, drowned, or zombified piglins[note 1] | |
| Zombie
|
 Drowned
|
Drowning in water |
| Zombie Villager
|
Villager
|
Fed golden apple while afflicted by Weakness |
Mob variant conversions
In these instances, a mob converts to a different variant of the same type of mob. Only one top-level data field is modified.
| Mob type | Converts to | Method | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Bogged
|
A sheared bogged | Shearing | |
 Copper golem
|
A more oxidized variant | Oxidation | |
| A less oxidized variant | Scraping with an axe | ||
 Creeper
|
A charged creeper | Lightning strike | |
 Goat
|
A goat with one fewer horn | Ramming certain blocks; see Goat#Goat horns | |
 Iron golem
|
A more cracked variant | Taking damage | |
| A less cracked variant | Being healed, including being repaired by a player using iron ingots | ||
| Mooshroom
|
The other variant (red or brown) | Lightning strike | |
 Snow golem
|
The sheared variant | Shearing | Although canonically a simple change of equipment, this "conversion" is included here because sheared and unsheared snow golems are considered different variants by the game.[note 2] |
 Sheep
|
A different color of sheep | Dyeing or an evoker's conversion spell | |
| A rainbow sheep, or a fixed-color sheep | Naming the sheep "jeb_", or renaming "jeb_" to something else, respectively | ||
| A sheared sheep | Shearing | ||
| A woolly sheep | Eating grass | ||
 Shulker
|
A different-colored shulker | Dyeing[Bedrock Edition only] | They can be dyed only in Creative mode. |
| Villager
|
A different profession of villager | See Villager#Professions | Not relevant to zombie villagers, as they cannot change professions without first converting to a villager.
|
- ↑ The chance of conversion is dependent on the difficulty setting.
- ↑ See also MC-301192 — Snow Golem pumpkin is stored as a boolean, rather than a head equipment slot — resolved as "Invalid".
Data transfer
A mob which converts to another mob retains the following entity data, provided that the new mob is able to make use of said data:[note 1]
AbsorptionAmountactive_effectsAgeangry_atanger_end_timeBrain.memories.minecraft:angry_at.ttl[needs testing]Brain.memories.minecraft:angry_at.value[needs testing]CanBreakDoorsCanPickUpLootCustomNameCustomNameVisibledrop_chancesfall_distanceFallFlyingFireForcedAgeHurtByTimestampHurtTimeInvulnerableIsBabyLeashLeftHandedMotionNoAINoGravityOnGroundPassengersPersistenceRequiredPortalCooldownPositionRootVehicleRotationSilentsleeping_posTagsTeam
Notably, the following fields are not retained:
attributesBrain, except for the sub-fields mentioned above[needs testing]GossipsHealth[note 2]- Loot tables
UUIDVillagerDataXp
Additionally, equipment.saddle is not retained when a saddled pig converts to a zombified piglin.[1]
Mobs which split into several upon death
A related case to mob conversion is where a mob (specifically a slime or magma cube) splits into several mobs upon death. In terms of entity data, this is treated as a conversion except that the following fields are additionally not transferred:
drop_chancesequipmentfall_distanceFallFlyingHurtByTimestampHurtTimeLeashMotionOnGroundPassengersPositionRotationsleeping_pos
