One odd-looking member of God's creation is the tapir. Its most distinctive feature is a highly flexible proboscis (trunk) that is able to move in all directions. Generally, tapirs stand about three feet high at the shoulder, are about seven feet long, and weigh anywhere from 330 to 700 pounds. Their short fur coats range in color from grayish-black to reddish-brown.

Readers of Acts & Facts know of ICR's long-standing research interest in Mount St. Helens, the volcano in Washington state that erupted on May 18, 1980. Attendees of many ICR seminars have likewise been introduced to the fascinating lessons learned there.

A 19th-century poet spoke of "nature red in tooth and claw,"¹ and the sometimes gruesome deaths that became integral to the concept of Darwinian evolution certainly occur. But sometimes animals play. If nature is inexorably locked in a battle for the survival of the fittest, where did frolicking come from?

by Brian Thomas, M.S., & Frank Sherwin, M.A.*