Living Creatures - An Introduction

According to estimates by United Nations, the current world population is 7.9 billion human beings (as of February 2022). In addition, we humans share our amazing planet Earth with as many as 8.7 million forms of life big and small. It appears that scientists have only managed to document 14% of all living species! The remaining 86% of the species that are estimated to exist have yet to be discovered. Another very interesting fact is that several species are getting extinct and as the rate of extinction keeps increasing, thousands of living species will never be documented. This just goes to prove that the divine power has created a universe which will continue to marvel the human mind beyond its limits. Our journey to learning about the beautiful, wondrous world we live in will never end.

In this mysterious world, every living creature has a mission to fulfill – whether it be to reproduce and ensure the survival of its species or serve other beings by their presence. The number one creature with the shortest life is the Mayfly, who is fortunate to achieve a lifespan of 24 hours – that is one day of human life! Basically, every creature on the planet lives to help ensure the survival of its species by reproducing its own kind!

Of course, in between the shortest and longest life span are many other animals/species. The most commonly owned popular pets in the United Stated are dogs, cats, rabbits, etc. While humans have a friendly, compassionate relationship with the animals they choose to adopt as pets, they often lack that same concern and kindness for other animals and even plants or nature.

The Mayfly’s life can be as short as 30 minutes (depending on the species) and after hatching, they mate, lay eggs and die. In contrast to a Mayfly, some animals have an incredibly long life span that far exceeds even the average human beings. The age champion lives in water. As an example, Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) may live more than 200 years.

According to Ancient Scriptures (Bhagavad Gita), every living being is a soul. Even plants are living beings, so they do have souls. If we understand and accept this, we have to respect God’s entire creation.