Current Ditto Disguises
Ditto never shows up as itself on the map — it hides as one of the species below. Catch one of these and there's a chance it transforms into Ditto after capture.
Possible Ditto disguises right now
Kakuna
Spearow
Ekans
Sandshrew
Nidorino
Gloom
Mankey
Growlithe
Poliwag
Geodude
Magnemite
Voltorb
Cubone How to actually catch a Ditto
Ditto disguises itself as one of the species listed above every time it spawns in the wild, in a raid egg surprise, or in Field Research encounters. There's no way to tell which specific Sandshrew or Growlithe is secretly a Ditto before you catch it — the game reveals it only after the catch animation finishes, with a distinct "Oh?" transformation screen instead of the normal capture confirmation.
Because of this, the only reliable strategy is to catch every wild spawn of the listed species that you come across. There's no visual tell, no different cry, and no way to scan for it with AR or Nearby tracking — Ditto disguises are functionally identical to the real Pokémon until after you've thrown the ball.
Why the list changes so rarely
Unlike raid bosses or Field Research tasks, Ditto's disguise pool only updates periodically — sometimes going months without a change — with occasional temporary swaps during dedicated Ditto-themed events or collaborations. If you've caught out every disguise on the current list and stopped finding Ditto, it's worth double-checking this page for an update rather than assuming the mechanic is broken.
Shiny Ditto
Shiny Ditto is obtainable, but only if the disguise species it's hiding in is itself catchable as shiny at the time. A shiny wild Pokémon that transforms after capture reveals a shiny Ditto — so if you're specifically hunting for one, prioritize checking every shiny-flagged spawn among the species on this list rather than catching indiscriminately.
Related tools
Once you've caught a fresh Ditto, run it through our IV Calculator to check its stats — Ditto's own IVs matter less than most Pokémon since it re-rolls stats on Transform in battle, but it's still worth checking before deciding whether to power one up.