The Wonders of God’s Creation
Let’s consider a few of the varieties of wallabies living “down under.” These vary in size from 12 to 40 inches, plus a 10 to 28-inch tail and weigh from 4 pounds to over 50.
One of the largest is the brush kangaroo, because in size and activities it appears more like a kangaroo than anything else. Another large one, most commonly encountered and best known, is the rednecked. It is particularly noted for the great leaps it can make.
Then there is the sure-footed rock wallaby, provided by the Creator with special thick pads of rough skin on its hind feet to give it a good grip on the rocks where it makes its home. It is stocky and unusually powerful, jumping and dashing around on rocks and precipices, making great leaps from cliffs and from rock to rock. Most of these are red in color with big, upright ears, large eyes and fine long fur.
Another of the rock family is known as the ring-tailed, because of the pretty bands of white, brown and pale yellow that circle its tail. Another, with the name shrub wallaby, is among the smaller ones. Each mother in this group seems to have a problem with her lively joey that hops in and out of her pouch when she stops to rest or eat. Unable to teach it good manners, she sometimes will not let it in again until it gets back on good behavior. (So you see the mothers of lively boys and girls aren’t the only ones who have problems!)
It’s not hard to understand how the spectacled hare variety got its name, for each eye is circled by a light-orange ring, looking just like a pair of glasses. Another one that has an unusual tail also has an unusual name — the nail-tailed — because at the tip of its tail a horny spike appears. No one knows just what its purpose may be.
The hare wallaby, named for its size and movements, can jump higher than a man’s head. Like a rabbit, with twists and jumps, it usually leaves its enemy far behind and is quite a sight to see.
Space doesn’t allow listing more of these unusual creatures, so we will have to stop with these few, but how nice to know the Creator doesn’t overlook any of them. They also give us reason to think upon His ways in every part of His wonderful creation, as the opening Bible verse tells us, and we must never forget that because we are a very special part of His creation, we should always seek to please Him.
ML-03/08/1987