Many people don’t know this, but it’s
As clear as clear can be:
The whale was once a land mammal
That made its way back to the sea.

We all came from the sea, of course,
And crawled onto the sand.
Later some mammals perhaps became
Tired of living on land.

Fifty million years ago
Is when those mammals decided
To spend a lot more time in the water
For something that it provided.

Their descendants became aquatic--
Fully so. We know
All of this because of what
The fossil records show.

The features they needed for sea adaptation
Were not new and bold ones.
All that they required were
Modifications of old ones.

Their bodies adapted; they grew in size.
Seas and oceans, make way!
After millions and millions of years,
We have the whale of today.

(Whales and hippos are very close cousins.
Although it’s not as big,
The hippo's more closely related to
The whale than it is to a pig.)

The whale has tiny hindlimb and pelvic
Bones embedded in tissue.
It is as though its body is saying,
“I don’t need or miss you.”

But what is the largest mammal on Earth?
The blue whale is by far.
How would you like to give birth to a baby
That’s as big as a car?

O mighty king and queen of the ocean--
So worthy of being acclaimed!
So much pain we humans have caused you!
We should be ashamed!

Mighty ones, you have seen
The damage we humans can do,
While all along we should have known
How much we could learn from you.

-by Bob B (3-11-25)