I have a wildlife zoo

After admiring the crocodiles for a while, the group headed toward the exit, passing by some oncoming visitors.

Many visitors had viewed the crocodiles from above and then returned to the lower level!

Generally speaking, such a back-and-forth route is a bit foolish; for instance, the wolf exhibit can be fully enjoyed by following a single path.

However, the pathway around the crocodile pool is relatively short, just an extra few dozen meters. Otherwise, the bridge above, the underground passage, and the gentle slopes that lead underground and back up would be too brief, possibly causing congestion and making the visit less enjoyable.

At the end of the underground corridor, Daigo suddenly slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Ah!"

Curious, Lin Hao asked, "Hmm, what's the matter?"

Daigo pointed at the exposition board, "Look at this, the story about crocodiles and crocodile birds is actually fake! I've been deceived for so many years!"

The board featured an image of a crocodile with its mouth open, with a bird standing inside it, which looked quite harmonious.

Lin Hao was also shocked, "Ah?"

He had never thought about the story of crocodile tears before, but instinctively knew it was false because which animal would shed tears of sympathy while hunting to fill its stomach? That would be ridiculous. Catching prey and being able to survive should bring happiness.

But he had always thought the story of the crocodile and the crocodile bird was true. He had read it in many storybooks and inspirational articles, and had even used it in his essays.

"Legend: Crocodiles are very ferocious, and other animals are extremely cautious when drinking water by the river where crocodiles live, fearing being eaten. However, in nature, there is a type of bird that not only does not fear crocodiles but also approaches them actively. What's more bizarre is that the crocodiles don't harm them.

This bird is known as the crocodile bird. After eating, crocodiles will open their mouths to let crocodile birds enter their oral cavities. The crocodile birds then eat the meat stuck in the crocodile's teeth and the parasites, helping clean the crocodile's teeth, benefiting both in a symbiotic relationship.

Truth: Crocodiles do not need dental cleaning as their teeth are periodically replaced with new ones. Moreover, the spacing between a crocodile's teeth is wide, so there is no issue with food getting stuck.

It is generally believed that the crocodile bird is the Egyptian plover, but biologists have observed for decades and found they do not have the habit of picking the teeth of crocodiles. The few photos about crocodiles and crocodile birds on the internet also lack reliable sources.

Many birds forage close to crocodiles, and crocodiles sunbathing will not bother with birds. If a crocodile's mouth is open with insects inside, a bird might nip at them. The story of crocodiles and crocodile birds may stem from such misunderstandings."

Lin Hao looked at the photo, at the crocodile's widely spaced teeth, and his face turned as grim as if he were constipated!

Dammit, with gaps this wide between the teeth, how could anything get stuck? It was obviously a myth! He couldn't believe he had been so naive as a child to believe it.

With a sigh, Daigo remarked, "Now that I've visited the zoo a few times, I've realized we have so many misconceptions about these animals. Reptiles like crocodiles even got stuck with the stigma of being cold-blooded creatures."

Lin Hao agreed critically, "Yeah, humans love to use these animals in fables or motivational stories to preach some moral, but when you write a story, could you at least respect the animals' habits, and not fabricate stuff, especially such obvious nonsense?"

Exiting the crocodile exhibit and turning a corner, they arrived at the Asian forest tortoise exhibit.

The area was very open, with some visitors admiring the exhibit from the side.

The uneven ground with slight undulations was covered with a layer of fine leaves, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the palm and banana leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground.

The pool in the middle of the exhibit was very beautiful, like a clear and bright mirror, reflecting the stones and trees along its banks.

Scanning the exhibit, Lin Hao's eyes lit up, "Wow, the environment here is really nice! What kind of animal is kept here?"

"This is where we keep the Asian forest tortoises!" Daigo said with a smile, pointing out, "Look, isn't that one over there?"

The edge of the Asian forest tortoise exhibit was slightly raised with stones and bordered with low wooden fences for simple protection—it was easy to reach down and touch the ground inside the exhibit.

A few meters from the fence, the Asian forest tortoise, Xiaoxuan, with heavy armor on its back, was slowly moving its scaled legs on the fallen leaves.

Walking might not be the right word, more like plowing the ground with a hoe!

It moved at a leisurely pace, advancing only a little bit at a time, and the gaze of the onlookers couldn't help but follow its progress.
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A minute later, it had moved a few meters to a spot without any shade from trees. It seemed to feel a bit warmer there, and after looking around for a bit, it lay down, its body pressing against the ground, quietly basking in the sun.

A little girl, clinging to her parent's hand, pressed her body against the wooden fence, excitedly exclaiming, "Daddy, big tortoise!"

The parent responded with a smiling, "Yes, big tortoise!"

"Why isn't the big tortoise moving?"

"It's sunbathing!"

Lili, as if a child herself, squatted down and enthusiatically waved her hand, greeting Xiaoxuan with a "hello?"

Xiaoxuan couldn't be bothered with her!

The Asian forest tortoises were quite timid at first, sticking to the center of their enclosure and not coming near the fence.

But as they saw more visitors, they got used to them.

Lili, seeing no response from Xiaoxuan, pouted, "Ugh, boring."

Lin Hao looked at Xiaoxuan and laughed, "I didn't even notice it at first, I thought it was just a black rock."

Watching monkeys, red pandas, and other animals frolic and scamper up and down trees is interesting, but watching a tortoise crawl slowly and bask leisurely in the sun is equally nice; it gives a sense of tranquility, relaxation, and harmony.

Very stress-relieving!

Recently, he had been experiencing quite a few troubles during his internship, constantly coding and fixing bugs until his head felt like it was going to explode.

But watching such a peaceful and serene Tortoise, his mood couldn't help but relax.

Just some minor troubles, nothing to fret about!

Daigo stroked his chin, "Eh, I remember there were two, where did the other one go?"

"Is it in the water?"

Lin Hao saw a black oval object in the middle of the pool, bathed in sunlight, immobile like a stable rock.

Daigo looked closely, "That must be it! Oh, I see its head."

Lin Hao almost felt jealous!

The tortoise lay in the water, enjoying itself as if soaking in a hot spring, what a pleasure.

After admiring the Asian forest tortoise for a while, they moved on.

Walking forward, they could see a building from a distance, not square in shape, with a gently curved roof.

If viewed from above with a drone, the shape of the building would resemble a big tortoise lying on the ground.