Rat Language More Than Meets the Ear

Norway rat

Psalm 19:1, 3
"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard."

It was once thought that language was a relatively late development in the evolution of man. Language among the lower animals was dismissed as a fantasy. So when the Bible speaks of the whole creation praising God, these same people said that this was just a figurative expression. Now modern science has shown that many creatures do have a language of their own – language which, we point out, can also be used to praise the Creator.

The human ear can detect sounds between 20 and 20,000 vibrations per second. Many creatures that we once thought were silent are busy communicating in sounds well above this range of frequencies, and we just don't hear them. Scientists have cataloged many of the calls of Norway rats who communicate at 70,000 vibrations per second and conclude that they have the richest vocabulary of calls with specific meanings. Young rat pups screech a distress call that reaches the same volume as a jackhammer, yet we are not able to hear it.

There is an advantage for these small rodents having such a high-pitched language. Even though many predators, like cats, can easily hear these frequencies, the loudest call does not travel far enough to give away the location of the nest.

Language is a gift from our Creator; therefore, it is only fitting that the entire creation has language with which to praise Him!

Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

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