Chapter 824: Bird and Snake Battle

Of course, Bifang couldn't really eat flies.

With his current abilities, he didn't need to survive so "miserably" except for a special demonstration.

After seeing Lake Umay and checking in, he had completed a part of the journey. He found some food in the nearby green plants and made some tools. Then he continued on his way and successfully entered Chad from Libya and saw several volcanoes.

Waannams is a dead volcano. Looking down at the Sahara Desert from a high altitude, this dead volcano is like a black scar in the Sahara Desert.

Under the volcano, there are towering rocks. After entering, it's like entering half of a maze. Occasionally, you can see poisonous snakes entwined on the top of the stone, blending into the brown rock, hissing at the humans who enter.

And another thing that can be seen with the naked eye is that there are many more flying birds above the head.

Below the rock wall, Alpha was tied to the ground, and just above it, Bifang was clinging to the rock wall firmly. He grabbed the edge with both hands, exerted force, turned over and came to a platform, and saw a bird's nest in a depression.

Bifang smiled and put the bird eggs into his arms.

Along the way, he had found no less than three bird nests on these rocks, which were rich in nutrition.

"When we arrived in Chad, life was not as tight as before. It can be said that this place is a grassland. There are basically trees wherever you look, although they are sparse."

Carefully returning along the original route, Bifang did not get on the camel immediately, but cooked the bird eggs on the spot, otherwise it would be easy to bump and break in the bag, which would be a loss.

After preparing simple dry food, Bifang untied Alpha's rope and continued on his way.

"Nature has abundant resources, and humans rely on them for survival. But if humans only know how to demand from nature without knowing how to protect it, they will surely suffer the consequences."

"As the Han Dynasty's Huainanzi said: The law of the ancient kings was not to fish in a dry lake or burn forests for hunting."

"The consequences of over-exploitation of natural resources are not uncommon in ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad."

Bifang held Alpha's reins and walked slowly between the canyons.

"The Republic of Chad is a typical desert landlocked country, with more than half of its territory belonging to the Sahara Desert or semi-desert.

Although they are all desert countries, the Republic of Chad does not have rich oil resources like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries. Chad is an agricultural and pastoral country with a very backward economy and poor people.

It is not only one of the least developed countries in the world, but also rated as the poorest country in Africa by the United Nations."

[I always feel that Africa is very poor]

[Is it possible that this is not a feeling (dog head)]

[I have heard several of the poorest ones, all gathered together and belong to yes]

"Due to the limitations of the natural environment, the economic development of the entire African continent is relatively slow, most countries are very poor, and the Republic of Chad is in the worst position among them.

Chad is not without natural resources. In recent years, gold, diamonds, iron ore and other resources have been discovered within the borders of the Republic of Chad.

However, due to the backward overall industrial technology level of Chad and the poor economic conditions, there is no It is impossible to mine on a large scale. This creates a vicious cycle: there is no money to mine resources, and there is even less money if there is no mining.

Chad's poverty is also reflected in the use of electricity. Chad's national electricity coverage is only 2%.

Electricity has become a luxury for ordinary residents. They all use primitive methods such as burning wood or animal dung for lighting. "

"And I just said not long ago that Chad, known as the heart of death in the desert, has extremely scarce water resources. "

"There is only one water source in the country - Lake Chad. "

"Originally, Lake Chad was jointly owned by Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon, but now only Cameroon and Chad own this lake. "

"And this is not a good thing for Chad, because the reason for this situation is not because of its strong national strength and annexation of more land, but because Lake Chad is disappearing. "

Lake Chad is very famous in Africa. It is not only the second largest wetland in Africa, but also one of the main inflows of the Nile River.

However, the area of ​​Lake Chad has shrunk from 330,000 square kilometers more than 7,000 years ago to 2,500 square kilometers today. Compared with Qinghai Lake, Lake Chad is only half the size of the latter.

And this situation has not stopped. Lake Chad is still shrinking as if it is swallowed by the desert.

This situation is undoubtedly very bad and fatal to the impoverished Republic of Chad.

"There are many main reasons why Lake Chad has dried up so quickly."

"The first reason must be that Lake Chad is close to the Sahara Desert, resulting in excessive natural evaporation."

The Sahara is the largest desert in the world and is still expanding.

Because Lake Chad is close to the Sahara Desert, the climate is dry and hot, the lake water is constantly evaporating, and the water source flowing into the lake is decreasing. The amount of water in and out is not proportional, so the area of ​​Lake Chad is getting smaller and smaller.

Although Lake Chad is inconspicuous now, 5,400 years ago, its area may be larger than the Caspian Sea, the world's largest lake today.

Because the time is too long, people cannot calculate the specific area of ​​Lake Chad during its heyday, but what is certain is that it was definitely not less than 300,000 square kilometers, and it may even reach or even exceed 400,000 square kilometers.

Such a huge lake is naturally inextricably linked to the world's longest river in Africa.

The world's longest river is the Nile River in Africa, and Lake Chad is one of the sources of the Nile River.

However, due to changes in the terrain, the depth of Lake Chad has become shallower. And because of long-term siltation, the outlet of Lake Chad has been gradually blocked, and over time, the connection with the Nile River has been cut off.

After being isolated, Lake Chad has obviously become a real inland lake.

Fortunately, due to the filtering effect of underground seepage, Lake Chad, as a small inland lake, is still a lake full of fresh water.

It will not become a saltwater lake full of flies like its other counterparts.

[So how much has it shrunk? ]

[How big is the area now? 】

"In the 1960s and 1970s, scientists conducted a measurement and found that the area of ​​Lake Chad was about 20,000 square kilometers."

"This is an astonishing number. In the past 5,000 years, Lake Chad has slowly changed from the world's largest lake of 300,000 to 400,000 square kilometers to a small lake of only more than 20,000 square kilometers."

"However, there is something even more astonishing. The shrinkage of Lake Chad has not changed, and it is still accelerating. Today, Lake Chad is only 1,500 square kilometers."

"That's right. In the past 5,000 years, Lake Chad has shrunk by 90%, and in the past 60 years, Lake Chad has shrunk by another 90%."

[Fuck, this is a bit outrageous]

[Awesome, it will be gone in ten years or so? 】

"If the first reason is an objective factor that cannot be stopped by human power, then the second reason must be blamed on human beings themselves."

"Similar to many poor countries, Chad has not controlled its births, and its population has increased dramatically in recent years, and basic food and clothing needs to be solved."

"The agricultural and animal husbandry in the Republic of Chad is almost zero, so people have turned their attention to Lake Chad."

"Lake Chad has not suffered any industrial pollution, the water quality is excellent, and the fish resources are abundant, but no matter how abundant the resources are, they cannot withstand uncontrolled exploitation. In this way, the resources of Lake Chad are getting less and less, and the environment is seriously damaged."

Although Lake Chad has hardly suffered industrial pollution, human activities have also caused great damage to the environment.

Lake Chad, which was originally the second largest wetland in Africa, has lush vegetation and a high vegetation coverage rate, but due to human deforestation, the water storage capacity of Lake Chad has been destroyed to a certain extent.

In addition, the domestic sewage discharged into the lake by people living by the lake has further saturated the ability of Lake Chad to purify the environment.

All these have caused this largest freshwater lake to become smaller and smaller, and perhaps it will be completely invisible in a few decades.

Bifang was still very lucky, lucky that he could still see this last oasis, if it was in the next century, it might not be possible.

As Bifang was chatting with the audience, the scene in front of him gradually became brighter.

"We should go out."

"Although there is light in such a canyon, it is still very easy to get lost because you can't see the sun directly."

Not all canyons are like the Great Rift Valley. The one where Bifang was located was like a handful of stones scattered on the ground, densely packed, with only gaps between stones.

It is also a relatively rare type.

The light in front of him became brighter and brighter, and just as he was about to walk out of the canyon, Bifang suddenly

pulled the reins.

It was not because he saw anything, but because he heard something unusual.

The drone's recording function is powerful, and the audience also heard it, and couldn't help holding their breath

[What sound? ]

[Sounds like a bird? ]

[Quack, quack, duck? ]

[Not sure]

Bifang thought for a while and doubted: "It might be an ostrich, let's be careful and get closer."

Ostrich?

[Is the ostrich in the desert? ]

[Bite]

[I used to think that ostriches could not live in the Sahara Desert, because I thought that ostriches needed water to survive, but later I learned that the speed of ostriches in the Sahara Desert can be comparable to that of gazelles, and they can get water in the deepest part of the sand. ]

[What is the relationship between running fast and getting water? ]

[Stupid, it means that the range of activities is large]

[If the range of activities is large, can you find water?]

Bifang got off Alpha, stuck to the rock wall, and moved towards the source of the sound little by little.

The scene in front of him surprised him.

The slender neck, black feathers, and most importantly, the huge body!

But it is not surprising to meet an ostrich. There are many wild ostriches in Africa, but the key is that there is another creature in front of the ostrich.

Cobra!

"The ostrich wants to eat the cobra."

Bifang hiding in the dark saw at a glance that this was a hunt.

Although he has traveled extensively over the years, it is rare to see animals hunting up close, especially when the other party is the famous Egyptian cobra!

If you want to talk about the most famous snake in Africa, it must be the cobra!

Although the horned viper has a strange shape and is mighty and domineering, it is still not as good as this desert representative creature that can be carved on the Pharaoh's scepter.

Besides, the horned viper Bifang encountered was considered large among its kind, nearly 70 centimeters long, but compared with the cobra in front of him, it was completely dwarfed.

Even without careful measurement, Bifang could estimate that its size was at least more than 1.5 meters!

1.5 meters is already a very scary size, and the waist is even as thick as an adult's wrist. Ordinary people may not even be able to hold it down!

"The cobra symbol on the headdress and crown of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh represents the cobra goddess Wadjet."

"In ancient Egyptian legends, the cobra goddess is believed to be a god with boundless power and omnipotence. The pharaoh wearing the headdress and crown with the cobra goddess symbol can guarantee the goddess's blessing and help the pharaoh resist the enemy's attack. Therefore, the cobra goddess is the patron saint of the ancient Egyptian royal family."

"It is said that Cleopatra was bitten to death by it."

"In ancient Egyptian mythology, being bitten to death by a poisonous snake will lead to eternal life in heaven after death. Cleopatra used prisoners to experiment with the power of various venomous snake venoms during her lifetime. The Egyptian cobra is a neurotoxin, so the degree of pain is relatively small. When the army was defeated and she was captured, she used the Egyptian cobra she raised in her residence to end her life."

"Of course, it is not clear whether Cleopatra died of snake venom."

"Some historians believe that Cleopatra used a mixture of deadly herbs, possibly poisonous ginseng, heartbreak grass and poppy."

"Some people think that cobras are impossible, but horned vipers, Because the records say that Cleopatra sneaked the snake in with a fig basket. Compared to the nearly 2-meter-long cobra, the desert horned viper is only 40-60 cm long, so the viper is easier to carry. "

"But there are other documents that say Cleopatra found a snake in a cave, which is a typical habitat for cobras compared to horned vipers. "

"But I tend to think it was a cobra, partly because of the legend, everyone wants to go to heaven after death, and partly because of the toxin. "

"The cobra's venom stops the heart and paralyzes It paralyzes the brain, but causes little damage to the skin around the bite. "

"And the horned viper causes necrosis and blackening of the skin and flesh tissue, spreading all the way to the limbs. No one mentioned that Cleopatra's body had horrible wounds, but it is also possible that her guards covered the wounds to maintain her beauty. "

[I don't understand, but I was shocked]

[This cobra looks different from the ones Lao Fang encountered before, it's pitch black]

[Indeed, if it hadn't opened that thing, I would have thought it was a black mamba]

[By the way, are ostriches so fierce?]

As he spoke, the ostrich finally launched an attack on the cobra.

Sometimes crocodiles will take the initiative to swallow stones in order to avoid being washed away by the turbulent water and keep their bodies moving steadily underwater. Stones have the same function as ballast in ships.