Seeing that their faces were not very good and they wanted to go crazy, Zhang Fan asked carefully, "Is it a leopard?"

In fact, in the Yunwu Mountains, there are leopards, Zhang Fan knew about them when he was a child, and adults often mentioned them, although he had not seen them.

In the past, I heard the old people in the village say that before liberation, there were even tigers, and they often ran to the village at night to find food.

There is a story about a woman in the village who went into the mountains to cut firewood and came back late. Carrying two handfuls of firewood on his shoulder, he returned to the village, and before he got home, he found a big tiger and eyed it.

However, the tiger did not move at first and followed the woman back home.

Wait for the woman to put down the firewood on her shoulder before pounced. If the people in the village hadn't come out in time to drive the tiger away, I am afraid that they would have been taken away by the tiger.

At that time, the old man mainly explained a truth to everyone, you can't show your weakness, otherwise you will be more likely to be bullied. Like the woman, if she hadn't put down the firewood and looked like a large piece, the tiger would have been much more cautious.

Kong Lao replied angrily: "What leopard? ”

Zhang Fan subconsciously spoke: "Impossible, almost a meter long cat?" ”

Actually, it was Zhang Fan who didn't know it. In this world, there are quite a few giant cats. For example, the Maine, ragged cats, etc. in the United States weigh about 20 pounds, and the body length is almost one meter.

These cats may seem mighty and domineering, but they are actually very gentle.

The Maine has a strong physique, a thick, smooth and layered coat, high ears, large ears, wide eye spacing, and an M-shaped tabby on the door of the head.

Maine are said to be docile and close to people, making them good pets. However, unlike most long-haired cats, it is not suitable for people living in apartments, as this type of cat needs a spacious area and likes to go into the garden or yard for activities. The habit of sleeping is very special, I like to sleep in the most remote and eccentric places.

"How could it be? It's a cat, called a golden cat. We still have relatively few forests in China, and there are more forests in Southeast Asia. Kong Lao said to Zhang Fan.

"But, judging by the photos you took, it's still a red and gold cat. Another biological researcher said.

Golden cat coat colors are complex and varied. According to the body color and markings, it can be roughly divided into 3 color types. That is, the commonly known red gold cat, gray gold cat and flower gold cat. The three are different from each other, and there are mixtures and transitions, but the red and gold cat type accounts for the majority in number.

He told Zhang Fan that the golden cat has a good sense of hearing, and it is the most flexible kind of cat's external ear activity, and can hear small sounds from all directions, as if it is a "living radar", and it has a fierce and brave temperament, so it is called the "Yellow Tiger".

"The main food types of golden cats are rodents, but also birds, young rabbits and domestic chickens, as well as small deer such as muntjac and musk deer. It can also attack young buffaloes, because their sharp canine teeth are not strong enough to penetrate the flesh of the neck of the old cow. Catching mice to eat is still relatively rare. The man said again.

The distribution of the golden cat population is not scattered, and the population of this species is on a downward trend. The main threats are deforestation and illegal hunting, both of which are widespread throughout its range, but the scale and extent of the threats are poorly understood. Golden cat skins are a commodity in China and Myanmar, where hunting pressure is high.

At present, there is no actual research project for golden cats in China, mainly because there is no settlement of golden cats in China.

Zhang Fan didn't know what to say.

There is such a big cat, and it can also rooster deer, young cows and the like, which is a bit against the sky. Cats who don't like to eat mice also rarely listen.

"It's a big mouse, the size of a rabbit, and it's probably enough for it to eat. ”

Zhang Fan also admired that the mouse was quite picky and could walk to his greenhouse to find food. Here, obviously, is the place where the whole village uses the most spiritual water, and it was actually found.

However, luck was a bit back, so that the golden cat was targeted and turned into rations.

"I think the golden cat may come again, let's install a couple of infrared cameras to see if we can catch them. Someone suggested.

Infrared cameras are professional cameras for finding wild animals in the wild, and they are also essential for their field investigations. They have quite a few research stations, and hundreds of such cameras have been installed in the Cloud Mountains.

Seeing that Zhang Fan had no opinion, some of them ran back, took the infrared camera, and installed it in a few hidden places.

Zhang Fan took the opportunity to ask Kong Lao and them how to exterminate rats, which have been rampant recently. If it weren't for a mouse, it is estimated that it would not have encountered a nationally protected animal like the golden cat.

"We've noticed an increase in rats in the village. Don't worry, though. Have you noticed that in addition to mice, rat-eating creatures such as snakes and owls are also increasing. Kong Lao said.

They are in Zhangjiazhai, how can they not notice the sharp increase in the number of rats?

"The best, most environmentally friendly means of rodent extermination is biological rodent extermination. Raise more owls and cats, how dare rats run rampant?"

Zhang Fan pondered for a moment, there are also cats in the village, but the number of cats is obviously not equal to the number of mice now, and I am afraid that it is not reliable to rely on cats completely.

In addition, it seems that it is too late to start raising a large number of cats.

As for the owl, it's impossible for the villagers to keep it. In their countryside, owls are unlucky, especially at night, when they call a bit scary.

There are common sayings in our country, such as "night owls enter the house, nothing will come", "not afraid of night owls calling, afraid of night owls laughing" and other common sayings, often regard owls as "ominous birds", called soul-chasing birds, mourning birds, etc.

The reason for these perceptions is mainly due to the fact that owls, due to their keen sense of smell, can smell the scent of terminally ill people, and can laugh, and in many places it is indeed not superstitious to die within a few days of hearing the owl's call, so the owl is called a mourning bird.

Of course, this is in China, not abroad. In Japan, for example, owls are regarded as lucky birds. It has also become the mascot of the Nagano Winter Olympics, representing good luck and happiness.

Owls are rat-catchers, and there's no denying that they have a keen eye. In the dark of night, visibility is more than a hundred times higher than that of people.

Zhang Fan's mind flashed a lot of plans to exterminate rats, but he was not too satisfied.

After Kong Lao and the others left, Zhang Fan continued to take Zhao Yuqing to inspect their family's industry, and their happy life in the future depended on these industries.

In the greenhouse, in addition to the black-skinned watermelon, there are strawberries. The strawberries are growing very fast, and they are already starting to see flowers, and it seems that in about two months, this batch will be ripe again.

"At that time, your school will also start to have a holiday, so come over to me!" Zhang Fan said to Zhao Yuqing.

Zhao Yuqing walked while listening to Zhang Fan's introduction, such as the market of black-skinned watermelons in Japan, etc., she was shocked, no wonder people would say that the annual income of the industry here is 10 million.