Page 121 - Devotion Among Animals Revealing the Work of God

Cooperation and Solidarity Among Animals

Walker's observations form only a small part of the many ex-
amples of devotion and cooperation. Everyone can observe similar
behavior in the animals in his environment. But more important is to
reflect on these astonishing behaviors.
Over next few pages, we will examine in greater detail examples
that clearly reveal God's control over all living things.

Creatures Warning One Another of Dangers
One great advantage of living in a community is the increased
safety it provides, since any individual sensing danger can warn the
others, instead of quietly stealing away. Each species has its own
warning call. For instance, hares and some species of deer raise their
tails to warn other animals when they sense danger. Some gazelles,
on the other hand, make a strange hopping display for the same
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purpose.
When they spot danger, many small birds give an alarm call.
Species like the blackbird, great tit and chaffinch will make a high-
pitched noise at a narrow frequency range. It's not possible for hu-

mans to detect the direction of this call—important for any flock of
birds, because any one bird risks drawing attention to itself by mak-
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ing this noise. But the danger of this happening in this case is very
limited.
An insect that lives as part of a colony will alert the others if it
becomes aware of danger. But the alarm scent (pheromone) it emits
is also perceived by the enemy. Therefore, whatever insect raises the
alarm, also risks its life. 115
Prairie dogs live in large communities comprising as many as a
thousand animals. Their network of burrows is like an underground
village, each burrow housing approximately 30 of them. Each animal
in the group recognizes every other member. Some are always on the
lookout, standing upright on their hind legs atop the little hills of ex-
cavated earth near the entrance of their burrows. If one of the sen-

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