Herbivorus mostly, grazing on grasses
In length, eleven to sixteen feet & five feet tall
Positively huge, may weigh 8,000 pounds
Positioned third among largest land mammals
On land at night to feed, in water during the day
Poachers kill for 20-inch, ivory tusks and meat
On top of head are nostrils, eyes, and small ears
To people’s surprise, cannot swim, must walk
African rivers, lakes, and swamps are their habitat
May turn aggressive, a leading killer of Man
Ungulate, among artiodactyla; related to whales!
Skin secretion has red pigment, don’t ‘sweat blood’
A further collection of poems, many from years in the Middle East, but also the California San Francisco and Central Coast areas (Santa Cruz, Carmel, Big Sur, Berkeley, etc.).