Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) ~ Growing

"Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge." (Proverbs 19v21)

 The largest mammal in the world is the Blue Whale.  But the longest living is the Right Whale.  Eubalaena glacialis is unlike other mammals because of the way it grows.  There are two main types of skeletal structures in the animal kingdom: fused and unfused.  Reptiles have unfused bones, meaning they can grow as big as they need to and, thus, live longer.  Mammals have fused bones and tend to have a set longevity.  Yet the Right Whale, unlike any other mammal, has unfused bones.  Thus they live for nearly 300 years.  And they have a very, very good memory.

Unlike other whales, the Northern Right Whale displays no curiosity around human beings.  They will not approach a ship, or call to each other when humans are present.  They vanish just as soon as they are spotted.  And biologists can guess why.

“Right Whales” are so named because they were, at one time, the ‘right’ whales to hunt.  They were hunted nearly to obliteration in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, prized for their plentiful oil and baleen.  Since females do not reach sexual maturity until 10 years of age, population growth is slow going.  The population of several hundred does not appear to have grown since their protection began in the 1940s.  But their wisdom has, and it has been passed down to Right Whale calves.  Biologists doubt these whales will trust them any time soon.

It is remarkable to think that an animal could live for centuries by continually growing.  If a Right Whale were to stop growing, he would certainly perish.  Perhaps this is analogous to the spiritual life.  There are many ups and downs.  There are times of famine, times when we may feel hounded to the ends of the earth.  Yet, as long as we are growing, we thrive.  

“speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” (Ephesians 4v15) 

 “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. (2 Peter 3v18)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Guardian Trees ~ When Leaders Fall

Image
I recently received a message from a friend of mine who lives in Oregon. There was no text, only a ten second video panorama of what looked like a war zone. Trees were strewn all over the ground. Splintered wood carpeted the scene. It took me a moment to realize that the recording was taken just outside of their house. I was shocked. After visiting them each year, I’ve come to know their land well. The forest surrounding their home has become like a friend to me. Now it’s an unrecognizable wasteland. I called my friend to make sure she was alright, and she told me the story of what happened. Over the summer, new tenants purchased the adjacent property. They were first-time landowners and did not consult anyone about managing their forest. The couple decided that they wanted more sun, so they hired loggers to come and cut down the trees on their property. Residents in the area (some of whom had been in land management for 40+ years) reached out to the new neighbors and explained that th
Read more

Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) ~ Why Should I give Christianity another chance?

Image
            The loudest animal on our planet is also our largest toothed predator:  Physeter macrocephalus,  the sperm whale. People are surprised to hear that sperm whales make the loudest vocalizations, perhaps because we imagine them as serene and calm—the silent beasts of the deep. In his book  Deep,  explorer and author James Nestor describes an account when biologists were diving with these animals (diving with whales the best way to study their behavior). One whale swam directly at one of the researchers. Startled, the man held up his arm to try and stop the whale. In response, the whale let out a small grunt and swam past the man. This grunt was enough to freeze the man’s arm in place for three hours. The voice of a sperm whale can literally vibrate a human body to death. We now know that sperm whales disorient and may even stun their prey with loud sound bursts called ‘gunshots’. It’s the rarest of all sperm whale vocalizations. But the true reason these whales have such a pow
Read more

Saharan Silver Ant (Cataglyphis bombycina) ~ Surviving Persecution by Reflecting God's Light

Image
In the Sahara, the sun rules all.  No creature can survive its full heat, which averages 104ºF.  Yet the unlikeliest of creatures, an ant, has a trick up its sleeve.  The Saharan Silver ant is the only animal in this ecosystem capable of withstanding the heat of day at high noon.  Their peculiar armor, much like a space suit, is the cause.  These ants are silver-colored, and their dainty panoply of mirrors reflects sunlight.  Thus when their last predators hide away in the ground to hide from the extreme heat, the Saharan Silver ants scurry out to gather their daily food.  Their shimmering bodies have only minutes before the sun burns through them.  They march out quickly, locating food and working together to bring it back to the nest.  After 10 minutes, the last ants are either back in their burrow or crippled by heatstroke. 
The Saharan Silver Ant is a remarkable creature.  When I ponder these brave little animals, whose every moment seems to be a struggle
Read more