Chapter 828 Crocodiles in the Blackwater River

Too dangerous!

Everyone was frightened when they saw a few crocodiles tearing up a baby camel in a short period of time. Seeing that Bifang was less than three meters away from the Blackwater River, they all quickly advised him to stay away.

A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. The distance of three meters is like walking on a knife, and the cold light is biting.

"Don't worry, it's not that dangerous."

Bi Fang smiled and pointed at the Nile crocodile in the distance that was still tearing pieces of meat from the camel. Although this scene was extremely bloody and cruel, everyone could even see the twitching camel legs on the Blackwater River, but in the Surrounding this tragedy, several adult camels still stood silently.

When they saw this scene, not only did they not take it seriously, but they continued to stand in the river, lowering their heads to drink water, as if the people dying beside them were not their kind at all.

[This, what is going on? ? 】

【Are you so indifferent? 】

[The crocodile won’t bite the big camel]

"Did you see it? Even if these big camels are standing in the water, Nile crocodiles will not attack them, because they know in their hearts that these big guys are not something they can afford to offend. The relationship between crocodiles and camels here , like the relationship between a crocodile and a hippopotamus.”

Hearing Bi Fang's analogy between crocodiles and hippopotamuses, the audience in front of the screen suddenly understood.

I have never eaten pork but I have also seen pigs running away. These two species are frequent visitors to the animal world.

"Although hippos always stay in the water, they can swim and dive. They are usually quiet. Once they lose their temper, they often fight, each using their sharp teeth to stab each other's thick skin. Sometimes in the river When it got angry, it dared to overturn the boat and bite it into two pieces. "

"The crocodile's skin is rough and thick, but it is not as good as a small boat. An adult hippopotamus can bite a large crocodile in half in one bite, but the crocodile's teeth cannot deal with the hippopotamus; the hippopotamus is faster than the crocodile in the water and on the shore. "The strength and size are much better than those of crocodiles."

"So crocodiles will stay away from the waters where hippos are. But it is a bit inaccurate to say that crocodiles will not attack hippos, because if the target is a small hippo, then it will not be polite."

[The camels here are hippos! 】

"Yes, the adult camels in the canyon are equivalent to the hippos on the African savanna. Although they don't have the terrifying bite force of hippos, their attack power cannot be underestimated. With one hoof, it is very likely to directly crush the crocodile's head. ”

"Besides, have you noticed that the crocodiles here are generally smaller?"

A crocodile was basking in the sun on the shore. It had a big mouth. Bifang got off the camel and walked in. The audience was frightened. But when they compared the two, they found that the crocodile seemed to be less than two meters tall?

Compared to the Alpha on the side, it was even smaller and looked vulnerable.

Such a big crocodile can only eat a small camel.

"Although I always call them Nile crocodiles, in fact, their names should be West African Nile crocodiles, or Desert crocodiles, West African crocodiles."

[I understand, Desert Butcher Renekton (laughing)]

"The West African crocodile, also known as the West African Nile crocodile and the desert crocodile, was once considered a subspecies of the Nile crocodile. But a 2011 study showed that DNA molecular evidence testing showed that the skulls of the Nile crocodile and the West African crocodile were between differences, the West African crocodile is a separate species."

"It's just that, as I said before, the naming of many species has long been taken for granted. Even if the essence is recognized and the scientific name is changed, the usual name will not be changed, and the wrong name will continue like this."

After comparing the size of the West African crocodile, Bi Fang got back on the Alpha and continued walking along the Blackwater River.

"Since there are two species, the body shapes cannot be generalized."

"The Nile crocodile is the largest crocodile and the largest reptile in Africa. Its body length is 2-6 meters. The average length of the largest subspecies is 3.7 meters. There is also a famous monster here. I wonder if you have any People have heard it called 'Gustav'."

[Gustav, it sounds so familiar]

[I think I’ve heard of it]

【No impression at all】

【Careless】

Seeing that everyone is interested, Bi Fang doesn't mind introducing me.

"It is said that the largest crocodile in the world is a Nile crocodile named Gustav. Its body is more than ten meters long. According to official statistics from Burundi, it killed 100,000 people in the ten years from 1992 to 2002. Nearly 300 people died.”

[Fuck, how is that possible! 】

【What a joke】

[Is it so outrageous? 】

【real or fake】

【I do not believe】

"Honestly, I wouldn't believe it even if I didn't see it with my own eyes, but this crocodile is indeed famous, and many records are from local officials."

Bi Fang smiled bitterly.

The Nile crocodile is the overlord in the water. When it reaches the shallows, it can also snatch the prey from the mouth of the lion, the king of the prairie. The Nile crocodile in a group is a complete amphibious overlord.

Generally speaking, most Nile crocodiles will be no more than 5 meters long and 600 kilograms in weight throughout their lives, but there are some naturally selected crocodiles who outperform "crocodiles" starting from their crocodile eggs.

After breaking out of the shell, it grows rapidly. If it grows to adulthood successfully, its size will be about 6 meters. When other crocodiles see it, they will bow their heads. It is enough to dominate the entire river.

Gustave is the chosen crocodile. He was born in Burundi between Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is hidden in Lake Tanganyiko, the largest lake in the country. People named him "Gustave".

Its name comes from the Swedish emperor Gustav II, who once conquered half of Europe. He was domineering and majestic.

Many local residents claimed that they had seen this giant beast.

According to people's description, this giant crocodile is particularly large and can easily overturn the fishermen's boats. Gustav will quietly lurk in the water and quickly attack when the prey approaches.

In 2004, a war broke out in Burundi. After the war, people suddenly remembered that they had not heard about Gustav for a long time.

In 2007, a witness claimed that he saw Gustav again, but there was a row of bullet holes on his body, which was probably left by the machine gun during the civil war.

[A bit outrageous.]

[I don't really believe it]

[I think it may be true. After all, nature is unpredictable]

[Indeed, nature is so big, there are always some freaks]

[Does Fang Shen believe it? 】

"Me?" Bifang pondered for a moment, and finally shook his head and gave an ambiguous answer, "I don't know whether I should believe it or not, maybe it really exists."

The power of nature is infinite, and there are always some elite individuals.

We are all human beings, but some people can run 100 meters in 10 seconds and punch through a sandbag.

If possible, he really hopes that this crocodile named Gustav exists, and then he can go and see it himself.

"Compared with the Nile crocodile, the West African crocodile seems a bit insignificant. The smallest adult crocodile is only 1 meter long, with an average of 1.5-2 meters. The largest male West African crocodile is 243.5cm long. If the tail is broken, the total length is 250cm. The largest female West African crocodile is 209cm long."

Just heard about Gustav's legend, and the audience was amazed at the power of the Nile crocodile, but now when they heard about the size of the West African crocodile, they felt a lot worse.

"West African crocodiles mainly eat small creatures such as fish, birds, frogs and insects, which also explains why West African crocodiles lack the ability to prey on livestock and how the natives and crocodiles can coexist peacefully."

"The West African crocodile's lack of ability to prey on large prey in the Sahara is the key to its survival in the desert and the fundamental reason for its small size."

"So, West African crocodiles can't kill camels at all. They can only eat small camels that are alone. As for why the camels around are so indifferent, it is also a normal state in nature. Except for their parents, generally no camel will lend a hand to the camel that has been preyed. Perhaps its parents are not nearby."

That's it.

Everyone finally understood.

"So we don't have to be afraid of them at all, and the speed of crocodiles is actually not as fast as you think."

Most crocodiles are very ferocious and the most patient hunters. At the moment of their prey, they can be ejected from the water like an arrow, which looks very impactful.

But this is only a short-term behavior and cannot be maintained for a long time.

There are three running postures for crocodiles, either like snakes, horses, or rabbits.

Like snakes, they crawl forward. When in swamps and muddy riverbanks, they drag their bellies and push forward with their feet. This is also the most common posture.

The second is the high gait: This gait is very effective for clearing rocks and branches, and requires the most energy because it needs to lift the huge body off the ground.

The third is running: similar to the jumping of a rabbit, the crocodile pushes the ground with its hind legs at the same time, and then lands on its front legs, which looks like jumping.

The audience imagined the scene of the crocodile and the rabbit jumping in their minds, and they didn’t know what to say for a while.

It seems very funny?

"But the latter two are usually only seen in small crocodiles. Big crocodiles are basically a few crocodiles, like pythons."

"The West African crocodile is much smaller than the Nile crocodile, but it is average in the crocodile family. It is not as good as the best, but better than the worst. It can burst out in a short time, that is, the attack, so it is enough for us to leave the river bank three meters."

Bifang threw a piece of ostrich meat, and the crocodile next to it did not move at all. It was not until Bifang left that everyone saw the West African crocodile slowly approach and swallow it.

"In ancient Egypt, people even thought it was a great honor to be eaten by a crocodile. The crocodile god Sobek carved on the Sonic Temple was believed to be based on the Nile crocodile."

"However, myths always change with history. Since the 9th century AD, the Nile crocodile has become a target of human hunting."

"The ancient Egyptians worshipped Sobek and the pharaoh's fertility and protected the related crocodile gods, but later the Egyptians also hunted crocodiles, seeing them as a source of protection and power for the pharaoh."

"This may be one of the proofs of social change."

Those who have studied archaeology know about the worship of sires. In ancient times, the sculptures unearthed were often women with wide and fat bodies.

Because such a body shape is easier to give birth, the early human mortality rate was high, so they naturally worshiped it. However, after entering the feudal society, human productivity developed rapidly, armed themselves, and the mortality rate dropped greatly, and the primitive worship of sires began to disappear.

The powerful image of the crocodile naturally changed from a representative of fertility to a powerful representative of power.

"The West African crocodile is more obedient than the Nile crocodile and was chosen by the ancient Egyptians for their spiritual rituals, including mummies."

"Historically, the West African crocodile and the Nile crocodile inhabited Egypt in the lower reaches of the Nile River. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus was the first to record and study crocodiles. Herodotus wrote that the ancient Egyptian priests picked crocodiles when they were selective."

"The priests knew the differences between the two species. The West African crocodile was smaller, more docile, and easier to catch and tame."

"Herodotus also noted that some Egyptians kept crocodiles as pampered pets. At the Temple of Arsinoe at Sobek, a crocodile was kept in the temple, where it was fed and covered in jewels. Baichi. "

"When a crocodile dies, it is embalmed, mummified, placed in a sarcophagus, and then buried in a sacred tomb. Many mummified specimens and even crocodile eggs have been found in Egyptian tombs. "

"DNA analysis in recent years shows that crocodile mummies in the caves of Thebes, the caves of Samoun and those in Upper Egypt all belong to this species. "

"Another day of learning knowledge"

"I'm so tired of learning"

"Bifang rode a camel across most of the Black Water River. There was an endless stream of camels, and a large number of pottery fragments were seen on the ground.

"What are these fragments? Garbage?"

"There are so many human traces here"

"There are murals and pottery jars. This place must have been very prosperous before, right?"

"Bifang did not comment.

" "Around 1840, religious Berbers and Bedouins moved south from the north, replacing the original indigenous Tubu people and giving the oasis its current name."

"The entry of outsiders made business prosperous again. The first European to discover this place, Rolfs, entered Dachi along the Sahara trade route that was formed."

"However, the local residents at that time were very hostile to foreign Europeans. Rolfs' expedition team was besieged by the locals and almost lost their lives."

"In the end, the expedition team fled all the way north to Benghazi. Of course, they couldn't go to Chad, but discovering Dachi was enough to make his reputation even higher."

[No wonder he had to circumcise to disguise, hahaha]

[I feel so miserable]

[This is too dangerous, primitive people?]

[Not much different. ]

The prosperity of business made this oasis a good place to store water, and the most useful tools, pottery jars, naturally increased.

However, after 2000, all the relatively intact jars were either taken away or smashed to pieces. When Bifang personally visited the place, he only saw many scattered fragments, none of which were intact.

[Ah, didn’t the local government protect them? They are all antiques]

“This is a common misunderstanding. In fact, not all antiques are valuable. Only antiques with cultural and historical value can be sold at a good price. These pottery jars are not too old, and the shapes are ordinary. They are mainly practical.”

“There is no historical value, cultural value, or artistic value. They are no different from waste. Maybe they are better than waste, but they are not worth spending a lot of money to protect.”