Learning about Wild Animals with Minecraft

In my post about farm animals, we talked about the non-wild animals of the Minecraft Animal Kingdom. In this post we are going to talk about some of the more rare and unique creatures and some of the more dangerous.

For today’s crafting adventure, we will be identifying wild animals within Minecraft. If you’d like you can even create a zoo to display the wild animals. That is – if you can catch them. As you find and study the wild animals in Minecraft consider these questions:

How is this animal different than its real life counterpart?
How is this animal the same as its real life counterpart?
How does this animal benefit us in real life?
How does this animal benefit me in game play?
What will I need to feed this animal if I manage to put them in a zoo?

Fish: Found in any (two-block) deep section of water using a fishing pole, fish are a source of food. They can be fed to cats or cooked and eaten.

Salmon: Rarer than normal fish, salmon are orange fish that are a source of food for a player. However, I don’t think you can feed them to cats.

Clownfish: Found when fishing, these fish are edible but don’t fill you up very much. I usually just put them on display.

Pufferfish: These fish are poisonous, and are not for eating. However, they are useful for making water breathing potions (used for breathing under water).

Squids: Found in almost any body of water, squids give you ink sacks. With ink sacks you can make books and dye things black.

Bats: These are cool creatures often found in caves or other dark areas. In Minecraft they appear to have no purpose.

Spiders: These hostile mobs are a nuisance to me (much like the real thing). However, they are extremely useful as you can get string from them (used in making bows, fishing rods, carrots sticks, trip wires, leads, and wool if you have a mind to). You can also get other things which are used in potion making. They can be found anywhere if your difficulty is on easy or above.

Wolves: As I have mentioned before, wolves are untamed dogs. They attack sheep and are attracted to anyone holding bones or raw meat. I usually find them in forest biomes.

Ocelots: Untamed cats, they attack sheep and run away from players. They are found in jungle biomes and can often be found in trees.

Guardians: Found only near underwater temples, these laser-shooting sea creatures are not to be underestimated. Upon defeat, you receive fish. To be honest, I prefer fishing with a fishing pole.

Cave Spiders: Much like their friends the normal spiders, cave spiders are very dangerous. They are half the size of normal spiders, and twice as deadly. Found in mine shafts, they are not something you want to find when you are caving. Unless you like that sort of surprise.