Today’s New York Times Strands puzzle, themed “Unusual companions,” offers a satisfying challenge for animal lovers who can think beyond common household pets.
For those needing a hint to begin, the puzzle’s theme words refer to animals kept as pets other than the traditional cats and dogs. Players can also unlock in-game hints by finding non-theme words of four letters or more. For every three such words found, the game will reveal one of the correct theme answers.
The goal of Strands is to identify all the theme words and one “spangram” that connects two opposite sides of the board, using every letter in the grid.
The answers for today’s puzzle are:
* AXOLOTL
* CHINCHILLA
* GECKO
* PARROT
* PYTHON
* SKUNK
The spangram that encapsulates the theme is EXOTICPET.
This puzzle continues the game’s trend of diverse and occasionally difficult themes. Recent challenging topics have included “Dated slang,” marine biology in “Thar she blows!,” and specific fish types in “Off the hook,” each testing players’ specialized knowledge.
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