Over the years, Minecraft has received numerous updates, significantly diversifying and enriching its wildlife. However, those who don’t frequently go exploring or haven’t played the game in a while might not be familiar with some of these animals! Even modern players often overlook them, as they aren’t necessarily used for automatic farms or other projects. Nonetheless, exploring beyond sheep, chickens, and pigs is definitely worthwhile to build a vibrant world and discover all facets of the game. Today, we will look at pandas, foxes, and dolphins, and in the second part, rabbits, camels, and goats.
Finding Pandas in Minecraft: Tips and Tricks
Pandas are creatures that many players might not encounter often. They can only be found in one biome and are quite rare, so you won’t always spot them. However, they are one of the cutest mobs in the game and are definitely worth visiting!
Just like in real life, pandas love bamboo, which is why you can only find them in jungles and primarily in bamboo jungles. They usually appear in groups of two, and there’s a 5% chance of encountering a baby panda! When the little ones sneeze, they rarely drop a slimeball – a VERY slow way to farm slime. Pandas eat both bamboo and cake, with a funny animation! However, they can only be bred using bamboo and near a bamboo plant.
Their breeding is unique because there are seven different personalities determined by genetics. This makes pandas significantly more complex than other animal species in Minecraft. Each of the seven variants also has its own texture, which is perfect for collectors!
The seven pandas are:
Normal pandas are the most common type and have no special behavior patterns.
Lazy pandas move very slowly and love to roll around on their backs. Not even delicious bamboo can persuade them otherwise.
Worried pandas are afraid of players and monsters. When it thunders, they hide their faces in their front paws.
Playful pandas love to roll and frolic around. However, this can be dangerous if there’s a cliff nearby.
Aggressive pandas attack the player multiple times when provoked (unlike normal pandas, which only retaliate once). They also defend other nearby pandas when attacked.
Brown pandas are the rarest variant, behaving similarly to normal pandas.
Weak pandas sneeze more frequently and have only half the health of regular pandas.
Foxes in Minecraft: Clever Survivalists
Foxes are extremely shy creatures that run away and hide from you. During the day, they love to sleep as they are primarily nocturnal. There are both orange and white foxes, depending on how cold the taiga biome is. You can somewhat tame foxes. A baby fox that you breed yourself won’t run away from you. Feed two adult foxes with glow berries or sweet berries to achieve this. You can also lead foxes to a desired location with a lead.
In the wild, foxes follow different patterns. During the day, they sleep or sit in the shade, while at night, they go hunting. They jump high into the air and eat chickens, rabbits, small turtles, and various fish. Snow foxes can get stuck in deep snow after a jump.
Foxes can hold items in their mouths if you throw them to them. You can give them a sword to attack with or a totem of undying, which they will actually use! However, they will eat food immediately. They can also search for other items, including rare emeralds, items from rabbits and chickens, as well as leather and wheat.
The adorable creatures are most useful for an automatic sweet berry farm. The foxes “harvest” sweet berries, and if you run a minecart with a hopper underneath, they will be automatically collected. You can use sweet berries as a food source, breed more foxes, or trade 10 of them for an emerald with a butcher villager. This makes such a farm a great source for trading!
Dolphins in Minecraft: Water Adventures and Ruins
Dolphins are also fascinating creatures and can be found in ocean biomes, except in cold waters. They spawn in groups of one or two and swim happily through the sea. The game treats them similarly to squids, so they will despawn if you move too far away.
Unfortunately, dolphins cannot be bred by the player, but there is a 10% chance of a baby dolphin spawning in a group. You can feed dolphins raw fish to gain their trust. They swim around, play with items floating in the water, and can even jump out of the water! If you feed them often enough, they might even lead you to a shipwreck or a hidden ocean ruin, which you can then loot and search for archaeological artifacts. You can learn more about this in our article on archaeology. (Minecraft Archaeology: Discover All Excavation Sites & Rare Items)
The “Dolphin’s Grace” ability is likely what you’re after. It allows you to swim significantly faster underwater near dolphins. In fact, this mode of transport is even faster than using an Elytra on land. You just need to be within a 9-block radius of a dolphin to automatically receive the grace.
The effect is enhanced with:
Boots enchanted with “Depth Strider 3” + “Frost Walker 3”
A soul sand/soul soil floor
A potion of swiftness
All of this combined results in a speed of nearly 145 m/s, practically shooting you through your world! Although it requires some effort, such a tunnel will transport you extremely quickly from point A to point B.
Conclusion: Discovering the Versatility of Minecraft’s Wildlife
Beyond many well-known features, Minecraft also offers small details that players often ignore and forget. Hopefully, we’ve brought pandas, foxes, and dolphins closer to you, as these animals can be incredibly useful in certain situations! Rent your own Minecraft server with us and embark on a joint journey to find different types of pandas or build a dolphin tunnel to connect structures in your world. Meanwhile, you can also breed some cute foxes and have them bring you gifts!
