Weird hole near the Savannah Border Oasis

[Loaf]

A short walk from the Savannah Border Oasis site there is a strange hole. It almost looks like a mini mud hut! There's an entrance and it's made of mud. It isn't a hiding spot, it looks quite different. There doesn't seem to be any way to interact with it and nothing appears when you look at it with intelligence etc. Does anyone know what it is?

[Cougarific]

Screenshot?

Termite mound maybe?

[Loaf]

No it's not a termite mound. It's not far from some though! I've evolved and moved so it'll be a while before I can take a screen shot.

[RCMidas]

What was the actual name of the Oasis? Was it actually in the Savannah, or the Woodland? I'm in the area now - about 5 million years early, granted, and it's a real bugger trying to get around this part of the world with a first-generation Sahelanthropus, let me tell you! - but there is a fair bit of ground to cover.

[RCMidas]

OK wow, never mind that for a moment. I just found an actual hole in the map. From the Savannah Khat Trees Oasis, head along the cliffside to the left whilst keeping the Rock Arrow Oasis (Pride Rock) on your right. You'll see a dead tree with a beehive in it, and just beyond a ledge onto which you can climb.

There's a gap between two parts of the cliff here that takes you straight through the map to the "underside" looking out onto the Woodland, roundabout below the Leaning Trunk Oasis.

Anyway, back to looking around for what you're after...

[Loaf]

The name is Savannah Border Oasis. It's a cliff with a pool of water and bushes etc. If you face away from the cliff from the vantage point from where you can see out into the world you'll see a tree with a beehive, then to the right of that there are some termite mounds. To the right of that and slightly further out there's the hole/hut thing. There's also a hiding spot nearby.

[RCMidas]

OK found it. Half a sec now...
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2226048356
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2226048231
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2226048499
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2226048132

So, it looks to me like it was a version of a hiding place that never became a standard in the later part of the game - perhaps even a test version of a hiding place that you could actually construct via mud and branches, however the generic preplaced ones were instead made more frequent and this instance never got removed.

[Cougarific]

A version of Hiding Place is a good guess - also, maybe a creature's lair? What creatures are usually nearby?

[RCMidas]

Hyenas and buffalo. The everpresent Machairodus, of course - and not only did a white one spawn in to hunt solitary me, but two golden ones were patrolling the area too! Jackals, which would be big enough to fit reasonably, are on the other side of the Savannah biome from this locale.

Worth keeping an eye out for other instances of this environment design.

[Loaf]

That's the thing! I think I found another one but unfortunately I forgot to make a note of the location. But I've also had hyenas spawn in that location, so I'm wondering if it's a hyena den?

[Tregrenos]

I'd seen two golden kitties emerge from one. I'm guessing the purpose for these lil' mud huts is to be a den for other critters.

[RCMidas]

Hyena den, apparently. Now that I know what I'm looking for, I've since found a bunch of them spread out through the Woodland and Savannah biomes. Hyenas spawn in front of them or are otherwise present in the immediate locale every single time.