wisdom
Weather patterns shift, altering landscapes through stretches of flood or drought;
Whose endurance through immense changes in climate, landscape, and the cohabitants around it is down to its fundamental design. Whose eyes, ears, and nostrils are positioned high on its head, allowing it to float unnoticed beneath the surface while remaining vigilant of its surroundings. Whose ability to slow its heart rate and conserve oxygen allows it to wait and watch patiently for prey, and whose keen senses can detect the slightest changes in pressure and movement. Whose torpedo-shaped body, propelled by a powerful tail, allows it to launch itself out of the water to grab unsuspecting prey. Whose reinforced trachea and expandable stomach allow it to swallow large animals, breaking them up in need into smaller chunks, and whose highly acidic stomach can break down bones, hooves, beaks, and claws. Who swallows stones, called gastroliths, to help grind down the remains. And whose ability to regulate its body temperature using the sun and its surrounding environment allows it to conserve energy for when it’s needed most, enabling it to survive for long periods without food.
populations rise and fall, sending ripples through ecosystems; human
development obstructs ancient paths, forcing migration and creating new pressures over territory and resources. We’re bound to the reality that survival requires adaptation. Much of it plays out before us in small decisions shaped by cause and effect, risk and reward. Over generations, these pressures can cause entire species to diverge from what they once were, taking on new forms and behaviours to survive. This is evolution. Yet some species have endured for centuries, even millennia, their fundamental forms seemingly unchanged; so remarkably well suited are they to their environments and challenges. There are constants amid the constant of change. Like the Nile Crocodile ( Crocodylus niloticus ), one of Africa’s oldest surviving predators, who has inhabited the continent’s freshwater lakes and rivers, it’s believed, for somewhere between five and seven million years.
Previous spread Life reminds us of nature’s beauty, and its fragility. Left Rock, of its agelessness and the reverence it inspires.
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