Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness

Chapter 489: Chapter 486 Do I Have Some Kind of Unique Physique?

“`

The sudden appearance of footprints surprised everyone.

Bi Fang knelt on one knee, picked up the surrounding leaves, followed the footprint in other directions, and found many more, all in various directions.

After sweeping all the leaves away, it wasn’t just the number of footprints that was surprising, there were also many signs of activity, like something had been thrashing or dragging.

Bi Fang smiled, “It looks like we have an uninvited guest, and it might even have mistaken my campsite for a cave.”

[666, who dares to take over Old Fang’s spot?]

[What kind of animal is this, a paw print?]

[Holy crap, is this one animal or a group, I’m kinda scared]

[Such big footprints, and Old Fang’s not panicked at all?]

[Has Old Fang recognized what animal this is?]

Bi Fang nodded, placed his palm next to the paw print to compare the sizes, “You see, this paw print is almost as big as my hand, which indicates that the animal is not small, and judging by the depth of the footprint, it’s at least not some lightweight contestant.”

Despite two rainfalls, don’t forget that Bi Fang had a shelter with a roof, so the ground inside was drier compared to other places.

And the paw prints at hand were still quite distinct, so the animal was definitely not any small creature like a fox.

“Many animals’ footprints are actually somewhat similar, so when identifying an animal by its prints, the first thing is to assess the animal’s weight class by the depth of the footprints. This depends on the situation, as moist or dry soil can affect the depth, which requires experience and a high level of observation,” he explained.

“Next is to look at the size of the footprint and the stride length. For large creatures, the footprints can’t be small, and the stride will be wider due to their body size because animals need a sufficiently large skeleton to support themselves.”

“Based on the size and depth of the paw prints in front of us, I estimate that this animal weighs around thirty kilograms, give or take no more than five kilograms.”

As an experienced Wilderness Survivalist expert, Bi Fang was quite confident in his assessment.

“From this, it can be deduced that the animal weighs no more than thirty-five kilograms at most, and I am easily more than twice its size, so there is actually nothing to be worried about,” he remarked.

“Further narrowing down the type of animal based on its size became much easier. Look at those small holes; those are claw marks, which means it cannot be a species of cat because they have retractable claws and seldom leave such marks. This reduces the level of danger once again.”

Bi Fang’s tone was relaxed, not at all as anxious as the viewers might imagine him to be due to the intrusion of an unknown animal into his shelter.

In nature, to be large is to be good, to be large is to be strong.

This is a very simple and unadorned notion that may not be 100% accurate but is generally applicable.

Even a lion has to hunt in packs when encountering an animal larger than itself.

Moreover, humans are intelligent beings who have freed their hands.

In the Roman Colosseum, with weapons of iron or bronze and shields, humans could face off against lions and tigers alone.

In the primitive tribes of Africa, with a spear in each person’s hand, just ten individuals could collectively hunt down colossal creatures like elephants, hippos, and giraffes, killing them before they even had a chance to fight back.

Lions and cheetahs didn’t dare approach indigenous tribes.

Under such circumstances, unless the opponent is a group species, with a dozen or so attacking together, each weighing over thirty kilograms, Bi Fang really had no reason to fear it.

He wasn’t some frail keyboard warrior; with a spear at hand, and having fought nearly two hundred kilogram black bears and the Northern Desert Wolf Pack, how could he not handle an even smaller animal with one spear thrust?

[Wait, what if it’s a group? All those footprints?]

[I bet Old Fang definitely has his reasons]

[So what exactly is the animal?]

“It’s quite simple. Look, if it were a group of animals, the footprints on the ground would be of various sizes, and their depths would differ too. But here, whether in size or depth, they’re almost identical, which means there was only one animal that left these footprints,” Bi Fang pointed out the paw prints and explained.

It was a very straightforward concept that became clear once pointed out.

As for the type of animal in question,@@novelbin@@

“Five claws, so it can’t be a herbivore, nor can it be from the cat or dog families, as both of those species have four symmetrical toe pads, two in the front and two in the back.”

“Excluding the two most common predatory species, based on the five-claw feature and size, it can’t be an otter, ferret, or rat either, as those animals typically weigh less than ten kilograms. So, since it’s none of the common predators, we can start thinking about the rarer hunters…”

Bi Fang grinned, he might already know what animal he had encountered.

His luck was really not bad.

“`

“I might have encountered another national first-class protected animal.”

By now, the viewers’ curiosity had been thoroughly piqued, and they were eager to know what animal it was.

Another first-class?

Is this like wholesale cabbage?

[Does Old Fang have some strange physique that attracts animals?]

[Add one, I feel the same way]

[Such people, we usually call them the protagonists, Dog’s head]

Bi Fang swept away the leaves, emptied the bacteria from the bark frame into a hole: “Judging by the footprints and claws, the creature we’ve encountered should be from the lizard family, and the only lizard big enough to leave these marks is the Water Monitor.”

“Water Monitors have been quite rare over the past ten years, but Director Zhou once mentioned to me that last May, two were spotted in the Yunnan Puer Simao Nuozhadu Nature Reserve, and just earlier this month, one was sighted in Baoshan. Together with the one I’ve encountered today, it shows that they’re still quite active in Yunnan, indicating a sizable population.”

“The recovery of the Water Monitor population, along with the elephant herds that have been active in the north, suggests that the environmental protection in the Banna Rainforest is doing very well.”

Bi Fang sincerely praised, making the live broadcast staff quite elated.

Wasn’t this a compliment to their achievements?

Bi Fang was no longer a fledgling broadcaster but an explorer with a significant influence worldwide.

Having climbed Mount Everest with greats like David Attenborough, receiving Bi Fang’s approval undoubtedly proved the effectiveness and clear results of their work.

[What is a Water Monitor?]

[Never heard of it…]

[Komodo Dragon? That’s the only large lizard I know.]

“Normal, because it’s rarely seen. An adult Water Monitor can grow up to three meters and weigh more than thirty kilograms, making it the largest lizard in our country and the second-largest in the world, second only to the Komodo Dragons.”

“However, it can’t compare with the Komodo Dragon, whose size is massive, with an average weight of over 80 kilograms. They are the largest venomous creatures in the world and super predators. They often feed on large animals, eat carrion, and are incredibly fierce beasts.”

“Even though Water Monitors also have a fierce temperament, their diet consists of fish, frogs, snakes, birds, mice, and other such prey, and unlike Komodo Dragons, their mouths lack venom glands; they are non-venomous large lizards.”

“Interestingly, there have been no reports of Water Monitors attacking humans. They are unexpectedly docile towards humans, and I hope that when I encounter one later, it won’t break this trend.”

Although the animal he encountered this time, the Water Monitor, wasn’t much of a threat, it still served as a wake-up call for Bi Fang. Who knows what kind of creature might appear next time?

It was time to upgrade the refuge.

“I’m going to build a sturdy mud-brick wall for the refuge.” Bi Fang placed his spear against the wall, set his conical hat on the wicker bed, shouldered the bark frame, took up the stone shovel, and once again left the refuge.

“Mud-brick walls are best made with clay, which has few sand grains and is sticky due to its low water permeability, giving it good plasticity. This type of soil is actually easy to find. We just need to patiently search along the banks of lakes or streams, where it’s generally available.”

“The reason I’m so keen to return to the first refuge isn’t just because it’s sturdy and comfortable, but also because there’s a truly impressive array of resources nearby, including Fishy Grass, wild sugarcane, and clean water sources that are safe to drink. Of course, I also wanted to check if there were any fish caught.”

Bi Fang arrived at the stream but did not rush to dig the soil. Instead, he went over to the fishpond he dug before leaving.

Luckily, perhaps because the fishpond was large enough, it hadn’t been flooded and still served its purpose. However, a few fish were floating belly-up inside the pond, and some small fish at the edge had been half-eaten.

“Could this also be the work of a Water Monitor?” Bi Fang wondered, comparing the wounds on the fish. It seemed quite likely.

His hard-built refuge had not just been taken over, but even the stable fishpond had been discovered, providing ample daily meals.

[Wow, this Water Monitor is smart!]

But where had it gone now?

Bi Fang was puzzled. Logically, with food readily available, there was a small chance it had gone far to hunt.

Shaking his head, Bi Fang caught a few fish to put in the bark frame, then took out a stone shovel and started to scrape away the top layer of decayed plants. Digging less than thirty centimeters, the color of the soil below turned red.

Bi Fang pinched a clump of soil from the ground, easily rubbing and kneading it between his fingers, the texture very fine.

“This is it.”

Having found what he was looking for, Bi Fang shoveled the clay into the bark frame. Once it was full, he brought it back to camp and emptied it into a large pit he had prepared.

After several repetitions, clearing out all the twigs, stones, and leaves, he poured water over the clay, submerging it and stirring continuously.

A batch of clay was about to be ready.