Jewel # 299 (Oct. 19, 2017)

Forest Wild Cat

Desert Lynx

“And thy shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I 

make up MY JEWELS.”

(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren

WILDCATS ARE INTERESTING  

“O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast.

How excellent is Thy loving kindness, O God!”  

(Psalm 36:6-7)

There are many varieties of wildcats in different parts of the world.  The term “wildcat” generally refers to small, wild members of the cat family. It is often applied to an unusual species of lynx, bobcat, or even a domestic cat that has gone off into the wild.

The one known as the FOREST WILDCAT is actually a variety of the lynx, but is smaller than most lynx.  It is only about one-third larger than a house cat, with longer legs, a broader head and shorter tail.

Another variety is called  DESERT LYNX and looks very much like a household pet.  Both kinds are found in various parts of Canada and the United States and are bold and cunning at hunting, which they do mostly at night.

Among wildcats’ favourite foods are ground squirrels, rabbits, wood rats, mice, moles and low-roosting birds, which they capture while the birds are asleep.

Actually these animals are not very good runners, but bound after their prey in bobbing leaps, just like a frightened house cat does.  When other food is not available and they are really hungry, they have been known to eat beetles, grasshoppers and crickets.  Sometimes a wildcat will flatten itself on a branch over a trail and pounce on unsuspecting animals or birds which pass below.

Wild cats are excellent tree climbers and prefer to live in forests or brushy places but sometimes will have a well-hidden den in rocky areas.  Often they will have more than one den for hiding purposes when pursued by an enemy, which might be a fox, wolf or prowling dog.  

When attacked by an owl, hawk or eagle without chance of escape, wildcats roll over on their backs, biting at the bird’s head and neck and using their sharp-clawed feet to pull out feathers.  The birds generally give up and fly away.

Usually three or four kittens are born in the spring, either in a cave or hollow log.  They are just as cute as domestic kittens.  The mother nurses them for several weeks, and then she teaches them to hunt by putting live mice and other small creatures in front of them.  If the victims are about to get away from one of the kittens, she will go after it and bring it back for the kitten to try again.  They soon catch on.

Does the Creator watch over these wildcats?  Yes He does.  They are one of the “beasts” in our opening Bible verse.  Can you say with the psalm writer as he thought about the Lord’s loving ways - 

“O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our maker.  

For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture.”

(Psalm 95:6-7)   

Love you all - Grandpa

Jewel # 298 (Oct. 12, 2017)

Tamandua Anteater

Spiny Anteater

“And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I

make up MY JEWELS.”

(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren

Unusual Anteaters

“Be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create.”

(Isaiah 65:18)

A very unusual anteater lives in the country of Costa Rica in Central America.  It has the name TAMANDUA or COLLATERAL ANTEATER, and it feeds on tree termites.  It wraps its long tail around the branches so it will not fall out of the tree.  

It is prettier than most anteaters, with shaggy white or tan legs and tail and tan fur on its neck and throat, with the rest of the body covered with black fur. Actually it looks like it is dressed in a black sleeveless sweater.  The only thing unpleasant about this anteater is that it gives off a bad odour when excited. 

One of the most unusual anteaters is known as the SPINY ANTEATER and lives in the Australian deserts and New Guinea.  It has a long, slender beak and a pouch for carrying its young, like a kangaroo.  On occasion it adds to its unusual character by swallowing dirt.  It is really a very strange creature in most every way.

It doesn’t give birth to little ones as most animals do, but, like a bird, hatches them from eggs!  The single egg is carried in the female’s warm pouch outside her body until it hatches.  After the little one hatches, she nurses it with rich milk.  Then, within about ten weeks, the little one develops a shiny, silky fur that covers its entire body.  It has partially webbed feet with four strong curved  toes.  It will soon use these for digging in the ground or tearing apart decaying trunks of trees or other splintered wood to fill its stomach with ants and termites.  Of course, by that time it is on its own and no longer fed by the mother’s milk.

A full-grown spiny anteater’s body is only about a foot long, covered with hollow spines over a coat of black fur.  The broad front feet are equipped with short nails for digging, and each hind foot has an extra-long nail it uses to comb out its hair.  Its face which is actually a long, round snout, is smooth and equipped with a pair of dark nostrils and ends in a tiny mouth.  Its tongue is long and sticky, enabling it to lick out ants and termites from their hidden areas.

These unusually interesting examples of animal life, together with a great variety of related ones in various parts of the world, perform a wonderful service.  They destroy termites and ants that are very destructive of valuable timber and wooden constructions.

The more we consider the wonders of God’s creation, the more we should be glad and rejoice, just as the opening Bible verse says.  We may be sure He is glad when we do.  We can trust the Word of God, the Bible, to tell us the truth about creation: “By Him were all things created” (Colossians 1:16).

Love you all - Grandpa