There are, roughly, 7 billion humans on the planet. But many of us humans forget that we are sharing this place with a LOT of others. In fact, we are completely outnumbered.
Animals roam this earth in large numbers. Much more than us. Consider chickens. There are more than 16 billion chickens here. Roll out those eggs, ladies. Yes. Way more chickens than us. Or what about ants? They are between 1 and 10 quadrillion strong. Go on and just try to have that picnic.
When you start adding up the rest of everyone — the cats, dogs, elephants, penguins, mice, otters, pigs, and on — we humans are sorely outnumbered. Good thing the animals are peaceful and forgiving. Because. If they ever decide to organize…..
But me? I love animals. This is no news to most. I can’t think of too many species that I don’t care for, in some way or another. Last night, in the late night, after I brushed my teeth and washed my face, I went to climb into my nice cozy bed. A large green grasshopper had beat me there. I found him resting comfortably on my pillow. Of course, I needed to escort him back to the grass outside, where good grasshoppers hop. But I thanked him for the late visit, and politely sent him on his way.
The animals. They are of unending interest, I think. If you get a group of them together, some of the groups have incredibly good names.
An Embarrassment of Pandas.
A Congress of Baboons.
A Prickle of Hedgehogs.
A Mischief of Mice.
I have a choice name for certain groups of humans, too. But I won’t post them here. Not this time around.
Animals seem to have unlimited talents. Some even have Super Powers. The little Peregrine Falcon, for instance. We all know they can see like the dickens. But those falcons are lighting fast. Peregrine falcons have been clocked at 242 mph. That makes them the fastest members of the animal kingdom. When they dive toward prey, the peregrines tuck their wings into their bodies, creating a perfect shape for quickly striking their prey below. Aerodynamic wonders. Winged bullets.
At the other end of the spectrum is the Sloth. It is hard not to smile when you see a sloth do anything. Slow is an understatement. (Although, I have been behind people in the grocery store who may give the Sloth a slow-run for the money.) Anyway — remarkably — they are super-healers. Sloths find their way to a speedy recovery from wounds that would easily kill other animals. This has made scientists very curious. So they study those Sloths, to see why they heal the way they do.
Or, how about the Lyrebird. It lives in Australia. They are renown for their ability to mimic almost any sound. Not only other birds, but also mechanical sounds. Like a chainsaw, a car alarm, a dog’s bark, and the click of a camera shutter. When we lived in Charleston, there was a group of Parrots that resided in a certain home. They would often perch on the front porch. One year, there was extensive construction work on that street. Trucks, and steamrollers, and scoopers, for months on end. The Parrots started mimicking the “back up sound” that trucks make. Beep. Beep. Beep. Hilarious. They also knew the Andy Griffith Song, which I instigated often, when I passed by.
Elephants have incredible memories.
Bees can dance.
Raccoons can pick locks.
And Crows are smart in endless ways.
They all have their magnificence. Their splendor.
And, I believe they are all here for good reason. Just like us. As such, we should probably show our good manners and share this place, respectfully. Our selfish human behavior has destroyed many species throughout history. We should probably do whatever we can to make sure this doesn’t happen anymore. We should act like we care about more than just our human selves.
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“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
― Mother Teresa
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“You are forgiven for your happiness and your successes only if you generously consent to share them.”
― Albert Camus
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“It ain’t no fun if the homies can’t have none. ”
― Snoop Dogg
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