ANIMALWOOD

Panda

Medium to carve

A carnivore that decided bamboo was enough — 99% of its diet.

Mountain bamboo forests of central China

Carve it in today's puzzle

Fun facts about the Panda

Giant pandas are classified as carnivores but eat bamboo for 99% of their diet, spending 10–16 hours a day feeding. They have a modified wrist bone that acts as an extra "thumb" to grip bamboo stems. A newborn panda is about the size of a stick of butter — 900 times smaller than its mother, one of the largest size ratios at birth of any mammal. Pandas have a pseudo-thumb that is actually a modified wrist bone, not a true digit.

Carving the Panda

The Panda offers a moderate challenge: it has both broad areas to clear quickly and fine details that reward a careful hand. Start with the gouge on large negative-space areas.

Switch to the chisel for the mid-range details, and finish any thin protrusions with the knife. Use a Peek if you lose track of the proportions.

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