Chapter 814 Sahara Silver Ant
In Algeria.
"In the spring, Tipasa is populated by gods who speak in the sunlight and the scent of wormwood, in the sea clad in silver armor, in the deep blue sky, in the ruins carpeted with flowers, in the light seething among the rocks."
"Camus's The Wedding at Tipasa depicts this ancient Roman city by the sea in a way that is full of fantasy."
Bifang rode on the camel's back, his body swaying slightly left and right with the ups and downs of the camel.
From Burkina Faso to Mali and now to Algeria, in less than a month, Bifang has traveled across three countries.
"This country in northern Africa is very mysterious and is isolated from the Internet. Apart from business and project visitors, the number of tourists visiting each year is only a few thousand."
"Unlike its internet-famous neighbors Morocco and Egypt, Algeria keeps a low profile to the outside world. Even photography is not allowed in many areas, and even fewer outsiders have seen its true appearance."
"It's mainly due to cultural reasons. It's a very conservative country, especially in the south, and men can only be photographed with their consent."
"As for women, it is even more impossible because women are regarded as private property in the local area. They can only be photographed with the consent of their husbands or fathers."
"If you are caught filming, the police will ask to go through each photo and spend an hour reviewing the castles, ancient monasteries and Ottoman palaces you photographed, as well as a fourth-century Carthaginian trading post."
“If your photo shows residential buildings, clothes fluttering on the carved balconies between the roofs, colorful porcelain adorning the exterior walls, gardens and fountains vaguely visible in the streets, and felts, tea sets, jewelry and other small items piled up in front of the shops on the low steps.”
"The inspection would have been very thorough, for fear that you had photographed a married woman's face without her consent."
“Perhaps only when tourists arrive at the uninhabited Roman ruins in Tipasa can they take as many photos as they want.”
Between the ruins, with the blue sea in the background, and the smell of dried sweat, this is the most common tourist photo in Algeria.
[Hiss, are you so serious? ]
[ Is it okay for Fang Shen to live stream like this ? 】
[It’s fine as long as no one is photographed. Fang Shen always goes to places where there are no people (dog head)]
"Indeed, Algeria straddles the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean cultural circle, and is across the sea from France, but is closely connected to it. It is known as the sunset land of North Africa and the back garden of Europe. But I'm sorry, we probably won't be able to see its beautiful side this time."
Bifang said with a smile.
Algeria is actually larger than its online presence suggests.
As the largest country in Africa, Algeria is also the tenth largest country in the world, ten times the size of China, and will be an important stop on Bifang's journey.
"But even though we're not close to cities or rural areas, we can try to go to some intersections with dense vegetation. There are more abundant resources there, and we might encounter some large animals."
Bifang used his legs to push Alpha to speed up.
By the evening, the sand dunes had completely disappeared and the ground beneath our feet had returned to being solid. Although there was still sand and gravel, it was very different from before.
Bifang got off Alpha's back, stood on a hillside and looked into the distance. Under the setting sun, he was surprised to find that there were also animals in the distance looking at him.
It was a small animal, about the size of a forearm, with a pair of extremely large ears. It was quietly staring at Bifang, the strange visitor, from a hundred meters away, and seemed to be very curious.
The audience also noticed this scene of looking at each other and found it particularly interesting.
[What is that, a fox? ]
[So cute]
[It's staring at Fang Shen]
“It’s a fennec fox.”
Because it was facing the sun, the animal had almost only a black outline, but Bifang could tell what kind of animal it was just by looking at the outline.
"The fennec fox is the national animal of Algeria. Excluding the tail, its body length is only 30 to 40 centimeters, about the same size as a dog. It is one of the smallest canines in the world, but its ears are very long, with an average ear length of 15 centimeters, which may be its most easily recognizable feature."
"It is not uncommon to experience extremely hot days and cold nights in the North African desert, and the small fennec fox is well adapted to the harsh environment of the North African desert."
"Their feet are covered with soft, long, fine hair to keep them warm and to facilitate walking on loose sand. Their two open large ears act like radiators that constantly dissipate heat and also help detect prey."
"In a water-scarce environment, they can survive for a long time by finding edible plants near their habitats. Water-saving measures include staying in caves on hot days and going out only at night."
"The sun is about to set, and it will be active soon. Maybe it has never seen humans before, so it is very curious about me. Hey, look, it is still approaching."
Bifang stared at the fennec fox and reached out to touch the ground. He touched a stone, no, it should be said that it was a piece of soil. It began to break when he squeezed it lightly.
After kneading the soil into a shape of suitable size, Bifang quietly waits for the other party to arrive.
[When others see a cute animal, they go up to touch it, holding food in their hands. When Lao Fang sees a cute animal, he goes up to hit it, holding a stone in his hand (covering his face)]
【Fangshen Features】
[Is this also a protected animal? ]
"Yes and no." Bifang replied.
"Normally, fennec foxes are only regulated, and their population is classified as of least concern on the World Conservation Species List. They can even be kept as pets. However, we are now in Algeria..."
The audience understood what was going on without Bifang having to explain it clearly.
Just now Bifang said that the fennec fox is the national animal of Algeria, so it is naturally protected within the country.
However, the situation seemed different from what Bifang had imagined. When the distance was about fifty meters, he heard the scream of the fennec fox. It was quite rapid, and there was a hint of being fierce on the outside but weak on the inside.
Bifang rubbed his chin, somewhat unsure.
"Adult foxes and young foxes communicate through frequent voice changes, making various sounds such as squeaks, whimpers or screams. The high-pitched roars are usually short and loud, repeated many times, and are used to convey information among the same species."
As they were talking, several fennec foxes appeared from other directions and rushed towards the original one. They then roared at Bifang together, as if they were about to launch an attack.
At this time Bifang didn't understand at all. He dropped the clod of earth, touched the back of his head and laughed.
"It seems that I was too sentimental. I have entered their territory, so they came out to drive them away. It seems that their cave is near me."
Bifang looked down and saw, as expected, a rather hidden cave about ten meters away from him.
Through the cave, you can see faint signs of living things moving inside.
"Fennec foxes are a highly social species, with parents and offspring forming family groups of no more than 10 individuals, with each family unit marking its territory through urine and feces."
"The most important thing is that they have a strong sense of defending their territory and protecting their cubs. When their cubs are in danger, they will not be afraid of any enemy."
"Forget it, let's just go."
[It’s over, Fang Shen is hated]
[Hahahaha, I am dying of laughter. There will also be a day when Fang Shen will be disliked.]
[It’s the first time, worth celebrating]
Bifang had no interest in staying to tease the fennec fox, so he rode on Alpha and continued on his way. By this time, the sun had completely set, and it was time to find a suitable shelter to rest.
Almost every night, Bifang built a sand pit.
It's just for sleeping for one night, so there's no need to build a perfect shelter. The better the shelter, the more investment is required. For Bifang, it's not worth it to build a shelter too well.
The sand pit is convenient, quick, and soft for sleeping. There is nothing better than a sand pit, and this time is no exception. However, the digging tools do not seem to be as smooth as the previous month.
After throwing out the sand, Bifang suddenly felt a slight pain in his fingers, followed by a slight tingling sensation in the base of his palm. When he raised his head, he could see clearly what had bitten him.
They were two ants made entirely of pure silver, less than one centimeter long. One was at the tip of his index finger, and the other was at the base of his thumb, biting his flesh tightly.
Bifang quickly jumped out of the pit and picked up the two ants. He couldn't help but smile bitterly: "It seems that we are really unlucky today. Every time we stop, we are chased away by animals."
Under the moonlight, the ant's back flashed a dazzling silver light, just like a mythical creature.
For a moment, everyone forgot about Bifang being bitten, and their attention was drawn to the tiny ant.
[Fuck, silver ants!!!]
[So handsome]
[What kind of ant is this? It's too big, isn't it? ]
“This is the Saharan silver ant.”
Bifang looked at the deep pit below with regret.
Every time he looked for shelter, he would pay attention to whether there were poisonous insects, snakes or ants, but unfortunately this time there were some exceptions.
The reason, of course, was that the earthen slope where the fennec fox originally built its nest was the site chosen by Bifang, but it was driven away. By the time it found a suitable place again, the sun had already set, and it was impossible to see clearly whether there were any living creatures there.
"It's so beautiful. It's the most beautiful ant I have ever seen."
Although bitten, Bifang was not angry at all. Instead, he placed the ant in the palm of his hand and observed it carefully with the help of moonlight.
This is real pure silver, sparkling with a bright luster in the moonlight. It is hard to imagine how brilliant it will be in the sun.
This ant is really beautiful.
[I have never seen such a beautiful creature]
【Exquisite and noble】
"The scorching sun all year round and the less than 80mm rainfall throughout the year make the Sahara Desert a forbidden zone for life. If it weren't for the sound of the wind, the deathly silence would be the only way to describe the desolation here."
"However, miracles always appear in unexpected ways. Even in such a terrible situation, there is still life that blooms with an unyielding attitude and extreme stubbornness."
"If camels are the representatives of the class Mammals, then the Saharan silver ants are the pride of the class Insects."
"One of the most deadly factors affecting survival in the Sahara Desert is undoubtedly high temperatures. The unprotected reality means that the temperature in the Sahara can easily rise during the day to a level that is enough to make life on the ground 'disappear'."
"After all, 50 degrees Celsius is far beyond the range of 'suitable'."
"But in the eyes of the Saharan silver ants, this is a great opportunity to go out. In their philosophy of survival, the most dangerous time is often the safest. The concept of 'thinking what others dare not think, doing what others dare not do' has won them a glimmer of hope."
"And it's not just 50 degrees. These little guys can even move around in the desert at 70 degrees. It's simply a miracle."
Surface temperature and air temperature are two completely different concepts.
Temperatures of fifty degrees are not uncommon in the Sahara, but they will never reach seventy degrees.
The only place that can reach seventy degrees is the surface of the earth.
There are heat-resistant bacteria in nature that can withstand temperatures of 100 degrees Celsius, but they are microorganisms with simple structures, not animals.
At 100 degrees Celsius, animals will simply turn into cooked meat.
But for ants living on the ground, the surface temperature is their survival temperature.
"Silver ants are covered with neatly arranged hairs. These hairs are not cylindrical like hair, but more like prisms."
"Each facet can then effectively reflect visible and near-infrared light from different incident angles."
"In addition, these fine hairs can radiate mid-infrared light to dissipate heat and continue to cool down."
"In addition to reflecting light and dissipating heat, they are also very fast. Up to 0.7 meters per second, if converted to human size, it can reach an ultra-high speed of 450 kilometers per hour."
"Such high speed can help them finish their battles quickly and reduce the risk of being sunburned."
【Diablo】
[Strange knowledge has been added]
[Seeing the miracle of nature again]
[I watched Penguins of Madagascar a few days ago, and there was a sentence in it that touched me deeply]
【Details】
There's a 95% chance we're screwed.
What about the other 5%?
It is an unknown adventure and endless glory that no other penguin has.
Then I will choose this path.
【handsome!】
[Fang Shen is the 5% penguin! ]
[Although I don’t have much money, following Lao Fang really broadened my horizons. Otherwise, I might never have seen silver ants in my life.]
[I really want to raise a nest]
"Deep-sea fish have eyes that help them hunt in the dark depths of the ocean, bees can sense ultraviolet light, many beetles and butterflies can change color using microscopic changes in their wings, and fireflies can communicate using bioluminescence..."
“There are always some creatures whose abilities are unexpected and surprising, which make you have to admire the tenacity and strength of life.”
Although there was no gain today, Bifang was still delighted to have encountered two creatures that he had never dealt with before at close range.
Bifang carefully put the ant in his hand back on the ground and watched it flee quickly in a certain direction.
Following its route, Bifang saw more Saharan silver ants. They were like mercury exposed to the air, converging in a certain direction.
"Looks like we have to move to another place."
