Splendour and uncertainty of Wild Life

K A Aleem - Gampola Thinkaran Correspondent

Animals live in a world that is older and certainly more complete than ours. They are gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never really attained. They are more reliable than most people. Many are capable of great and lasting love, true gratitude and unstinting loyalty-rather difficult standards for people to live up to. Humans and animals have one thing in common though: Both species are caught in the net of life, as fellow prisoners of both the splendour and the uncertainty of their coexistence.

The cape buffalo

The Cape Buffalo weighs some 550 lbs on average and is equipped with a magnificent spread of horns, fused at the base to form a hone wall that been bullets cannot penetrate. The males protect the herd, which lives by a community code. They stick close together, the calves and other half-growns in the centre and the formidable males on the outer circles. This forces been foraging lions to keep their distance. At face value, it would seen that these animals are safer and better taken care of than many of us humans. A year to emulate these animals perhaps?

The horse

The horse as we know it is the result of 40 million years of evolution. Highly intelligent, this high-spirited animals is also very affectionate and tractable. It is endowed with a perfect sense of balance: A fine – tuned ‘fight or flight’ instinct. A magnificent sight in fight, the horse also has a streak of the indomitable and will, if the need arises, fight to the bitter end. A mix of sterling qualities: Courage and a touch of aggression tempered by gentleness. All worth imitating.

The blue whale

Carl Linnaeus, the Swedish Zoologist, must have had a wicked sense of humour. He named the earth’s largest animal’ which is as big as a Boeing jet and has heart the size of a small car, Balaenoptera musculus: “Little Mouse.” The blue whale usually grows up to 10 feet and weights 180 metric tons-on the average. It feeds on a species of shrimp named krill and plankton like euphausids only. This massive mammal does not terrorize the ocean’s other denizes – but serves as an example wroth emulating, where might is not regarded as right.

The chimpanzee

Anthropologists and zoologists agree on one thing: Champanzees are the mammals closest to humans in behaviour: Noisy, curious, inventive, intelligent and social. To eat termites and insects, for instance, it goes typically human by not working at tearing the mound down – the chimp simply pushes as stick in and then eats the insects that cling to it! The females give all the young, not just their own, the same care and attention. AS a rule, chimpanzees also care for the elderly, who in turn are extremely patient with the hyperenergetic youngsters. No elder’s Homes or Children’s Homes in the chimpanzee’s world – just a lot of love going around. Something to think about.

The elephant

The elephant today, is the end-product of seven million years of evolution. The African and Asian elephants vary in size, but on average, an elephant stands nine feet at the shoulder and tips the scale sat around 8,000 lbs. The elephant has for centuries been symbolic of wisdom because of a degree of intelligence higher than most animals and a long memory. The incredible strength that is tempered with surprising gentleness – until provoked – serves as an ideal example of tolerance for us. Overall, the elephant earned high praise from the Greek philosopher Aristotle.

The stingray

The stingray has its eyes on the top of its head and its mouth, nostrils and gill slits are situated on its underbelly. The stingray swims by undulations of it is flat body. Its prime feature is its tail with serrated edges that end in a sharp point an contains venom in a quantity, fatal even to humans. This deadly, poison-filled barb however, is used only in self defense. Deterrents as powerful as an aggressor’s, often suffice to make peaceful co-existence the preferred alternative.

The owl

Natue’s grand design has endowed the owl with fourteen vertebrae bones in its neck twice as many as humans – which enables it to turn its head as much as 270 degrees! This was, in all probability, the reason for its being regarded as ‘wise’ as this physical attribute made the owl more aware of everything happening around it. We lack this physical attribute, but we can, with some help from technology, gain clearer insights on just about everything.

The beaver

The beaver is a semi-aquatic, nocturnal member of the rodent family – in fact, the second largest – with penchant for building dams, canals and its own home which is called as lodge. The beaver’s reserves of food, wood and water for the winter are regularly replenished from around autumn. The lessons for us humans? Early preparation for the future to counter foreseeable events and reserves to fall back on in an emergency.

The lion

The lion is the second largest feline after the tiger. Equipped with powerful legs and incredibly strong jaws, the lion can successfully prey on large mammals. That trait however, did not earn it the tag “King of the Jungle.” The title originated from the very majesty of the lion’s mien or personality that commands respect. Yet, the king’s’ work hours are only when it is hungry. Once sated, the lion co-exists with its prey. Food for thought for us humans.