Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness-Chapter 887 - 883: Holding a Pinch

Only after entering the river did everyone realize that crocodiles weren't limited to those basking in the sun on the shore.

One after another, "driftwood" surfaced without warning, as if previously buried in the riverbed's silt, and the rafts on the river stirred the currents, dispersing the sediment, conveniently allowing these large bodies to float up.

The tens of millions of viewers in front of the screen all knew what this "driftwood" was, unmistakably Nile crocodiles!

They were not the ones from the Egyptian desert, known as Nile crocodiles but are actually West African crocodiles, with an average length of less than one meter seventy. These were adult males with an average length of three and a half meters, and prime adults spread more than four meters long, truly terrifying behemoths!

Space is three-dimensional; when length doubles, the weight increases exponentially.

A West African Nile crocodile at one meter fifty might weigh barely over thirty kilograms, but a three-and-a-half-meter Nile crocodile could weigh a horrifying three hundred kilograms. Compared to doubled length, the weight had shot up tenfold!

If two frenzied crocodiles truly launched an attack, just with their weight alone, they could possibly flip the entire raft. If one were to fall into the water then, it'd be out of Bi Fang's hands.

Realizing this, viewers couldn't help but shiver with fear, and for a moment, the number of viewers and comments in the live broadcast room skyrocketed.

[So many, isn't that way too many? Just on the surface, it feels like there are dozens.]

[How many crocodiles are there actually? The Great Rivers of Africa are too terrifying.]

[Damn, they aren't actually going to attack, are they?]

[They all came out at once, seems too sensitive, right?]

Compared to the panicked audience, Bi Fang seemed completely at ease, unfazed—an old hand at this kind of scene, having experienced it far too often.

The first time facing the battlefield, a new soldier might tremble, but a seasoned veteran never would.

"Just judging by appearances, Nile crocodiles are covered in scales, and many would subconsciously think their sense of touch is weak, much like how skin wrapped in calluses is often less sensitive than normal skin. In fact, it's quite the opposite. The surface of a Nile crocodile is filled with sensory organs, even more sensitive than human skin."

At these words, everyone was astounded.

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How could the scales, which looked so thick, be more sensitive than human skin?

Is this some kind of joke?

"The scales of a crocodile are just a facade. We must look beyond appearances to understand their essence. In fact, more than a hundred years ago, it was discovered that crocodiles have many little black bumps on their heads, jaws, inside their mouths, and between their teeth. These little black spots, ahem, little black dots are not dirt from living in the wild for a long time, but are innate."

"Even developing caimans and their embryos have these tiny black dots on their heads before their skin starts to split and scales form. Nile crocodiles go even further, developing these tiny black dots all over their bodies. People at that time considered them a unique organ."

"But the exact function of these organs was largely unknown until recently, when we began to understand their purpose, which can be inferred from their name."

"Those protruding black dots are unique sensors, which we call dome pressure receptors or cutaneous sensory organs, a type of sensory organ."

"However, the crocodile's cutaneous sensory organs differ entirely from sensory organs in other vertebrates. They combine the detection of touch, temperature, and chemical stimuli into one, evolving into a kind of high-tech armored skin that is much more sensitive than even our human skin."

"This means crocodiles can detect changes in surface pressure waves, react to variations in water pressure, and track the movement of prey in the water. Even in darkness, they can swiftly locate their prey."

"Their sensitivity to heat allows them to regulate their body temperature by alternately basking in the sun and entering cold water, while their chemical sensing abilities help them find the most suitable habitat."

[That's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?]

[Did you know they were this awesome?]

[No wonder all the nearby crocodiles reacted the moment Old Fang's raft hit the water]

[A miracle of biology, the evolution of nature is truly amazing]

Bi Fang nodded and said, "Indeed amazing. The sensory organs of other vertebrates cannot compare. For instance, our skin has a distributed sensing system, whereas crocodiles concentrate this distributed sensing system into a collection of micro-organs capable of multiple sensations."

"More detailed papers are published in the Central Country journal 'Evolution & Development.' If you're interested, you might want to take a look."

The audience was now somewhat accustomed to his practice of tossing out papers at the drop of a hat.

This further proved Bi Fang's professionalism, at least no other Wilderness Survivalist hosts were capable of this.

Not everyone has a memory palace.

"But for now, we don't need to worry. If crocodiles were really launching an attack, you guys wouldn't be able to see them surface. Being able to surface indicates that they temporarily have no desire to attack," he explained.

Crocodiles typically float on the water's surface, only revealing their eyes, mouths, and nostrils.

It looks as though they are sunbathing, but in reality, it's a standard action for breathing.

"If a crocodile was truly planning to attack, it wouldn't expose its body. It would quietly lurk instead. After all, who would let their enemy see them before launching a sneak attack? That'd be stupid."

"Moreover, crocodiles are very sensitive to their environment and are far-sighted; they can observe their prey's status better underwater."

Crocodiles are undeniably far-sighted. At this distance of several dozen meters, they couldn't see clearly. On the other hand, due to the different refraction rates of light in water and air, crocodiles can actually observe more clearly underwater by using their sense of touch.

"Coming up to breathe now is probably because I startled them, and after observing for a bit, they just came up to breathe."

"Besides, we're on a raft. The whole target is too large for crocodiles, they won't attack easily."

Bi Fang calmly analyzed as he slowly pulled the pole out from the mud.

To the crocodiles, the entire raft was too large. Perhaps the raft itself was only a little over three meters long, not even as long as some fully grown mature Nile crocodiles. Yet, Nile crocodiles don't grow to be over two meters in width!

The whole raft covered an area close to eight square meters. Add on the standing Bi Fang, with a total height over two meters, the volume was nearly 16 cubic meters. To the crocodiles' senses, this damn thing was a monster among monsters, and a creature that could live in water at that.

Perhaps it was the King of Hippos?

Even ordinary hippos wouldn't dare attack, much less the King of Hippos.

That was probably what the crocodiles were thinking.

[Bi Fang is too awesome, Master Fang nails it, totally getting the crocodiles' psychology right]

[This is probably the mark of a great deity]

[He's got all the crocodiles' secrets]

[Secrets? Let me have a look]

Whether it was external sensors, far-sightedness, or breathing, Bi Fang showed extremely detailed knowledge of crocodiles, nailing even their psychology almost preemptively. Such foresight helped ease the audience's tension.

Humans often fear the unknown, but when you can accurately predict your opponent's next move, fear greatly diminishes. Of course, fear can still be present.

A line of crocodiles along the riverbank still looked quite frightening.

Especially since all the crocodiles were motionless, if one didn't know this was the African Savanna, many might even think they were fake.

Those in the river silently surfaced beside the boat, quietly staring at the raft, and then silently sinking back down.

With the movement of his pole, Bi Fang gradually rowed more than ten meters out.

Just when everyone thought they could safely make it across, the water around the raft started to ripple outward, very subtly.

Bi Fang's brow furrowed.

Was it a crocodile?

No, if it was a crocodile appearing, the water wouldn't behave like this.

Such dense ripples looked more like vibrations occurring on the ground.

Bi Fang looked up.

In the distance, a thin black line on the plain was gradually thickening, clearly drawing closer and moving at quite a fast pace.