Chapter 880: Chapter 876: The Abundant Predator Chapter 880: Chapter 876: The Abundant Predator The pride of lions and the pack of spotted hyenas launched an attack on the zebra herd, advancing one after another, and soon made their harvest amid the vast throng of zebras.

A nimble lioness pounced on a subadult zebra, climbed up on its rump by gripping it, and got a bite of the skin and flesh on its back, sending the zebra staggering.

But a zebra’s size and weight are both much greater than a lioness’s, so even with its back bitten, the zebra didn’t stop. Instead, it ran forward, dragging the lioness along in a burst of life-and-death struggle.

The nearby zebras were frightened and hurried away from their companion, none daring to come to its aid.

Regardless of the animal, subadults have basically left their parents and live alone; their parents wouldn’t naturally appear to help.

This subadult zebra was isolated and without help.

Bi Fang, standing in the distance, unconsciously tensed his muscles, ready to flee while enjoying the spectacle.

In those brief ten seconds or so, his distance from the zebra herd shrank a little more, only about seventy or eighty meters, almost observing face-to-face.

But Bi Fang was just as reluctant to leave directly.

The scene before him was too rare.

A good photographer would never fail to raise their camera when climbing to the summit and seeing the sunrise.

[It’s over, this zebra is toast.]
[So brutal.]
[Life and death are decreed by fate; wealth is in heaven. Whether or not the brothers can have a full meal depends on this very hunt.]
[Old Fang really has some guts; did you raise that lion pride? Daring to film this close?]
[I am the king of all beasts!! Meow~~~]
[Even Harley is dumbfounded watching this. Are these really from the same family as me?]
The zebra that was dragged slowed down sharply amidst the swiftly moving herd, standing out like a large boulder rising in a rushing river, parting the advancing currents and stirring up white caps on both sides.

With the aid of the first lioness, the rest of the lions quickly caught up, successively pouncing on the zebra.

Two of them pinned it down completely, immobilizing it on the spot, and when the third one arrived, it bit into the zebra’s neck, and with the force of inertia, flipped the large subadult zebra onto the ground.

Victory was decided.

The audience in front of the screen clearly knew that the zebra pinned down by the lions wouldn’t be able to make much of a splash anymore.

More and more lions swarmed in, surrounding the zebra so tightly that all you could see was yellow fur; it was almost impossible to discern the stripes amid the lions crowding around.

“Lions typically live in groups, with a pride consisting of about 8 to 30 members, averaging 17. This pride is not small, with over ten lions coming together; it’s impossible for the zebra to escape.”

Bi Fang took a glance before shifting his gaze elsewhere.

The pack of spotted hyenas also had their own tactics. A few of them dove knife-like into the torrent of zebras, using the natural fear of the herbivores to successfully carve out a small current, trapping several zebras within.

The stronger ones tried to break out, and the hyenas gave a few tentative attempts to deal with them. Sensing their strength, the hyenas opened up the encirclement and let them go.

In the end, within the encirclement were left an old and a young zebra, completely powerless to break out.

The hyena pack closed in, and under the leader’s command, they circled the zebras. This scene looked very similar to the previous attack on Bi Fang, one could say it was exactly the same.

The drone got close, some sharp-eyed viewers instantly recognized two of them as old acquaintances–they were the same hyenas that had tried to attack Bi Fang last night!

No doubt about it, the patchwork pattern of their fur was ample evidence!

Getting scalded with boiling water doesn’t spell death for a spotted hyena with its thick fur; it doesn’t even count as a severe injury. The next day they can still participate in hunting activities, but partial fur loss is inevitable, looking like bald patches.

[Lost their right to choose a mate among the hyenas.]
[Wow, didn’t expect to see them again.]
[I mean, weren’t there just eight last night? How come there are so many all of a sudden, there seem to be dozens here, right?]
“Spotted hyenas have considerable freedom within their communal life, often roaming alone and hunting individually, feasting by themselves.”

“Members of their group are not often together for long periods.”

Bi Fang, watching the hunting scene from afar, saw the chat and explained.

“Once the spotted hyenas reconvene, they can naturally act as a member of the collective, which reflects their social gregariousness.”

“Sometimes the reunions are large, with dozens in a group; other times, they are smaller, just a few here and there.”

[So that’s how it is.]
[So, was there always a super large hyena clan here?]
“That’s right, each clan of spotted hyenas has their own territory, generally around 20 square kilometers.”

“They strictly guard their territorial range and do not allow other clans of spotted hyenas to infringe. If an intrusion occurs, the two sides will face off, even resulting in conflict, but these physical fights are rare.”

“When a clan of hyenas chases prey onto another clan’s turf, if the other side has more numbers, this clan will yield the prey over to them. Once hyenas leave their territory by more than 1000 meters, they lose their sense of security.”

“We haven’t moved our camp since last night, so those eight hyenas clearly belong to the large clan of spotted hyenas we see now. It’s quite normal for them to come together when a herd of zebras is passing through.”

It’s not surprising to see them again, as they are part of the same group.

The hyena pack corralled the two zebras, and after a simple charge from front and rear, it seemed to reach a tipping point. The entire pack surged forward, tearing simultaneously at the prey’s belly, neck, limbs, and all over the body.

“`
By the time the entire zebra herd had thundered past, the vast expanse of the savanna was left with only a few spots, sparsely dotted across the wilderness.

At the center of these spots lay fallen zebras or ostriches, extending outward were the spotted hyenas, leopards, and/or lions.

The passage of the zebras was naturally a carnivore’s carnival.

It wasn’t just the lions and the spotted hyenas–leopards also wanted a piece of the action, grabbing an ostrich that was mingled in the zebra herd.

The members of the zebra community were relatively friendly towards each other and often mingled with ostriches, giraffes, gazelles, and other herbivores, sharing the same food and utilizing each other for information exchange to evade fierce predators.

For leopards, zebras were too large, and hunting alone could lead to failure; hence, they targeted the less robust creatures mixed in with the zebra herd.

Besides these three, there were also African wild dogs that had caught nothing, wandering outside the few spots.

Not content with their empty paws, they were prepared to wait until the bigger brothers had finished eating and then scavenge the leftovers and cold scraps.

These wild dogs with their large, round ears and bodies covered in black spots often weighed upwards of twenty or thirty kilograms–not a small size that would make an ordinary person flinch–and their numerical advantage also made them a force not to be overlooked on the savanna.

Unfortunately, in the presence of lions, spotted hyenas, and leopards, they had to restrain their claws and teeth and quietly wait for one party to finish eating the cold leftovers first.

“The temperatures on the savanna are not too cold, making it difficult to preserve food, and predators’ feeding cycles are long, so they often don’t finish a meal at one time, allowing several carnivores on the food chain to contribute to its elimination.”

Bi Fang had intended to leave immediately, but with the big brothers of the savanna having made their kills, and the most threatening dangers removed, he wasn’t in a rush to depart any longer.

“Carnivores are seldom likely to attack enemies proactively when sated, so we can say we’re in a safe status now; even if we get a bit closer, it’s fine, so long as there’s no provocation or competition for food, neither lions nor hyenas will bother with you.”

Under the audience’s concern, Bi Fang edged a bit closer, so close it seemed he could hear the snapping sound of hyenas breaking bones.

The zebra’s screams mingled with the excited howls of the spotted hyenas, chilling to the core.

[Damn, I can hear goosebumps coming on]
[This is really scary]
[So much blood]
[Wow, what’s that guy doing, starting to disembowel already!]
[Man, I feel a chill in my butt]
Bi Fang laughed, “The zebra’s cries are unpleasant to begin with, much like a braying donkey, and now, facing death, they’re even more hoarse.”

“The spotted hyenas are no less harrowing.”

“On the African savanna, nightfall brings chilling howls from deep within the grasslands, which are the sounds of hyenas hunting prey or fighting each other.”

“Spotted hyenas can make over a dozen different sounds, and this is vital for their survival.”

“Being nocturnal, spotted hyenas rely on these various calls to strengthen the bonds among group members.”

“But almost all of these sounds are indeed peculiar, especially the intense cries they emit when finding food or during mating season, which are truly terrifying.”

“So much so that in some places, there are absurd legends that if hyenas appear near human settlements, they bring death with them.”

The hyenas that caught the zebra were gathered together, like a bunch of playful children, noisy and bustling.

And constantly passing messages to each other with their ears and tails, keeping in contact with sounds, you could even discern what seemed to be “laughter.”

Every one of these signs proved Bi Fang’s words to be true.

“The two sounds on their own are hair-raising, coupled with the overall atmosphere of the zebra’s looming death, they’re definitely terrifying.”

[Starting to freak out]
[Truly like the Grim Reaper]
[There’s blood everywhere]
[Why do they love disemboweling so much?]
[Didn’t Master Fang say before that they like to eat the innards, remember?]
[Oh, right, now I remember]
“In fact, compared to wildebeest, musk oxen, and gazelles, zebras can be said to be a very good food source.”

“They’re not as strong as wildebeest or musk oxen and don’t have horns on their heads, so you don’t have to worry about being gutted by a headbutt.”

“And compared to gazelles, which can easily reach speeds of seventy to eighty, the zebra that maxes out at fifty or sixty is much slower, bigger in size, and easier to satiate a hunger with.”

Bi Fang shared these insights with the viewers while observing from the sidelines.

“Of course, there’s also a key point–zebras have no leader!”

[No leader?]
[Is that true?]
[Holy crap, aren’t they herd animals?]
Bi Fang nodded, “Correct, as herd animals without a leader, it’s every man for himself, and no one listens to anyone else.”

“This is relatively rare in the animal kingdom, and it means that when danger comes, there will be no leader to organize the whole zebra herd, and all members will scatter, unable to form an effective resistance.”

“In other cases, like with wildebeest and musk oxen when the numbers are few, in the face of danger and unable to flee, they may form a circle under the leadership of the alpha and fight the enemy together.”

“A classic example is the musk oxen we encountered in the Arctic, which do just that.”

“`