Mojang’s latest snapshot, 25W05A, spices up Minecraft with fresh cow variants, a glowing Firefly Bush, and a handful of subtle tweaks that hint at bigger updates on the horizon.
The just released Minecraft Snapshot 25w05a brings about a host of new additions, including three different cow variants, desert ambient sounds, and, oh, fireflies. Well, almost.
Firefly Bush Adds a Patch of Light
Firefly Bush introduces a glowing plant that players can harvest for fireflies. These tiny lights float upward from the bush, creating soft illumination in dim areas. Place them around bases or paths at night to brighten surroundings without torches. They grow naturally in lush caves and can be transplanted using bone meal on dirt or moss. This addition brings subtle nighttime glow to builds.
Some might remember that Mojang previously planned to add a Firefly mob to the game. However, it ended up being canceled. Well, the latest Minecraft Snapshot has finally brought it here, but instead, as the Firefly Bush. The Firefly Bush is a new block that will be found in swamps and rivers. Also Read: Minecraft Eyeblossom Flowers: Where to Find, How to Get, and More
When the world turns dark, glowing firefly particles will appear around the bush at a level two light. Furthermore, using Bonemeal on a Firefly Bush will spawn another block like it. Besides fireflies, Snapshot 25W05a has also added a new standalone Bush block that will be found in small patches in various biomes. These include Plains, Windswept Hills, River, Birch Forest, and more.
As you might be able to guess, the new Minecraft blocks will definitely add a touch of light and variety to Minecraft. However, that’s not it.
Minecraft Snapshot 25W05a Brings New Cows
The latest snapshot introduces several new cow variants that bring more diversity to Minecraft’s farms and fields. Each variant reflects the unique traits of different biomes, offering new textures and behaviors that make herding and breeding more interesting. Players can encounter these cows naturally or crossbreed them to create new appearances, adding fresh variety to animal management and exploration.
Just as Minecraft pig variants recently became a thing, today’s Snapshot also has something in store for cows. For starters, two new cold and warm Minecraft cow variants are joining the game. These will be found in the cold and warm biomes across the Overworld, respectively. Furthermore, the existing cow model has also been updated.
Combined with the already amazing list of all Minecraft Mobs, including Wolf Variants, we can rest assured that we will see these handy cows in the game soon.
Besides the changes above, the latest Snapshot also brings new ambient sounds for Desert and Badlands, Powdered Snow changes, and beacon improvements. As always, you will find all the Minecraft Snapshot 25W05a patch notes linked above to read.
How do cold and warm cow variants differ visually and behaviorally
Cold and warm cows are mostly the same mob in terms of behavior, but they have clearly different looks and spawn in different climates.
Visual differences
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Cold cows have thick, shaggy, light-brown or orange-tinted fur with a “fluffy” silhouette, making them look similar to highland or yak-like cattle.
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Cold cows’ horns stick out from the sides of the head and point more forward, emphasizing a stockier, hardier look.
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Warm cows have a smoother, short-haired, rust-brown coat with more subtle shading and cleaner edges.
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Warm cows’ horns also emerge from the sides but curve more upward toward the sky, giving a sleeker profile than the cold variant.
Behavior and spawning
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Both variants behave like regular cows: they are passive, can be bred with wheat, milked with buckets, and drop beef and leather in the same way.
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The main behavior difference is where they appear: cold cows spawn in snowy or otherwise cold biomes, while warm cows spawn in hot biomes such as deserts, badlands, and savannas.
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Breeding is genetics-based: baby cows inherit their variant from their parents, not from the biome, so you can move and farm each variant anywhere once you have them.
Which biomes specifically spawn warm cows versus cold cows
Warm and cold cows each have a fixed biome list where they naturally generate; temperate cows spawn everywhere else that regular cows can appear.
Warm cow biomes
Warm cows spawn in hot and warm biomes, as long as standard cow grass-block spawn conditions are met.
They specifically appear in:
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Savanna biomes: Savanna, Savanna Plateau, Windswept Savanna.
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Jungle biomes: Jungle, Sparse Jungle, Bamboo Jungle.
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Badlands biomes: Badlands, Eroded Badlands, Wooded Badlands.
Some guides also note they can be forced via eggs/commands in other warm areas like deserts, warm oceans, mangrove swamps, and even the Nether, but these are not their main natural grazing spots.
Cold cow biomes
Cold cows spawn in snowy and cold mountain or taiga-type regions.
They specifically appear in:
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Taiga family: Taiga, Old Growth Pine Taiga, Old Growth Spruce Taiga, Snowy Taiga and related taiga variants.
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Cold/snowy and mountain biomes: Windswept Hills, Windswept Forest, Snowy Plains, Ice Spikes, Frozen Peaks, Jagged Peaks, Stony Peaks, Snowy Slopes.
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Icy/water edge biomes: Frozen Ocean, Cold Ocean, Frozen River, Snowy Beach, plus Deep Dark listed in some community tests when using commands.
Temperate cow context
Temperate (classic) cows fill in the remaining “normal” grassy biomes and are also what you get when shearing a mooshroom back into a cow.
They spawn where neither warm nor cold variants are assigned, such as plains, sunflower plains, most forests, flower forest, birch forest, and swamps in typical worlds.
