Chapter 881: Chapter 877 Harlequin Wolf Chapter 881: Chapter 877 Harlequin Wolf The Spotted Hyena’s head was matted with blood, and a rich scent of blood wafted through the air.

A flicker of light occasionally passed through the Zebra’s pitch-black gaze, inevitably making one wonder if it was really dead.

Bi Fang spoke with a sense of emotion, “Up until today, the number of Zebras that humans have domesticated hasn’t exceeded thirty.”

“That is a considerably small number.”

After 1890, European colonizers accelerated their plundering in Africa, trying to domesticate the local three Zebra species–Plains Zebra, Grevy’s Zebra, and Mountain Zebra–to solve the problem of common horses’ inability to adapt to the hot African regions. Unfortunately, all attempts failed.

Not until they seriously trained ten Zebras for the shooting of “Zebra Race” did the locals succeed somewhat. Regrettably, despite tremendous efforts, the most professional Trainer, and a great deal of time, only two ended up being successfully tamed to be safely ridden; the rest could only manage to carry goods.

“Taming Zebras is very difficult, neither Africans nor European colonizers could complete such a formidable task. This may relate not only to inherent temperamental factors but perhaps also to their social structure, which involves community living without a designated leader.”

[Ridiculous]
[Taming is always a two-way process]
[Zebra: Do I look stupid to you?]
[Zebras can be damn fierce. Last time I went to the zoo, a young lady tried to touch a Zebra, and it bit off her middle finger, blood everywhere]
[Really? That’s kind of scary]
[Saw it with my own eyes]
The hyenas tore at the Zebra, and when the Zebra’s belly was ripped open, a larger Spotted Hyena squeezed into the frenzy, making the other hyenas give way. Watching the large hyena tearing a chunk of fatty liver from the Zebra’s stomach.

“It must be the leader of the Hyena Pack,” Bi Fang guessed, “The social hierarchy within a hyena group is strict; during feeding, the ‘matriarchal leader’ always gets the largest and best piece of meat, and this is seen as an entitlement.”

Hyenas are a matriarchal society where the females are about 10% heavier than the males, and they are the stronger and more dominant sex.

The low-status offspring of low-ranking female hyenas are also low-status, and other female hyenas must help care for the pups.

After the leader extracted the most succulent liver for her own enjoyment, the rest of the hyenas excitedly started to share the meal.

Nearby, a Lion Pride’s process was no different in form, but instead of the Spotted Hyena’s matriarchal society, it was a different system altogether. The mane-bearing male Lion ate first, followed by the lionesses, and then the cubs at last.

Bi Fang commented with a smile, “Don’t think the male Lions have it easy. The African Lion is the only social feline, with complex social traits. In a Lion Pride, although it’s the lionesses who are responsible for hunting and rearing the young, the male Lions also have a hefty task. They have to patrol the territory, fend off other prides, and resist intruders such as hyenas.”

“With the pressure of defending the territory almost entirely on the male Lions, plus constant battling, their average lifespan is several years less than that of the lionesses.”

At the end of the day, the Leopard didn’t have such complications; it caught an entire ostrich by itself, had no companions, hence it ate alone, barely acknowledging the circling wild dogs.

Blood dripped down the Leopard’s whiskers, its demeanor fierce and savage, entirely distinct from the hyenas’ cunning and the majesty of the Lions — a completely different scene.

The Leopard, not having to compete with peers, ate swiftly, filling its belly in nearly ten minutes before opting to leave.

“The animal world is fiercely competitive; even the food belonging to a Lion Pride could be stolen by hyenas. To avoid unnecessary disputes, nearly every predator has developed the skill to eat rapidly. Hyenas, for instance, can usually consume an entire carcass down to the bone within half an hour.”

At this moment, Bi Fang was nearly thirty meters from the Lion Pride and less than twenty-five meters from the Hyena Pack, clearly hearing the crunching sounds of the animals chewing on flesh, as well as their muffled breathing.

This proximity was already quite close, causing many viewers to feel their hearts race and palms sweat.

After the leopard had had its fill and left, a group of African wild dogs swarmed over and overwhelmed the whole ostrich.

Their feeding order was different from that of lion prides and spotted hyenas.

“African wild dogs lead a close-knit communal life; they hunt together and rear their pups together. Despite their size not being an advantage on the African Savanna, they often manage to hunt down larger herbivores like antelopes, wildebeest, and zebras by relying on their group strength.”

“Moreover, from what we can observe, wild dogs make for a rather affectionate family, especially in their treatment of pups. If pups are present at the kill, the adult wild dogs often let the puppies eat first before eating themselves.”

“If the pups are far from the kill site, the adult wild dogs will eat their fill, then run home to regurgitate the meat, feeding it to the pups, the caretakers of the pups, and those wild dogs who are too old, weak, sick, or incapable of hunting.”

“During feeding, the wild dogs are quite considerate of each other, with a piece of meat often passing through several dogs’ stomachs.”

[Are they this adorable?]
[I’ve always wanted to ask, why do African wild dogs look like tabby cats {Dog’s head}]
[So much love]
Among spotted hyenas, the female leader eats first, in lion prides, the male leader eats first, but with wild dogs, it’s the pups that get to eat first.

The three drastically different feeding orders once again showcase the distinct characteristics of the animals on the African Savanna.

Several notably smaller pups wobbled out from the pack and, under the protection of the adults, began tearing into the ostrich.

Perhaps due to their youth, the fresh ostrich meat presented quite a challenge for their tender jaws.

Seeing this, Bi Fang lay down on the grass, crawling a bit closer to them, and began to explain with great interest.

“In fact, African wild dogs are quite a unique species.”

“In the ‘African Mammals Behavior Manual’, published in 1992, there are records of sightings of a group of harlequin wolves near the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, at an altitude of 5,895 meters.”

“The author of this book is the renowned animal behaviorist and Assistant Professor of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, Richard Estes.”

“In the year 2012, when this book was reprinted for its ‘Twentieth Anniversary Special Edition,’ the godfather of ethology and sociobiology, E.O. Wilson, even wrote a foreword.”

“With such scientists endorsing it, the harlequin wolf can almost certainly be considered the ‘highest-living’ member of the canine family in the world.”

[I don’t recognize a single one]
[If it’s something Master Fang is talking about, it’s probably some sort of mega-celebrity]
[What’s a harlequin wolf, is it another name for these wild dogs?]
“That’s right, the name ‘harlequin wolf’ can bewilder many researchers who are very familiar with African mammals in our country. But if you translate ‘harlequin wolf’ into Greek or Latin, you might suddenly understand.”

While Bi Fang explained, automatic subtitles would appear in the live broadcast, displayed differently according to regions, greatly aiding the audience’s comprehension.

This was an old feature of the system, quite useful in helping viewers from all around the world to understand at a glance.

“Lycaon pictus, that’s its scientific name. ‘Lycaon’ is Greek for ‘like a wolf’, and ‘pictus’ is Latin for ‘painted’. Derived from this Latin name is one of its common English names, Painted Wolf, which is exactly where ‘harlequin wolf’ comes from.”

“And this name, Painted Wolf, quite accurately describes the animal: it looks like a wolf, its coat is a mosaic of black, white, yellow, and orange; it’s like a smudged tricolor cat–a very fitting name, yet it’s not one of the many common English names for the animal that has been widely accepted and used.”

[6]
[I bet I’m about to be hit with a knowledge bomb!]