This Panda Gritting Its Teeth To Break Bamboo Is How All Of Us Look When We're At The Gym
Me trying to do just one pull-up.
By Celine Low — 18 Mar 2024, 05:42 PM
Despite their cuddly appearance, pandas have powerful jaws and strong teeth adapted for grinding tough bamboo stalks
Most of the time, pandas use their mouth, nose, or the top of their head to snap a bamboo stalk in half.
Since they're born to break bamboos, the task comes easily to them, doing it effortlessly without much changes to their expressions.
Meng Er recently went viral on Douyin for gritting his teeth while breaking bamboo
However, the reason why he does that is actually quite bittersweet.
Meng Er was separated from his mother when he was a cub, and so, he was never taught how to break bamboo
He was raised under the care of zookeepers at Beijing Zoo, where Meng Er's upbringing included a unique lesson in bamboo-breaking.
They say bamboos bend but don't break. So, the act of breaking them requires significant force that comes more naturally to a panda than a human.
Every time the zookeeper tried to snap one in half, he would furrow his brow and grit his teeth in concentration.
Remarkably, Meng Er began to mimic not only the physical actions but also the subtle facial expressions of his caregiver.
So cuteeeeee!
Netizens were amused by Meng Er's adorable expression
One netizen's heart melted upon seeing his expression.
"He really thinks he needs to show his teeth in order to break the bamboo," they said.
"He must really be exerting strength doing that, with the way he's baring his teeth," commented another netizen.
Meanwhile, one netizen offered a plausible explanation as to why Meng Er faces away from the bamboo whenever he's trying to snap it half.
"Not only did he have to show his teeth, but he always turns his head to one side because he's worried about making an unattractive face," they said.
