O Mighty Whale!

Many people don’t know this, but it’s

As clear as clear can be:

The whale was once a land mammal

That made its way back to the sea.

 

We all came from the sea, of course,

And crawled onto the sand.

Later some mammals perhaps became

Tired of living on land.

 

Fifty million years ago

Is when those mammals decided

To spend a lot more time in the water

For something that it provided.

 

Their descendants became aquatic--

Fully so. We know

All of this because of what

The fossil records show.

 

The features they needed for sea adaptation

Were not new and bold ones.

All that they required were

Modifications of old ones.

 

Their bodies adapted; they grew in size.

Seas and oceans, make way!

After millions and millions of years,

We have the whale of today.

 

(Whales and hippos are very close cousins.

Although it’s not as big,

The hippo's more closely related to

The whale than it is to a pig.)

 

The whale has tiny hindlimb and pelvic

Bones embedded in tissue.

It is as though its body is saying,

“I don’t need or miss you.”

 

But what is the largest mammal on Earth?

The blue whale is by far.

How would you like to give birth to a baby

That’s as big as a car?

 

O mighty king and queen of the ocean--

So worthy of being acclaimed!

So much pain we humans have caused you!

We should be ashamed!

 

Mighty ones, you have seen

The damage we humans can do,

While all along we should have known

How much we could learn from you.

 

-by Bob B (3-11-25)