A crawling millipede became the center of attention for a pride of lions—or at least for the curious cubs—during a sighting on safari in the MalaMala Game Reserve in South Africa.
Senior ranger Nic Nel had stopped on an afternoon drive after spotting the pride of lions resting near a watering hole. He began filming when the small visitor appeared in the middle of the pride.
“Cats are curious animals,” Nel told LatestSightings.com. “One of the cubs noticed this small creature moving along and moved closer to inspect the visitor. The reaction from this cub triggered a domino effect, and slowly all the little cubs made their way to this tiny millipede.
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“Eventually, one of the cubs decided to have a closer look, and as he went in for a little smell, he was unpleasantly surprised and moved off quite comically. That’s because millipedes have a small amount of cyanide, and perhaps the smell was too strange for the youngster.
“The cubs began losing interest in the millipede and made their way back to mum. The two adult females also then rose from their slumber and began moving. Nightfall was approaching, and perhaps dinner was on their minds.”