Capítulo 143: Chapter 709: The Sneaky Pallas's Cat
It was unclear whether it felt the gaze of the visitors outside or simply wanted to move around, but the little roe deer turned its head and started hopping away in the snow.
The other roe deer followed, hopping along.
With every hop, their large, wind-catching ears bounced up and down with their bodies.
They looked like a group of kindergarten children, innocently and joyfully chasing each other, appearing very happy.
They hopped along the edge of the lake, gradually slowing down as they reached the other side of a small hill, finally stopping after a few more steps.
Rain Palace Xin and her friends followed them!
A zookeeper was explaining to the visitors, "There are four mythical beasts in the Northeast. Do you all know what they are?"
Seeing everyone shake their heads, the zookeeper chuckled, "They are the silly roe deer, the rolling calf, the nonsense talker, and the stubborn donkey!"
"No bear, wolf, or bunny?" someone asked curiously.
Rain Palace Xin asked, "Nonsense talker and stubborn donkey?"
"In Northeastern dialect, 'nonsense talker' means someone who speaks without making sense, and 'stubborn donkey' describes someone who is very stubborn, as stubborn as a mule!"
"Oh~"
Rain Palace Xin felt she had learned something new.
The zookeeper continued, "When people mention roe deer, they might take a moment to react, but when you say 'silly roe deer,' everyone immediately understands. It's an animal associated with being silly!
How silly is it? When a roe deer encounters a person in the forest, it doesn't immediately run away. It often stands still for a moment, as if it's slow to react. If you shout 'don't run,' it might actually stop and look back at you.
Sometimes, it will spin in place, swatting at the air as if fighting with it. At night, it will run in front of car headlights.
Roe deer have a strong curiosity. In the past, hunters would fire a blank shot first. The roe deer would scatter, but after a while, they would come back to see what happened. The prepared hunter would then fire a second shot.
When chased by hunters, if they get tired, they might bury their heads in the snow, thinking that if they can't see you, you can't see them."
"Adorably silly!"
"So they really are silly!"
"Haha, although silly, they are quite cute. I think their eyes are very beautiful!"
"How did such a silly animal not go extinct?"
The zookeeper explained, "Despite appearing silly and clumsy, roe deer are actually the most widely distributed, numerous, and adaptable deer species.
Roe deer are highly adaptable to their environment, able to withstand extreme heat and cold temperatures, and they aren't picky eaters.
They mainly live in forested areas, especially dense forests, where they can use the terrain to evade predators like bears, wolves, and leopards.
Roe deer have keen senses of smell and hearing. You can observe their large, wind-catching ears, which can pick up many subtle sounds and rotate to quickly detect any abnormalities.
As a herbivore at the bottom of the food chain, they are very cautious. They usually rest in the forest during the day and come out to more open areas at dawn and dusk to explore.
To conserve energy, they don't run at every slight movement. While feeding, they frequently stop to listen to their surroundings and sniff the air to assess threats, resuming feeding only when they sense no danger.
They can quickly identify common predators, but humans are unfamiliar to them, so they seem slow to react.
Stopping to look back at unusual sounds helps them better judge the threat's location and choose a direction to escape, giving an impression of curiosity.
This strategy works well against other predators but fails against humans.
Other predators might give up the chase after a while to conserve energy, but humans with hunting dogs persistently chase them. The habit of looking back makes them easier to catch.
Roe deer are relatively small, and running in deep snow is very exhausting. When they collapse from exhaustion and bury their heads in the snow, hunters mistakenly think they are silly.
Roe deer can't understand modern firearms, thinking they are safe after running a distance, only to be shot. At night, they see car headlights as guiding lights, making it easier to walk, but end up getting hit."
"Oh, I see!"
"Humans are indeed a bug."
"So the silly roe deer aren't really silly; they actually have a lot of survival wisdom."
The zookeeper said, "That's right, and roe deer have a unique ability among deer species: delayed implantation.
Food is scarce in winter, and pregnant does run slower, making it harder to escape predators. Roe deer embryos can remain free-floating in the uterus for four to five months, implanting in early January the following year, helping them survive winter better.
This is one reason for their strong survival ability! However, due to overhunting and habitat loss, their numbers once declined significantly. Now they are a protected species."
The zookeeper took out some corn and scattered it in the exhibit area, calling out, "Corn time!"
The roe deer gathered again to eat the corn.
...
At the Pallas's cat exhibit!
Pallas's cats, naturally highland animals, became more active in the snow.
Rain Palace Xin looked through the glass wall, but it seemed the Pallas's cats weren't in the activity area!
However, the excited photographers outside indicated that they were just not looking closely enough.
After careful observation, they found the Pallas's cat beside a rock at the back of the exhibit.
Its grayish-white fur blended seamlessly with the snowy ground and gray rocks, making it easy to overlook at first glance.
The Pallas's cat patrolled the activity area. Compared to summer, its fur was much thicker now, like wearing a fluffy down jacket, making it look fatter!
Walking, it resembled a moving, soft mochi, with its flesh rippling.
Sticking close to the rocks and shrubs, it moved stealthily, crawling forward.
After three steps, it would freeze like a paused video, observing its surroundings.
Suddenly, it turned its head, glaring with round eyes at the visitors outside!
It seemed to notice something.
Are you spying on me?
Realizing it had been spotted, the Pallas's cat put on a serious expression.
It quickly took two steps forward, hiding behind a rock.
Peeking out, its fluffy short tail twitched rapidly behind it, as if it had ADHD!
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