Trunk or Treat

African elephants are the largest mammal living on land in the earth!They are larger than their counterpart, the Asian elephants, especially in the ears, which weigh as much as 100 pounds!Both male & female African elephants have tusks,however, only the male Asian elephants have tusks.Tusks are used primarily for finding food & digging, however , they also are used as weapons in protecting their young or battling for a mate!

My favorite song is "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"!

  An elephant's trunk is an essential tool it uses for touching, smelling, drinking, & sensing the shape, size, & temperature of an object. Trunks are made of an estimated 100,000  muscles & are flexible enough to be used for :taking baths, fighting off predators,& finding food. Their trunk is up to 2 meters long  & also assists the elephant in gathering up to 300 lbs. of food. This includes a variety of roots, fruit, grasses, & bark gathered on any single day! Elephants are vegetarians!

 My trunk is like my right arm!(even though I don't have one)

 Female elephants, or cows, live in family herds with their young, & are led by a dominant female known as a matriarch.Adult males tend to prefer roaming as loners. For an elephant, raising a family requires a serious commitment! Elephants are pregnant for about 22 months,longer than any other mammal!And how would ewe like to deliver a 200 lb. baby? OUCH! They begin giving birth at twelve years of age  & have a calf every 2-4 years. They live up to 70 yrs.of age!

Ewe wouldn't think I weighed 200 lbs. at birth, being so cute & all !

Mud baths are so helpful for protecting our sensitive skin !

Elephants have a natural cooling system, located in their ears! Blood is circulated throughout the ear in a complicated system of blood vessels.Keeping cool in the African climate is essential for survival! Elephants need to drink over 200 liters of water daily! Elephants also keep cool by swimming & using their trunk as a snorkel in deeper water.Finally,the rumor  has it that elephants don't forget!

I bet ewe didn't know that besides being intelligent, that I'm also very creative!

Sheep are similar to elephants in that they herd & follow a dominant ewe.They also eat grass, however, they are able to digest more of their food than the elephant! Sheep also face similar predators as the elephant. Coyotes & wolves also try to attack the old & the weak! One stark contrast that sheep & elephants have is
that sheep have a Shepherd to lead  them while elephants don't!

 I just want to be a sheep, Baa ! Baa!

As Ewe celebrate life today, allow the goodness & love of the Good Shepherd to lift Ewe above the fray! Enjoy His provision for Ewe today & everyday!
"Bless the Lord Oh my soul & forget not all His benefits;Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,"Ps. 103:2,3