Tyger, Tyger burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye, Could frame they fearful symmetry?”
The Tyger, William Blake
Finally, we are on the last leg of our tour of the Kingdoms of Creation (who’s up for some ice cream when we’re done?). Our final group to visit is the mammals. Yay! Time for cute fluffy cuddliness! Because, after all, every mammal has hair or fur, making them extra warm and soft, from the tiniest bumblebee bat (only about as big as your thumb) to the enormous blue whale (ok, so they aren’t particularly fluffy, but they do have some hairs). Mammals like these are found all over the world, from the flying bats to the dolphins, manatees, and whales of the ocean, as well as the many land-dwelling mammals like deer, aardvarks, and monkeys. Many domesticated animals are mammals as well, such as cows, horses, and many of our favorite pets, (Sugar gliders and hedgehogs anyone? No, you have a dog? Weird.)
Nearly all mammal babies are born living from their mothers, except for a couple of unusual species – the platypus and the echidnas – which live in Australia. Once these babies are born, they stay with their mothers for a time, being fed with milk that the mother makes. During this time (and sometimes after), the babies are also able to learn their parents, allowing them to be more successful as adults. This would be especially helpful for the longest living mammal: the bowhead whale that can live for over 200 years, although passing on skills is important for even short-lived creatures such as the shrew that is only given about 2 years.
Now that we have been all over the Kingdoms of Creation, you might be wondering: what about us – humans – where do we fit? Well, we have a backbone like other vertebrates, so we must be some kind of animal. Looking at the creatures of the Kingdom of Animals, we do not have gills, wet skin, scales, or feathers. We do have hair, though, so we must be some kind of mammal. Yet, we are so very different from other mammals. Bats fly through the air, dolphins swim in the sea, and giraffes walk on four legs (although that neck is pretty sweet – I’ll take one of those). Even the apes with two feet and grasping hands (and often grasping feet) like us are simply very different: although chimpanzees use tools (such as a stick to get ants) and gorillas can be taught sign language, our intelligence, planning, tool use, language, and cooperation are simply on a different level. No other animal could ever design a car, have it built thousands of miles away by other animals, fuel it with some form of energy that still other animals have made, and sell it just to make their lives easier.
What it comes down to is that we have been endowed with special gifts by the Creator – the gift of our minds and of our souls. We were not given claws or sharp teeth or speed like other animals because the Creator knew that what we needed most with our souls were brains to guide us. Our intelligence has allowed us to create a world were people live longer, healthier lives, thanks to the providence of the Creator. We must also remember to use our souls which allow us to know our Maker, as well as to know and cultivate the true, the good, and the beautiful.