Chapter 241 Saiga Antelope (Please vote and subscribe)
"Leader?"
"Oh, I'm fine. Go and call their leader over. Bring me their one, no, a kind of deer skin and horns. Let me take a look." Luo Chong wiped the water stains on his body and told the tribesman.
"Oh, I'll call them over right away." The tribesman took the order and ran away.
Soon, seven or eight people came over from the side. Each of them carried a large bundle of animal skins, and two people carried a whole basket of horns. They all moved them to Luo Chong's table. Then several people looked at Luo Chong with displeasure, as if they would turn against him on the spot if he didn't agree.
But Luo Chong didn't care about them at all. This was the base camp of the Han tribe. He could just shout and thousands of his brothers would come out. Luo Chong would still be afraid of them. What a joke.
However, Luo Chong was really interested in what they brought. You know, more than 100 identical animal skins are worth much more than just animal skins. If they are not farmed, it means that there are large groups of such creatures near their tribe, and they are easy to catch. Otherwise, how did they get these animal skins?
The first thing that caught Luo Chong's attention was the two baskets of identical horns, which were sharp and long, about 25 cm long. The horns were earthy yellow and slightly rotated, and there were circles of ring-shaped protrusions from the bottom to the tip.
This is not a deer, it is clearly an antelope horn. Only sheep-like animals such as antelopes or goats can grow two sharp and long horns. Deer horns are usually forked, with at least two forks. The difference is too obvious.
After looking at the horns, Luo Chong confirmed on the spot that this was a sheep-like animal, so he became more interested in this animal. Since Luo Chong came to this world, he has never seen such a thing as a sheep.
Luo Chong immediately pulled out another sheepskin and unfolded it to observe. He first took a quick look. The sheepskin was intact. The cut was straight from the lower jaw to the tail. The four hooves were cut off at the ankles. Even the face skin was completely peeled off. Except for the two holes on the top of the head that should be the horns, there were only nostrils for breathing.
What does this mean, huh?
This shows that their skinning skills are very skilled. Obviously, they often slaughter this kind of sheep and are very familiar with the body structure of this kind of sheep. In addition, except for the skinning knife and the two holes on the head left by the horns, there is no other hole in the whole skin.
What does this mean, huh?
This shows that this is not their hunting prey at all, but their livestock.
Just imagine, sheep are animals that run very fast. People don’t even think about racing with them. They can’t catch up at all. If they are hunting, they can only use long-range weapons such as spears or bows and arrows to hunt such animals.
But if they used a spear or a bow and arrow, why is there no hole on the sheepskin? There must be a wound, so this is not scientific at all. Then there is only one truth, this is the livestock they raised.
The hair of the whole sheepskin is very short, earthy yellow, and the belly is slightly white, a yellow-white color. It is obviously the skin of an antelope, not a goat.
Luo Chong picked up the back of a sheepskin and placed it next to his legs to measure it. The sheepskin was very large, reaching Luo Chong's thighs. The shoulder height of this antelope was about 70 to 80 centimeters, and the body length was also very long, basically between 1.4 and 1.5 meters.
From this, we can judge the size and weight of this antelope. It should be about 60 to 70 kilograms. Of course, this is the weight of a live sheep. If only the net meat is counted, it may only be 30 to 40 kilograms, but compared with modern domestic sheep, it is already very large.
If it were just this, Luo Chong would be very happy. He could use his goods to exchange live antelopes with this tribe, and then raise them in the Han tribe. However, when Luo Chong carefully observed the face of this antelope, he could no longer remain calm, but was very excited, and even his heart began to beat violently.
The face of the antelope is very long. What does this mean? It looks very long in proportion to the entire head, just like a donkey or a horse. However, its face is not the entire face, but the nose is particularly long, or very prominent.
The long-nosed earthy yellow antelope, with two sharp horns with ring-shaped protrusions, shoulder height of 70 to 80 centimeters, body length of about 1.4 meters, and weight of 140 to 150 kilograms, the answer is obvious.
If Luo Chong remembers correctly, this should be an endangered species on Earth that has not yet become extinct, the Saiga antelope, because their noses are large and protruding, so they are also called high-nosed antelopes. They are native to China, but have long been extinct. Later, they could only be introduced from their neighbors and cultivated. The current number is still very rare. It is one of the few prehistoric species that have survived from the Fourth Ice Age. It can be said that it is more precious than the Tibetan antelope.
However, this is not the most important thing. If the Saiga antelope is placed on Earth, it will be a special protected animal that needs to be studied and raised by scientists. But here, it is just a kind of food for humans. There is no wildlife protection law in this world now. You can only go to the zoo to see an animal.
But what Luo Chong cares about most is the life span of the saiga antelope. The life span of the saiga antelope is very short, only about eight or nine years. Moreover, it is a herbivore and has no attack power. It is at the bottom of the food chain. Basically, any carnivore dares to attack it. However, under such harsh living conditions, the saiga antelope has still reproduced for tens of thousands of years without extinction. Why is this?
Because they can give birth.
Although the fertility is not as abnormal as that of rabbits, among the large ruminant herbivores, the fertility of the saiga antelope is really unique. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is exaggerated.
After all, they have a short life span and are at the bottom of the food chain. There are natural enemies everywhere who eat them. If their fertility is low, how can they reproduce for tens of thousands of years without extinction?
The gestation period of the saiga antelope is very short. It only takes four months from conception to delivery. They can give birth to one or two lambs every year, and each lamb can produce two to three lambs, so there are five or six lambs in a year. Now domestic goats and sheep can't compare.
If that were all, it would only mean that they give birth to many children, but they also give birth very quickly. The lambs born that year are weaned in one month, and the female cubs are sexually mature in eight months and can participate in the reproduction of the species by the end of the year. The males grow a little slower, but it only takes one year for them to be sexually mature and start breeding.
Therefore, as long as there are two pairs of Saiga antelopes, they can become fourteen in a year, and hundreds in two years. They are simply super reproductive machines, and they are large in size and produce a lot of meat. If they can be raised, the Han tribe will never lack meat.
Vegetarian food includes rice, meat includes mutton and pork, and if you grow a few more vegetables, your life will be perfect.
(End of this chapter)
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