Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness

Too dangerous!

Seeing several crocodiles dismember a young camel in such a short time shook everyone to their core. Seeing Bi Fang less than three meters from the Heishui Riverbank, they all quickly urged him to move further away.

A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall; this three-meter distance was like walking on a knife's edge, bone-chilling.

"Relax, it's not that dangerous."

Bi Fang smiled and pointed to the distance where the Nile Crocodiles were still tearing flesh from the young camel. Despite the gruesome and brutal scene, with the twitching legs of the camel even visible on the surface of the Heishui River, around this tragic scene, several adult camels still stood quietly.

They saw this scene, yet they seemed indifferent, continuing to stand in the river and drink water as if the dead weren't their species.

[What, what's going on??]

[So indifferent?]

[Why don't the crocodiles go for the large camels?]

"See? Even though these adult camels stand in the water, the Nile Crocodiles don't go after them because they know in their hearts that these big fellows aren't ones to mess with. The relationship between the crocodiles and camels here is like that between crocodiles and hippos."

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

Never eaten pork but seen pigs run, those two species are regulars in the animal world.

"Hippos, though always in the water, can swim, and, more importantly, dive. Typically quiet, once they lose their tempers, they often fight, using their sharp teeth to wound each other's thick skin. Sometimes in the river, they can get so angry they'll overturn small boats and bite them in half."

"While crocodiles have thick skin and meat, they cannot compare with a small boat; an adult hippo can bisect a large crocodile with a single bite, and a crocodile's teeth can't handle a hippo; whether in water or on land, a hippo is faster than a crocodile, and vastly surpasses it in strength and size."

"So, in waters inhabited by hippos, crocodiles steer clear. It's not quite accurate to say crocodiles don't attack hippos, because if the target is a small hippo, they won't hesitate."

[The camels here are like the hippos!]

"Exactly, the adult camels in the canyon are akin to the hippos of the African Savanna. They may not have the terrifying biting power of hippos, but their attack power is also formidable; one kick could likely burst a crocodile's skull."

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

A crocodile was sunbathing on the shore, with its mouth wide open; Bi Fang dismounted from his camel, walked closer, and the viewers couldn't help but feel anxious. Yet upon closer inspection, this crocodile seemed hardly two meters long?

Compared to the nearby Alpha, it was ridiculously small and looked easily beatable.

Such a large crocodile could apparently only prey on young camels.

"Although I've been calling them Nile Crocodiles, their proper names should be West African Nile Crocodiles or even Desert Crocodiles, West African Crocodiles, really."

[I see, desert butcher, Rekton (laugh)]

"The West African Crocodile, also called West African Nile Crocodile or Desert Crocodile, was once considered a subspecies of the Nile Crocodile. However, a 2011 study showed through DNA molecular evidence that there's a difference in the skulls of Nile Crocodiles and West African Crocodiles, proving the latter to be a distinct species."

"However, as I've mentioned before, many species names become customary, and even after acknowledging the essence and changing the scientific name, the common name doesn't usually change; it continues to be called incorrectly."

After comparing sizes, Bi Fang remounted Alpha and continued along the edge of the Heishui River.

"Since they are two different species, their sizes can't be generalized."

"The Nile Crocodile is Africa's largest crocodile and its largest reptile with a body length of 2 to 6 meters. On average, the largest subspecies measures around 3.7 meters. Among them, there's a notorious creature known as 'Gustave.'"

[Gustave, sounds familiar]

[I think I have heard of it]

[No recollection at all]

[Stop rambling]

Seeing everyone's interest, Bi Fang didn't mind introducing further.

"Reportedly, the world's largest crocodile is a Nile Crocodile named Gustave; it measures over ten meters long. According to officials in Burundi, it killed nearly 300 people from 1992 to 2002."

[Holy shit, how is that possible!]

[Are you joking?]

[That's outrageous, right?]

[Really?]

[I don't believe it]

"To be honest, I can't say for sure since I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but this crocodile is indeed notorious, with many records stated by local officials."

Bi Fang gave a bitter smile.

In water, the Nile Crocodile is a ruler. On the shallows, it can even snatch prey from the mouth of the Lion, the king of the grasslands. Groups of Nile Crocodiles dominate both land and water.

Generally speaking, most Nile Crocodiles live their lives not exceeding 5 meters in length and 600 kilograms in weight, but there is a select group of crocodiles, superior from the moment they hatch from their eggs.

Growing rapidly after breaking out, if they mature successfully, they reach around 6 meters in size, making other crocodiles bow down before them, capable of dominating the entire river.

Gustave was one of those chosen crocodiles; it was born in Burundi between Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo and lingered in the country's largest lake, Lake Tanganyika; people named it "Gustave."

Its name comes from the Swedish Emperor Gustav II, who had once conquered half of Europe, emanating authority and awe.

Many locals claimed that they had seen this behemoth.

According to people's descriptions, the crocodile was particularly enormous and could easily capsize a fisherman's boat. Gustave would silently lurk in the water and swiftly attack when prey approached.

In 2004, a war broke out within Burundi. When the war ended, people suddenly remembered that they hadn't heard any news about Gustave for a long time.

In 2007, an eyewitness claimed to have seen Gustave again, but its body bore a row of bullet scars, most likely from being strafed by machine guns during the civil war.

[That's a bit outrageous...]

[Don't quite believe it]

[I think it might be true, after all it's nature, who can say for sure?]

[Indeed, nature is so vast, there's always some anomalies.]

[Does Master Fang believe it?]

"Me?" Bi Fang pondered for a moment, then shook his head and gave an ambiguous answer, "I don't know if I should believe it, but maybe it really exists."

Nature's power is infinite, and there are always some elite individuals.

Even though we are all humans, some people can run 100 meters in ten seconds and punch through sandbags with a single fist.

If possible, he really hoped that this crocodile named Gustave existed, and that he could see it for himself.

"Compared to the Nile Crocodile, the West African Crocodile seems rather insignificant. The smallest adult crocodile is only 1 meter long, averaging 1.5-2 meters. The largest male West African Crocodile measures 243.5 cm, and if you include a slightly broken tail, it's 250 cm in total. The largest female West African Crocodile measures 209 cm."

Having just heard about Gustave's legend, the audience was still impressed by the might of the Nile Crocodile, but now hearing about the size of the West African Crocodile, they felt it was quite less majestic.

"West African Crocodiles primarily feed on fish, birds, and frogs, along with small creatures like insects. This also explains why West African Crocodiles lack the ability to prey on livestock and how the natives and crocodiles coexist peacefully."

"The lack of large prey in the Sahara region is key to their survival in the desert and is the fundamental reason for their smaller size."

"So, it means that West African Crocodiles basically cannot prey on camels. They can only eat stray young camels. As for why the camels around are so indifferent, it's also a natural occurrence. Apart from parents, generally no other camels would help a predated one, possibly because its parents aren't nearby."

Now, that makes sense.

Everyone finally understood.

"So we really don't have to be scared of them, and crocodiles aren't as fast as you think."

Most crocodiles are extremely aggressive, being the most patient hunters. In the moment of their attack, they can burst out of the water like an arrow, appearing very impactful.

But this is only a brief behavior and cannot be sustained for a long time.

Crocodiles have three running styles, like a snake, like a horse, or like a rabbit.

Like a snake involves crawling forward, dragging their belly while pushing forward with their legs, when in swamps and muddy riverbanks. This is also the most commonly seen posture.

The second style is a high gait: this gait is effective for clearing rocks and branches and requires the most energy, as it involves lifting the massive body off the ground.

The third is running: similar to a rabbit's leap, the crocodile propels itself with its hind legs then lands on its front legs, appearing as if it's jumping.

"However, the latter two are usually seen only in young crocodiles, while the large crocodiles are mostly individuals, akin to pythons."

Bi Fang casually threw a piece of ostrich meat, and the nearby crocodile didn't stir until Bi Fang walked away; then people saw the West African Crocodile slowly move forward and swallow it.

"In Ancient Egypt, people even believed that being eaten by a crocodile was a great honor, and the crocodile god Sobek carved on the walls of the Sonic Temple was considered to be modeled after the Nile Crocodile."

"But as with myths, they tend to change with history. Since the 9th century AD, the Nile Crocodile has become a target of human hunting."

"The Ancient Egyptians worshipped Sobek along with the Pharaoh's fertility, protecting the associated crocodile god, but later on, Egyptians would also hunt crocodiles, viewing them as a source of protection and Pharaonic power."

"This might just be one proof of social changes."

Those who have studied archaeology know all about this kind of worship. In earlier times, commonly unearthed sculptures were of broad women.

Because such a physique was better for childbirth, early human mortality rates were high, so naturally, they were worshipped. But entering feudal society, human productivity rapidly developed, people armed themselves, and mortality rates significantly dropped, the primitive fertility worship began to fade.

The crocodile's powerful image naturally shifted from representing fertility to embodying formidable power.

"West African Crocodiles are more docile than Nile Crocodiles and were chosen by Ancient Egyptians for their spiritual rituals, including mummification."

"Historically, West African Crocodiles and Nile Crocodiles inhabited the lower reaches of the Nile River in Egypt. The Ancient Greek historian Herodotus was one of the first to record and study crocodiles. Herodotus wrote that the selection of crocodiles was made by Ancient Egyptian priests."

"The priests knew the differences between these two species; West African Crocodiles are smaller, more docile, and easier to capture and tame."

"Herodotus also noted that some Egyptians kept crocodiles as pampered pets. In Sobek's temple Arsinoe, a crocodile was kept confined in the temple, where it was fed and adorned with jewels in the holy pond."

"When the crocodile died, it was embalmed, turned into a mummy, placed in a sarcophagus, and then buried in a sacred tomb. Many mummified specimens and even crocodile eggs have been discovered in Ancient Egyptian tombs."

"Recent DNA analysis has shown that in the Thebes caves, the crocodile mummies from Cave Samoun and those from Upper Egypt all belong to this species."

[Another day of learning]

[I've learned so much I'm burnt out]

Bi Fang rode a camel through much of the Blackwater River, where camels were continuously seen, and numerous broken pottery fragments were seen on the ground.

[What are these fragments? Trash?]