The World of Animals (6)

MASKED PANDAS

You have most probably seen this animal that looks like a huge toy. Do you know that these animals eat bamboo and nothing else? An adult panda, for example, eats about 15 kilograms (33 pounds) of bamboo a day. This makes six tons (13,200 pounds) of bamboo a year. For this reason, they eat all day long. They are insatiable, aren't they?

Pandas have a very interesting feature. Now, have a look at your hand. You have five fingers, right? But pandas have six fingers. Our Lord, Who makes everything easy for every living being, has given pandas six fingers and enabled them to grasp their food tightly, so that they can eat easily.

Pandas always live in cold wet places. Because of this, they deliver their babies in cave-like places. Baby pandas are blind and toothless and to us look like little toys. Usually born in September, they are 10 centimetres (4 inches) high and weigh only 142 grams (5 ounces). New-born pandas grow up very fast and are 800 times smaller than their mothers. But after nine months, they weigh 27 kilograms (59 pounds). Remember that a six year old human being only weighs 27 kilograms (59 pounds)!

Pandas are not ferocious animals. They only scratch trees with their paws in order to clean and rasp their nails. To avoid their enemies, they climb trees with their huge bodies. Pandas are very calm animals. While they are asleep, an approaching human being does not bother them. That is, if you encounter a sleeping panda one day, there is no reason not to caress it!

BEARS ARE FOND OF HONEY

Bears, famous for their shaggy coats and eating honey, have a very poor sense of sight and hearing. So, how do they find honey, you will ask? Well, by means of the long noses Allah has given them. Their noses, that is, their keen sense of smell ensures that they find the best honey around.

You probably know that bears have a very awkward appearance. But don't think for a moment that they are slow. Indeed, they can run at 48 kilometres (30 miles) per hour. We also need to mention that they are very strong. With their two to three metres (6.5 to 10 feet) long bodies, some bear species climb the top branches of trees and spend time there. Bears, who usually feed on plants, even climb up to 30 metres (100 feet) high to find food.

Once a bear finds a beehive, it strikes it a few times with its paws, which causes all the bees in the hive to escape. Then they eat the honey with appetite. But you should never try this! Because, bees will sting you all over and make you sick. But, the coat our Lord has given to bears protects them against the bees. So, they can easily reach honey without any trouble.

Bears that hibernate in autumn never leave their secure dens where they lie covered with dry branches and grasses until spring. Before hibernation, they eat a lot, especially cones and chestnuts, so that the fat layer underlying their skin thickens. They have to store fat in their body. That is because before spring they will lose so much weight. If a man lost so much weight, he would die outright. But bears can survive even though they lose so much of their weight.

Delivery is another reason that bears spend time in their caves. Bears usually give birth to three cubs, and they feed them with milk until spring. During that time they never leave their caves. Bear cubs are born blind, toothless and hairless. Once the cubs are out of the cave, the mother bear must protect them. Otherwise, they might be killed by hunters or male bears.

Our Lord, Who is the All-Compassionate and Merciful, meets the needs of all creatures and protects them. Likewise, He has provided cute bear cubs with everything they need to survive and not be hurt. He has secured their protection by means of their strong mothers who never leave them.

GIANT SNOWMEN: POLAR BEARS

If you saw a polar bear, which is one of the biggest animals on earth, you might assume it to be a giant snowman. This giant snowman weighs around 800 kilograms (1763 pounds) and is about two and a half metres (98 inches) long. Put the weight of ten men together and they will weigh a polar bear!

The polar bear has some amazing features which allow it to live at the north pole. Despite the polar climate, glaciers and snowstorms, as a miracle from Allah, a thick layer of fat underlying its skin protects the polar bear from cold. Its fur is thick, dense, long and fluffy. Have you ever thought about why polar bears with such characteristics do not live in the deserts of Africa? Certainly, the answer is that Allah has created him with features suited to the environment in which he lives. Think for a moment! If he were in the desert, he could hardly withstand the hot climate of the desert for a minute.

What makes the polar bear different from all other bears is that it is not very fond of hibernation. Only the female polar bears, especially those pregnant, hibernate for a long period. Allah, "ar-Razzaq, the One Who continuously provides sustenance to all living beings," has made food available for the new-born cub. The milk of polar bears contains a high amount of fat. This fatty milk is what the cubs need most. They grow very fast, thanks to this fatty milk, and get ready to go out of their caves in the spring.

Have you heard that the polar bear is a very good swimmer and diver? That is true! The polar bear is a skilled swimmer and diver. While swimming, it uses its forelegs. That it can use its legs as paddles is something by which Allah has made life easy for him. Apart from this, in water, it can close its nostrils and keep its eyes open, and its webbed feet, similar to those of ducks, make it a good swimmer.

The polar bear lives in the coldest regions of the world such as the North Pole, Northern Canada and Northern Siberia. But the feet of the polar bear never become cold. You could hardly keep your feet or hands on ice for more than a couple of minutes. Surprisingly, however, the polar bear does not even feel this cold since its feet are covered with thick fur. Allah gave it just the right features so that it would not be affected by the cold. If it were covered with skin similar to that of human beings, it would never survive. Moreover, the fatty layer ten centimetres (four inches) thick under its skin provides heat insulation. Therefore, in icy waters, it can swim 2000 kilometres (1242 miles) at a speed of 10 to 11 kilometres (6 to 7 miles) per hour.

Do you know why the colour of polar bears is white or off-white? It is hard to notice the white polar bear among the white snow-covered glaciers and the frozen wastes of the north that extend for thousands of kilometres. Imagine how difficult it would be for it to hide itself if its colour were as black as a crow or as colourful as one of the parrots living in the tropical forests.

Polar bears' sense of smell is so keen that they can readily smell a seal that hides under a layer of snow one and a half metre (59 inches) thick. While hunting, polar bears also employ some tactics. Now, visualise a polar bear with its snow-white fur looking like a snowman. Do you think anyone would notice it if it lays on the snow? If you only considered its white fur, you might have said "yes". But, remember that the polar bear also has a black nose. On white snow, this nose makes perfect camouflage impossible. But the polar bear does something very intelligent and eliminates this problem. It covers its nose with its white forepaws. Totally hidden in the snow, it awaits its prey's approach.

This point deserves particular attention because for a polar bear to employ hunting tactics it must be intelligent. Think for a moment: the polar bear is aware that its white colour is a perfect match for the environment in which it lives. Moreover, it is wise enough to realise that it needs to cover its black nose, the only obstacle to its camouflage. As you can also imagine, it is unlikely that the polar bear would have found this tactic after a few unsuccessful hunting experiences! Bears are inspired by Allah and are taught to act in this way. Because, like all other creatures, they are also under the protection of Allah.