The Strongest Lion

Chapter 91 The Architect on the Great Plains

Chapter Ninety-One: The Architect on the Great Plains

In addition to this, they can also eat termite corpses and molted skins of larvae within the same nest. When food is scarce, they will also eat termite eggs and even larvae. However, cannibalism is not their normal way of getting nutrition.

When Chu Ye saw the nests of these African termites, he thought of some information about these small ants.

"Hey, these little ants are really amazing! They can actually build skyscrapers on the grasslands, it's incredible." Chu Ye looked at the small mound in front of him and was also curious about these amazing African ants.

"I have no idea how these tiny ants could build such a tall building. They're so small, how could they construct such a large mound of earth?"

Looking at the small mound in front of him, Chu Ye wondered how these little ants managed to build such a unique structure on the grassland.

Chu Ye now feels that as long as he wants to know information about any animal on the African savanna, he can come up with relevant information about that animal in his mind after thinking for a while.

When Chu Ye wanted to know how these little ants built such "skyscrapers", his mind immediately conjured up the idea of ​​how these little ants built skyscrapers.

Everyone knows about ant nests. All known ants in the world build their own nests. Ant nests are generally built underground and contain a series of interconnected underground chambers that are connected to the surface through channels.

In our daily lives, we can also find ant nests. But these ant nests seem quite ordinary, nothing special. They're just small holes dug in the ground.

But the ants on the African savanna are quite different from ants elsewhere. They don't just build their nests underground; while digging tunnels underground, they also construct a magnificent above-ground structure.

The reason these ants do this is probably because the climate in Africa is relatively hot, and they build such structures mainly to escape the heat and cool down.

Normally, we only see the entrance and exit of the anthill on the ground. When there is food or danger, a large group of ants will swarm out of the entrance and exit on the ground.

However, on the vast African savanna, there is a type of termite that has no eyes and can only carry a small piece of soil at a time.

However, these tiny ants can build "buildings" as tall as 9 meters on the African savanna. Proportionally speaking, this is equivalent to humans building a 1500-meter-tall skyscraper—almost twice the height of the Burj Khalifa (828 meters), the tallest building in the world today.

This type of termite is called the African termite. African termites are famous all over the world, and you can see all kinds of termite mounds they create everywhere, especially in grasslands and forests. Like ordinary ants, African termites also have a hierarchical society, with the class from top to bottom being queens, males, soldiers, and workers.

From the first day they establish their nest, worker ants continuously expand it. Most of them are cone-shaped, but some are mountain-shaped, mound-shaped, or pillar-shaped, generally four or five meters high, and some are even ten meters high.

Termites use clay they carry from the ground, mixed with sawdust and grass clippings, along with their own saliva and other secretions. After being baked by the sun, it becomes a building material that is almost as hard as concrete.

These towering termite mounds, often constructed from tens of tons of soil, are a unique feature of Africa. They house millions of termites and maintain a comfortable temperature year-round using air convection, requiring no electricity whatsoever.

Although termites are mostly pests that specifically bore into the beams and pillars of houses, it must be said that termites are the master builders of nature. They have never studied any building construction, structural mechanics, or fluid mechanics, and they have no measuring equipment or building tools. With only their bodies measuring a mere 1 cm, they can complete enormous buildings that combine science and art in their short lifespan, which is truly amazing.

In fact, termite structures not only look grand and imposing, but also have many functions. First and foremost is their air conditioning function, which is quite remarkable.

The main reason why African termites build their nests in the shape of tall buildings is to keep cool and ventilate in the summer.

As we all know, the African savanna has a tropical climate, and there are no distinct seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Instead, there are only dry and rainy seasons throughout the year.

The rainy season is somewhat better, as the temperature isn't too high due to frequent rain. However, the dry season is a different story. Because it rarely rains, the ground temperature is extremely high. Many animals find it very difficult to survive during the dry season.

This is because during the dry season, many animals already have a hard time just coping with the high temperatures, let alone hunting.

The same applies to termites. Although ants are very small, they need to survive on the grasslands, and of course, they also need to cope with the high temperatures and scorching heat of the grasslands.

So the little ants built themselves an air-conditioned structure that could both live in and escape the heat – an African termite mountain.

Looking at the African termite mound before him, Chu Ye felt utterly amazed by these tiny creatures. After all, it was truly incredible that such small ants could build such massive structures on the vast grasslands.

"Hey! I've heard that termites are a high-protein food source! Maybe I should catch some and try them out."

Chu Ye knew that many animals on the African savanna fed on termites. For example, the famous African anteater, the aardvark, fed on termites.

Although the aardvark is enormous compared to a small ant, this animal actually eats ants for food.

In addition, hyenas also feed on termites. Although hyenas are about the same size as canines, they are also African animals that primarily eat termites.

In fact, many animals on the African savanna feed on termites. It's not just aardvarks and hyenas; many other animals also prey on termites.

Even the lion, the king of the African savanna, sometimes has to eat termites.

During the dry season, many carnivores may feed on termites due to food scarcity and hunger in Africa.

These tiny African termites sustain many animals on the African savanna. Not just small animals, but also some larger ones.

Looking at this mountain of African termites, Chu Ye wondered if he should try eating some African termites himself.

This small animal is rich in protein. Eating more African termites is very beneficial to health. Especially for lion cubs like Chu Ye who are still growing, eating termites can help them grow healthily.

Chu Ye has now arrived near this African termite mountain, and then found a hole and put its claw into it.

Chu Ye had originally planned to destroy this termite mountain so he could eat a lot of termites.

However, Chu Ye wiped it with his paw and felt that the entire termite mountain was very solid, as if it were made of cement.

These termite mounds are inherently very sturdy. If they weren't, they wouldn't have been able to exist on the African savanna for so long.

Because it rains frequently during the rainy season. If these termite mounds don't have the ability to withstand rainwater, a heavy rain could cause them to collapse.

In fact, these termite mounds are very sturdy, and no matter how heavy the rain, it is impossible for them to collapse.

These termite mounds are produced by worker ants in the colony using a special mixture of their own saliva to create a very special cement-like substance.

These termite mounds are just small hills, yet they can persist on the grasslands indefinitely. They are unlikely to be damaged unless attacked by a large herbivore. Otherwise, these termite mounds can continue to exist on the grasslands indefinitely.

Even if Chu Ye were a magical little lion from Africa, possessing immense attack power, he still couldn't destroy the termite mound before him.

"I'll just eat a little termite, just to taste it."

Chu Ye didn't intend to destroy the termite mountain; it just wanted to taste the high-protein food.

When Chu Ye put one of his claws into a hole, many soldier ants quickly crawled onto his claw and began to attack him.

But how could a little lion like Chu Ye care about the attacks of these little ants!

Chu Ye felt many small ants crawling onto his claws, so he retracted them. Then he saw many small ants crawling around on his claws.

Chu Ye immediately stretched his paws to his mouth and then stuck out his tongue to lick the food. These little ants quickly became Chu Ye's food.

However, these ants were so small that they wouldn't even be enough to fill the teeth of a little lion like Chu Ye.

After Chu Ye finished eating the ants on his claws, he put his claws back into the anthill. Soon, some more ants crawled onto his claws. Chu Ye then withdrew his claws and began eating the ants again.

And so, using this method, Chu Ye ate tens of thousands of tiny ants in no time. Although he ate a lot of ants, he still wasn't full. After all, the ants were simply too small. Even if Chu Ye were just a little lion, he couldn't possibly be full after eating tens of thousands of ants.

Chu Ye had no intention of eating termites. After all, lions are not termite predators. Although they sometimes eat termites, it's only when they are extremely hungry and unable to hunt other prey that they resort to them as a last resort.

Chu Ye wasn't very hungry; he had just eaten a lot of beef. He was only eating these termites to replenish his body's nutrients.

After tasting the termites, Chu Ye headed back towards his pride of lions. The weather was getting hotter, and he prepared to go home to rest.

When Chu Ye returned home, the other lion cubs were still resting under the big tree with their mother.

The lion Jike was still lying on that boulder, but it didn't seem to be asleep. It would occasionally look up at the north of its territory, looking thoughtful.

When Chu Ye returned from outside, the lion merely glanced at him and ignored him.

The other lion cubs, though two were playing under the big tree, didn't do anything when they saw Chu Ye. It was as if they often saw Chu Ye returning alone from outside.

Chu Ye returned to Lisa's side and then went to sleep and rest with the other little lions.

As the weather gets hotter, the only thing the lions can do now is sleep and rest. They've eaten their fill, but they must make sure to rest and not let their bodies expend too much energy.

On this day, all the lions of the Jike pride rested under this big tree. Everything seemed no different from usual.

For these lion cubs, today felt no different from yesterday. The only difference was that today they ate fresh beef, and each of them ate their fill.

But for the male lion Jike and the two lionesses, they already knew what they should do the next morning.

Chu Ye also had a premonition. He felt that their pride of lions might be migrating to another place and wouldn't stay in this place forever.

Because animals need both food and water to live in. Neither is sufficient. If either food or water cannot meet the needs of an animal, it will migrate to another place.

The Gekko lion pride has reached the point where it must migrate. After all, there are hardly any water sources left in the entire southern Serengeti plains. All the waterholes have turned into mud pits or barren land.

The lion prides across the southern Serengeti plains will gradually leave this vast plain and seek a living in the northern mountains and forests.

Yesterday, the stronger pride next to the Jike pride had already embarked on their journey to wander north.

Although the pride of lions hadn't had a proper meal in the past few days, they still had to set off when the time came.

However, it is very dangerous for a pride of lions to set off on an empty stomach, as they will encounter many dangers on their journey north.

If the lions in a pride are all hungry, it will affect the overall fighting ability of the pride. In that case, the pride will be constantly in danger.

This is especially dangerous for the lion cubs in the pride. After all, lion cubs are a delicious meal for many predators.

If the adult lions in this pride set off without having eaten their fill, they will have difficulty protecting their cubs when danger arises.