How do the new Minecraft animal variants work?

Minecraft has been announcing new features every week for the upcoming game drop. This update will be the first one this year and is shaping up to be an ambient and mob variant-focused one. Cows, chickens, and pigs are getting biome-based variations, making the game feel even more immersive. These three variants work similar to each other.

One interesting change involves sheep, which now spawn with different wool colors depending on their environment. Let’s get into the details and find out how these new Minecraft animal variants work!

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The different Minecraft animal variants

Cold variants

Mojang finally gave players what they wanted for years (Image via Mojang Studios)

If you find yourself wandering through chilly biomes, you’ll notice that some of the classic animals have adapted to the environment. All the cold variants have new colors and patterns. The cows and pigs develop a thick coat and the chicken gets a slick back haircut. Cows also get horns in these biomes.

The cold variant of cows, chickens, and pigs spawns in:

• Old Growth Pine Taiga
• Old Growth Spruce Taiga
• Taiga
• Snowy Taiga
• Windswept Hills
• Windswept Gravelly Hills
• Windswept Forest

In these frosty lands, the most common sheep color is black, blending well with cold surroundings. However, you might even find some uncommon colors, including light gray, light blue, blue, and cyan, adding a cool-toned variety to your flock. And if you're incredibly lucky, you might just stumble upon a rare pink sheep.

Chickens will now have different types of eggs based on their variant as well. You can use these eggs to get all the different versions.

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Warm variants

These variants might make you interested in different biomes (Image via Mojang Studios)

When exploring the hotter regions of Minecraft, you'll come across the warm variant of the classic mobs like pigs, cows, and chickens. All three mobs get new warm colors and patterns. Similar to the cold variant, Cows get horns in warm climates as well.

These biomes include:

• Savanna
• Savanna Plateau
• Windswept Savanna
• Jungle
• Sparse Jungle
• Bamboo Jungle
• Eroded Badlands
• Wooded Badlands
• Badlands

Since these regions are filled with rich earth tones, the common sheep color here is brown. You’ll also find uncommon colors like gray, yellow, orange, and red making the savanna and jungle areas feel even more vibrant.

And yes, just like in other Minecraft biomes, there's still a rare chance of spotting a pink sheep here. The pink sheep can be found in all of the different biomes, making it unique.

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Temperate variants

Temperate variants are the original versions of the classic mobs (Image via Mojang Studios)

For areas that don’t fall into extreme hot or cold categories, the temperate variants take over. These original mob variants appear in all biomes where cold and warm variants don’t spawn — retaining their classic behavior and colors.

The common sheep color here remains white, while the uncommon ones include black, gray, light gray, and brown. As mentioned before, you also have a chance to find pink sheep.

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With these new biome-based variations, Minecraft is adding extra details that one should be aware of while playing the game. It makes the world feel more alive, as animals now reflect their surroundings better.