Omer 2019 Day 46: Hyrax

Back to Day 45 | Skip to Day 47

Omer 2019 Day 46: Netzach in Malchut, Endurance/Victory in Leadership
Hyrax

Image by Barbara Fraatz from Pixabay

There are certain kinds of mountain goats and musk oxen in which the males battle for females in treacherous terrain. With a somewhat humorous twist, rock hyrax (relatives of elephants and manatees with habitats in Israel and Africa) males will try to bump each other off cliffs with their tushies in competition for females. A hyrax colony consists of one dominant male and many females and their children. When male hyrax are old enough to leave their colonies, they hang out on the outskirts of other colonies until there is an opportunity to take it over. During mating season, the dominant male's testicles grow much larger than normal to indicate his dominance.

The rock hyrax is listed in Proverbs as one of four wise animals:

"Four are among the tiniest on earth, yet they are the wisest of the wise: Ants are a folk without power, yet they prepare food for themselves in summer; The badger [rock hyrax] is a folk without strength, yet it makes its home in the rock; the locusts have no king, yet they all march forth in formation; You can catch the lizard in your hand, yet it is found in royal palaces." Proverbs 30:24-28

So hyrax are funny, wise, able to defend themselves and their colonies from competitors, and, also, they are impressive singers. These sound like great leadership qualities to me!

This year's animal Omer is a collaboration between myself and my friend Halli, a PhD in animal science. Thank you for counting the Omer with us!