I was very pleased with the afterglow of writing "Come SWIM with me." I began thinking and wondering about all sorts of things. I wondered which mammal we humans are most closely related to, share the most DNA with, etc. So I began to research that online. Turns out we are most closely related to the dolphin, rather than the mainstream idea that we are closely related to the ape. We actually have more in common with the dolphin than we do with the ape. So I began to dig a little deeper. Here are some things I thought were very interesting:
Dolphins live in groups and cooperate among each other for activities like getting food and calf raising.
I read that they collectively herd fish to feed on. Then they take turns swimming through the fish to eat until all the dolphins have taken a turn to feed. They take turns. Think about that.
They help each other with their "children." When they give live birth, there are other dolphins nearby to make sure everything goes well. The baby dolphin turns as it is born, just like human babies have to turn to make it through the birth canal.
The dolphins brain is actually larger than the human brain. Both brains have two hemispheres, but the dolphins brain has four lobes compared to the human brain having only three. Think about that.
Unlike some mammals, dolphins have sex for enjoyment (outside of a heat cycle) as well as for reproduction purposes. And they only have sex face-to-face. Apes have sex doggie style and only when they are in heat for reproduction.
So, I would have to agree that our closest mammal relative is the dolphin. Having said that, I will continue my research to learn how dolphins SWIM and live in their world. Maybe there is something we can learn from how they live that we can apply to our lives in this journey to SWIM.
Here's something that might just blow your mind. After I had my second child, Morgan, her father and I were listening to an album he had since he was a young boy. It was an album of whale songs. Morgan was in her crib asleep at the time. We were listening to these whale songs for a while. All of a sudden a new song began and my milk dropped...just...like...that! It was the strangest sensation. I asked which song was playing when it happened. Guess what it was!! The songs of the baby humpback whales singing to their mothers. It made me cry.
So there you go. Call it strange, but it's true. This really happened to me and I've felt compelled to suggest that someone do a study to see if listening to the songs of baby humpback whales might be helpful for new moms as they begin to nurse their babies for the first time.
Told you it might blow your mind.
Aw how sweet! :D
ReplyDelete