Uniquely You
“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” [Psalm 139:13]
No doubt you’ve heard the American folk song that begins “Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play…” Contrary to these well-known lyrics, North America doesn’t have any antelope – but it does have the pronghorn. Although it is often called an antelope, the pronghorn is its own species, and they are unique in many ways.
If you ever see a pronghorn on the prairie, you can be sure it saw you first. Their exceptional eyes have a 320-degree field of vision and can pick up movement up to three miles away. Another defense mechanism is its speed. It can be argued that it is the fastest land mammal in the world. It can sprint 65 mph and can sustain a speed of 35 mph over rough terrain for miles! The African cheetah, often called the fastest land mammal, can sprint over 70 mph – but only in short spurts. Over a long distance, there is no other land mammal that can match the pronghorn’s speed. In addition, when a herd of pronghorn must run, they do it in an oval shaped formation, similar to a flock of birds. But while the pronghorn is a great runner, it is not a great jumper. When it encounters a fence, it ducks underneath!
Another unique feature of the pronghorn is its horn, which is neither an antler nor a true horn. True horns, like on a goat or cow, are made up of a living bone core surrounded by keratin. They are not shed annually and are often curved, but never branched. Antlers, on the other hand, are made of bone with a velvet coating, and they are shed annually and are branched. The horns of a pronghorn are a bit of both – they are made of bone surrounded by keratin like a true horn, but they are branched like an antler. In addition, the keratin covering is shed annually, which is something no other animal does.
God specializes in unique creations! Each species has its own quirks and oddities – and no person is just like another. God told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you… I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). Can you imagine God carefully shaping each of us in our mother’s womb, giving each of us our own unique traits? Truly, we are His amazing creations!
