Except for whales, African elephants are the largest creatures on earth. They may weigh five or six tons.
When a baby elephant is born, the excited herd groups around the mother to protect her, and one of the females becomes an "auntie" to help with the baby. The 250-pound baby cannot walk immediately after it is born. It has to be helped to its feet over and over again, until it can stand alone. It grows to full size in about twenty years and may live to be sixty years old or more.
The elephant is a friendly and curious animal. It eats leaves, grass, roots, water plants, and other vegetation. Sometimes it will shake a fruit tree and eat the fruit that falls to the ground. Each day an adult eats at least four hundred pounds of food and drinks fifty gallons of water. The Lord God placed them where there is plenty of food for them to eat.
The elephant’s ivory tusks are often several feet long and may weigh two hundred pounds or more. God compensated for the weight of the tusks by lightening the head bones with numerous air pockets. The tusks can push heavy objects out of the way, dig for roots and even become weapons when the elephant is angry.
An elephant's trunk is an amazing structure. It has 2500 muscles and is actually a stretched-out nose and lip. With it the elephant can pluck a single blade of grass, uproot a large tree, and pick up water, dust or mud to spray on itself when it is hot or bothered by insects. The trunk is also used as a trumpet to call its companions. When needed, it becomes a weapon and sometimes is used for spanking a baby.
When the elephant is angry, its ears stand out threateningly, but the Creator has also given them a more practical use. Perspiring like most other animals does not cool an elephant. Instead, it cools itself by waving these big ears back and forth. An entire herd doing this is an impressive sight.
The elephant not only follows its God-given instincts, but it is also very intelligent. However, no matter how smart these and other creatures are, it is only man to whom God has given a never-dying soul: "[Man's] spirit shall return unto God who gave it" (Eccl. 12:77Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)). A person will either go to heaven or hell, depending on what that person's decision is concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible tell us, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:3636He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)).
Which group are you in?