Nature

Nature Nugget – Bumblebee Social Order

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Social bees live in colonies and consist of three castes: the queen who produces the eggs, thousands of workers (sexually undeveloped females), and a few hundred drones (fertile males). There are three groups of social bees: the honeybees, stingless bees, and bumblebees. Found mainly in temperate climates, there are around 300 species of bumblebees worldwide.

Like all social bees, bumblebees are important as pollinators, because they visit flowers to feed on nectar and to gather pollen to feed their young. They make and store honey in a “honey pot” in their nests, which are constructed from wax, secreted from glands in the bees abdomens. The amount of honey bumblebees store in their nests is very small compared to honeybees; therefore, they were never domesticated by man.

Young fertilized queens are the only members of the bumblebee colony that survive the winter. In the spring, they emerge from hibernation and search for a location to start a colony. They usually choose an abandoned mouse or chipmunk nest or other underground cavity. The young queen then builds a small nest with brood cells from wax and stores nectar and pollen which she gathers from nearby flowers. She then lays a few eggs and feeds the hatched larvae from her stored food supply. Once the workers emerge, they take over the duties of the colony while the queen concentrates on egg laying.

The queen secretes a pheromone (chemical substance) that permeates the nest and represses sexual development in the workers by suppressing the glands that would otherwise lead to their ovaries developing. In late summer or early fall, the queen stops producing this pheromone in order that some of her eggs will develop into new queens. No longer restrained by the pheromone, some of the workers start egg-laying. The eggs are not fertile, but will develop into drones. The queen tries to destroy these eggs by eating them, because they are in competition with her own drone eggs. The egg-laying workers are angered by this act, and the social order of the colony collapses; anarchy reigns. The aging queen loses her social dominance and is killed by the workers. The young queens soon leave the nest and mate with the drones. Then they hibernate in seclusion and start the process over again the following spring.

Just as the queen bumblebee uses a pheromone to maintain the peace and social order in her colony, so we as Christians are to use prayer to maintain peace, order, and unity among ourselves. “The time has come for a thorough reformation to take place. When this reformation begins, the spirit of prayer will actuate every believer and will banish from the church the spirit of discord and strife. Those who have not been living in Christian fellowship will draw close to one another. One member working in right lines will lead other members to unite with him in making intercession for the revelation of the Holy Spirit. There will be no confusion, because all will be in harmony with the mind of the Spirit. The barriers separating believer from believer will be broken down, and God’s servants will speak the same things.” Ye Shall Receive Power, 285. “Prayer is a heaven-ordained means of success. Appeals, petitions, entreaties, between man and man, move men, and act as a part in controlling the affairs of nations. But prayer moves heaven. That power alone that comes in answer to prayer will make men wise in the wisdom of heaven, and enable them to work in the unity of the Spirit, joined together by the bonds of peace.” Sons and Daughters of God, 335.

David Arbour writes from his home in De Queen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Nature Nugget – Eclipses

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The Moon has no light of its own, but reflects light from the Sun. Eclipses occur when the Moon moves into a position of direct alignment with the Sun and Earth. There are two basic types of eclipses: lunar and solar. A lunar eclipse can only occur when the Moon is full and the Sun and Moon are on opposite sides of the Earth. The Moon passing through some portion of the Earth’s shadow causes the eclipse. The Earth’s shadow is composed of two cone-shaped components, one inside the other. The outer or penumbral shadow is a zone where the Earth blocks part but not all of the Sun’s rays from reaching the Moon. The inner or umbral shadow is a region where the Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon. There are two main types of lunar eclipses. Partial lunar eclipses occur when a portion of the Moon passes through Earth’s umbral shadow. Total lunar eclipses occur when the entire moon passes through Earth’s umbral shadow. Both these types of lunar eclipses are easily seen with the naked eye.

Solar eclipses occur when the New Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun causing a shadow to fall on the Earth. Like the Earth’s shadow during a lunar eclipse, the Moon’s shadow during a solar eclipse also has umbral and penumbral zones. And like the lunar eclipses, there are partial and total solar eclipses, depending on what part of the Moon’s shadow a particular part of the Earth passes through. During a solar eclipse, the Moon’s umbra shadow on the Earth creates a “path of totality” up to 200 miles wide that traces across the surface of the Earth. Within this zone daytime turns into an eerie darkness. Outside this zone, in the Moon’s penumbral shadow, some portion of the Sun’s bright disk remains visible. Solar eclipses are rare and are usually a once-in-a-lifetime event.

As the Moon reflects the Sun’s light to the Earth which is covered in darkness, so we as Christians are to reflect light from the Son of God to this dark, sinful world. We are not to let Satan get in the way and eclipse the light we receive and reflect from the Son to the world. “Satan’s work is to lead men to ignore God, to so engross and absorb the mind that God will not be in their thoughts. The education they have received has been of a character to confuse the mind and eclipse the true light. Satan does not wish the people to have a knowledge of God; and if he can set in operation games and theatrical performances that will so confuse the senses of the young that human beings will perish in darkness while light shines all about them, he is well pleased.” The Adventist Home, 401. “Satan is ever on the alert to deceive and mislead. He is using every enchantment to allure men into the broad road of disobedience. He is working to confuse the senses with erroneous sentiments, and remove the landmarks by placing his false inscription on the signposts which God has established to point the right way. It is because these evil agencies are striving to eclipse every ray of light from the soul that heavenly beings are appointed to do their work of ministry, to guide, guard, and control those who shall be heirs of salvation. None need despair because of the inherited tendencies to evil, but when the Spirit of God convicts of sin, the wrongdoer must repent and confess and forsake the evil. Faithful sentinels are on guard to direct souls in right paths.” Our High Calling, 92.

David Arbour writes from his home in De Queen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Nature Nugget – The Water Cycle

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There are an estimated 326 million trillion gallons of water on the Earth. The Earth is covered with 70 percent water, 98 percent of which is salty. Only a small portion of the Earth’s water is fresh, and 1.6 percent of that is locked up in the polar ice caps and glaciers. Another 0.36 percent of the water is found underground in aquifers and wells. Only about 0.036 percent of the planet’s total freshwater supply is found in lakes, rivers, and streams. The rest of the planet’s freshwater is floating in the air as clouds and water vapor, locked up in the tissues of plants and animals, and sitting on shelves in stores as bottled water and other beverages.

The Earth’s water is always in circulation in a rapid recycling process called the water cycle. This cycle describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. In the cycle, water can change from liquid, vapor, or ice at various periods. The process starts when the Sun’s heat warms the Earth’s surface waters causing the evaporation of water molecules into the air, changing the water from a liquid to a gas. The rate of evaporation is determined by temperature, humidity, and wind. The oceans supply about 80 percent of the evaporated water that goes into the atmosphere.

Another important source of water entering the atmosphere is through a process called transpiration. Transpiration is the process by which plants release water into the air. The most important sources of transpiration are the great forests of the world, especially the rain forests of the tropics. Transpiration accounts for 10 percent of all evaporating water going into the atmosphere.

As the water evaporates into the atmosphere, it cools and forms clouds. The clouds are groups of tiny water droplets or ice crystals and can come in all shapes and sizes. Water can be carried great distances as clouds, with the help of winds. When conditions are right, the water returns to the Earth in the form of precipitation as either rain, snow, hail, sleet, or freezing rain. After the water returns to the surface of the Earth, it flows into rivers and streams which take it back to the oceans, or it soaks into the ground to water plants and renew underground aquifers. Then the process starts over again. Individual water molecules in an apple you ate yesterday may have fallen as rain halfway around the world last year or may have been frozen in a glacier a thousand years ago.

Without water, life would not exist. Jesus says that He is the source of living water: “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” John 7:37, 38.

“The cry of Christ to the thirsty soul is still going forth, and it appeals to us with even greater power than to those who heard it in the temple on the last day of the feast. The fountain is open for all. The weary and exhausted ones are offered the refreshing draught of eternal life. Jesus is still crying, ‘If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.’ [John 7:37, last part]. ‘Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely’ (Revelation 22:17). ‘Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life’ (John 4:14).” The Desire of Ages, 454.

David Arbour writes from his home in De Queen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Nature Nugget – Resurrection Plants

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In the deserts of southwestern North America lives a plant known as the Resurrection Plant. It belongs to a group of plants known as Lycopods, whose members go by the common names of ground pines and club mosses. Lycopods are small plants that usually grow in moist locations. They lack flowers, fruits, and seeds; reproducing by single-celled spores. Their leaves are not true leaves, but leaf-like extensions of the stem.

The Resurrection Plant is different from other Lycopods in that it grows in dry, arid desert habitats. It has a special adaptation that allows it to live in this harsh environment. When the soil is moist after the infrequent rains that the deserts receive, the Resurrection Plant absorbs water and grows rapidly, producing a flat rosette of scaly stems up to one foot across. As the soil dries, it cannot store water like its succulent neighbors the cacti, so it folds up its stems into a tight ball as it dehydrates and goes into a state of dormancy. The plant can tolerate almost complete water loss in its vegetative tissues. The folded plant has a greatly reduced surface area, which helps conserve what little internal moisture is present. All its metabolic functions are reduced to a bare minimum, and it appears to be dead.

The desiccated plant can remain alive in this dried state for several years. The plant is able to do this because of large amounts of sucrose that it accumulates in its tissues. This sugar has the property of stabilizing enzymes and cellular structures in the absence of water. When the rains return, the plant’s cells rehydrate, the stems unfold, metabolism increases, and growth resumes.

In the eastern United States, there is a species of evergreen fern called the Resurrection Fern. This species is an epiphyte or air plant, and grows on the shaded branches of trees and occasionally on rocks and logs. Like most epiphytes, Resurrection Ferns get their nutrients from the air and from water and nutrients that collect on the surface upon which they are growing. Instead of true roots, they have rhizoids with which they attach themselves to surfaces. The ferns can survive long periods of drought by curling up their leaf fronds with their bottom sides upwards. In this way, they can rehydrate more quickly when rain comes, as water is more easily absorbed through the bottom of the leaves. During dry spells, the ferns appear dessicated, gray-brown, and dead, but when they are watered, they quickly uncurl and reopen, turning a bright green. Experiments have shown that this species can lose up to 97 percent of its internal water and remain alive, although they more typically only lose 76 percent of their water during dry spells.

These resurrection plants are a lesson in nature reminding us of the resurrection of Christ and the soon resurrection of the righteous dead at His second coming. Christ said, “I am the resurrection, and the life.” John 11:25. “At the Saviour’s resurrection a few graves were opened, but at His second coming all the precious dead shall hear His voice, and shall come forth to glorious, immortal life. The same power that raised Christ from the dead will raise His church, and glorify it with Him, above all principalities, above all powers, above every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in the world to come.” The Desire of Ages, 787.

David Arbour writes from his home in De Queen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Nature Nugget – The Tree of Life

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Native to Africa, the Shepherd’s Tree grows in hot, arid and semi-arid regions. It is one of the few trees that will grow on the slopes of sand dunes where the shifting sands constantly expose roots, making survival a struggle for most plants. The Shepherd’s Tree is a stocky evergreen that can grow to a height of over 36 feet (11 meters) but is usually much shorter. It has a dense, round to spreading crown and a distinctly smooth, whitish trunk. The tree has heavily scented, small, star-shaped flowers in clusters that are yellowish-green and fruits that are berry-like. The secret to the Shepherd’s Tree’s survival is its root system which reaches deep into the earth to tap underground water sources. Its taproot can extend to a depth of 223 feet (68 meters) in search of underground water. This is why it is one of the few species of trees that can grow in the Kalahari Desert.

The Shepherd’s Tree is so named because during periods of drought, shepherds cut limbs off this tree to feed their flocks. The tree is often called the Tree of Life, as it offers sustenance to both humans and animals. Herbivores in savannah areas, such as giraffe, gemsbok, and kudu, browse the nutritious leaves. Red hartebeest and porcupines are known to feed on the bark. The fragrant flowers attract a host of pollinators, and the leaves are the larval food of a number of butterflies. The fruits are eaten by birds, primates, foxes, jackals, and elephants.

This tree is a valuable source of shade, especially in the desert areas where trees are rare. Daytime temperatures beneath this tree have been found to be as much as 21 degrees Celsius cooler than that of the surrounding open area. The big cat species of Africa are fond of resting under these trees during the heat of the day, and tree rats and numerous bird species nest in the tree’s shaded boughs. The shaded area under the tree also provides an important microhabitat for a great variety of invertebrate fauna.

The Shepherd’s Tree also has a large range of indigenous uses by man, especially during periods of drought when there is little else to eat. The root is eaten raw, pounded to make porridge, or boiled down into sweet syrup. The fruits are eaten raw, cooked in traditional dishes, or used to make jams. The flower buds are used in place of capers. The tree also has numerous important medicinal uses. For instance, the green fruit is used to treat epilepsy, and a cold fusion of the leaves is used to treat eye inflammations in cattle. The roots are used to make an extract for the treatment of hemorrhoids. The powdered root also has preservative and mold inhibiting qualities and is used by local tribes to preserve milk and butter fat.

One day soon we will have access to the real Tree of Life if we are faithful. “The fruit of the tree of life in the Garden of Eden possessed supernatural virtue. To eat of it was to live forever…

“The redeemed saints, who have loved God and kept His commandments here, will… have right to the tree of life. They will eat freely of it as our first parents did before their fall.” Maranatha, 325.

David Arbour writes from his home in De Queen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Nature Nugget – Moth Deceptions

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Mothmoth deceptions are well known for their abilities to blend into their environment by using camouflage to match tree bark, dead leaves, and lichens. Some even have odd structures on their bodies or distort the shape of their bodies to mimic spines, twigs, and broken stubs on branches. Besides being masters of camouflage, moths use other strategies to keep from falling prey to predators.

Metalmark moths have wing markings that resemble the markings on jumping spiders which prey on them. The moths further the resemblance by behaving like the jumping spiders. They adopt a particular posture with their hind wings fanned out and brought forward, positioned perpendicular to the forewings. Since jumping spiders are very territorial, they back off from the threatening appearing moth. This converse situation, in which the prey mimics its predator, is very rare. Some moths in the tropics have spider designs on their wings to frighten away predators. One species of moth has thick hairy legs and body, and rests with all its legs pointing forward, making it look like the front end of a tarantula. Another moth has the design of a fly on each forewing to divert the pecks of birds away from its body. There are moths that mimic wasps, and some that mimic bird droppings. Many moths have large eyespots on their hind wings which are hidden while resting but when disturbed are flashed into view to startle a would-be predator like a bird into thinking it has disturbed an owl or other dangerous creature.

Even the caterpillars of the moths use deception to survive. Many use camouflage and some mimic bird droppings and twigs. Others mimic predators. Hag moth caterpillars look like hairy spiders complete with false legs. The lobster moth caterpillar mimics an ant and even squirts formic acid from a special gland like an ant. Several moth caterpillars in the tropics mimic snakes by inflating the front end of their bodies into a snake-like head, complete with large imitation snake-like eyes.

Like the moths, Satan is a master of deception. Not only has he deceived billions of people in the past, but his greatest deception is yet to come. “As the second appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ draws near, satanic agencies are moved from beneath. Satan will not only appear as a human being, but he will personate Jesus Christ; and the world who has rejected the truth will receive him as the Lord of lords and King of kings. …

“As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ. The church has long professed to look to the Saviour’s advent as the consummation of her hopes. Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come. In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation. Revelation 1:13–15. The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld. … This is the strong, almost overmastering delusion. …

“But the people of God will not be misled. The teachings of this false christ are not in accordance with the Scriptures.” Maranatha, 276.

David Arbour writes from his home in De Queen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Nature Nugget – Ant Lions

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Ant lions are a worldwide family of insects in the order Neuroptera. The name ant lion is derived from the fierce looks and feeding habits of the larvae. Adults are winged and resemble damselflies, but have long, prominent, apically clubbed antennae and a different wing venation pattern. The larvae are carnivorous, feeding on ants and other insects, while most adults feed on pollen and nectar. The larvae are also called doodlebugs, because of the odd winding, spiraling trails they leave in the loose soil or sand while looking for a good location to build their pitfall traps with which they capture their prey. The ant lion larvae prefer to build their pits in locations that are sheltered from rainfall such as in old barns, under rock ledges, and under big trees. In areas with little rainfall, they will build out in the open.

An average sized larvae digs a funnel-shaped pit two inches deep and three inches wide at the top. When constructing their pit traps, the ant lion larvae marks out the chosen site with a circular groove, then moves backwards using its abdomen as a plough to shovel up the soil. Using one front leg, it places consecutive heaps of loose soil on its head, then with a quick jerk of the head, throws the soil out away from the construction site. Continuing with this procedure, it works its way in a circle toward the center, gradually getting deeper and deeper until the slope angle of the pit reaches the “angle of repose.” The “angle of repose” is the steepest angle the soil or sand walls can maintain without collapsing. When the pit is finished, the ant lion, which is equipped with two enormous, powerful, toothed mandibles (jaws), lays wait, buried at the bottom of the pit with just its mandibles exposed. Any ant or other insect that inadvertently falls into the pit is unable to climb out because of the steep, loose, collapsing walls, and eventually ends up at the bottom of the pit where it is grabbed by the ant lion. The ant lion will even flick soil at an insect trying to climb out of its trap, which undermines the sides of the pit, causing them to collapse, bringing the prey down with them.

Like the ant lion that digs a pit trap and lies in wait, Satan has laid pitfalls for us. “All the way along, Satan has prepared pitfalls for the feet of the unwary. But following our Guide, we may walk with perfect security; for the path is consecrated by his footsteps. It may be steep and rugged, but he has traveled it; his feet have pressed down the thorns to make the way easier for us.” The Youth’s Instructor, May 1, 1902.

“The children of God have reached the most critical part of their pilgrimage; for the nets and pitfalls of the enemy are on every side. And yet with the guidance of the Lord, with that which is plainly revealed in his word, we may walk securely and not stumble. But we shall daily need to seek God, to inquire, ‘Is this the way of the Lord?’ You cannot go on following your own inclination, and at the same time be treading in safe paths. You cannot live to please yourself, but must submit your will to God. But how will you understand what is the will of God unless you study his word with humble and contrite heart? You should be anxious to know, What saith the word of God to me?” Ibid., May 18, 1893.

David Arbour writes from his home in De Queen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Nature Nugget – The American Chestnut

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The American chestnut was one of the most important trees of eastern North America. Reaching heights of up to 150 feet tall with trunks up to 10 feet in diameter, the rapidly growing American chestnut was known as the redwood of the eastern forests. Found east of the Mississippi River from southern Canada to Mississippi, this deciduous hardwood tree was once an important timber tree. Its wood was rich in tannins, which made it highly resistant to decay.

The American chestnut was also a prolific bearer of nuts, with usually three nuts enclosed in each spiny, green burr. These nuts were very important to wildlife, providing much of the fall masts for species such as White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey, and Black Bears. The nuts, known as chestnuts, were also once an important economic resource in the United States and were commonly roasted and sold on the streets of the larger cities during the Christmas season.

The chestnut blight, an airborne bark fungus, was accidentally introduced into North America in the early 1900s on imported Asiatic chestnut trees. The American chestnut was highly susceptible to this rapidly spreading disease, and by 1940, mature trees were virtually extinct. It has been estimated that before the blight, there were three billion chestnut trees in eastern North America and that 25 percent of the trees in the Appalachian Mountains were American chestnuts. Now the surviving number of large chestnut trees within the tree’s former range is estimated to be less than 100.

Despite the devastation caused by the blight, the root collar and root system of the chestnut are fairly resistant to the blight, so a large number of small chestnut trees still persist as shoots from existing root bases. These shoots are seldom able to grow large enough to reproduce, however, before the blight attacks them. Fortunately, a few adult trees are surviving with apparent resistance to the disease. Several organizations are using these trees to breed blight resistant trees for reintroduction to their former range.

“There is a blight upon everything. The earth feels the curse that God pronounced upon it, because of the disobedience of our first parents. They broke the command of God in eating of the forbidden tree, after he had given them the privilege of eating of all the other trees in the garden. They listened to the tempter, ate of the forbidden tree, and were expelled from the beautiful garden of Eden.” The Youth’s Instructor, August 1, 1856.

“When the veil that darkens our vision shall be removed, and our eyes shall behold that world of beauty of which we now catch glimpses through the microscope; when we look on the glories of the heavens, now scanned afar through the telescope; when, the blight of sin removed, the whole earth shall appear in ‘the beauty of the Lord our God’ (Psalm 90:17), what a field will be open to our study! There the student of science may read the records of creation and discern no reminders of the law of evil. He may listen to the music of nature’s voices, and detect no note of wailing or undertone of sorrow. In all created things he may trace one handwriting—in the vast universe behold ‘God’s name writ large,’ and not in earth or sea or sky one sign of ill remaining.” God’s Amazing Grace, 365.

David Arbour writes from his home in De Queen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Nature Nuggett – The Basilisks

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Closely related to the iguanas, the basilisk lizards of the rainforests of Central and South America are never found far from water. Several species, varying in color from bright green to gray and sporting stripes, are commonly found along the shores of lakes, rivers, and streams where they live amongst rocks and in trees. Male basilisks have spectacular crest-like sails on their heads, backs, and tails, which they use to impress females. Basilisks range from 2 to 2.5 feet long when adult and are excellent climbers and swimmers. They can stay submerged under water for up to 30 minutes. Their diet consists of plant material, fruit, insects, and small vertebrates. When disturbed, basilisks run upright on their hind legs using their tails as a counterweight.

The most amazing thing about basilisks is their ability to walk on water for short distances. When disturbed, these lizards flee across the surface of the water as readily as they do across land. On water, an average sized basilisk weighing 80 grams (about 3 ounces) can run at a speed of 5 feet a second for 15 feet or more before sinking and continuing its flight by swimming. Small individuals can travel much further—up to 60 feet—across the surface of the water. The basilisks are able to do this because of their fast limb speed and large hind feet with long fringed toes that allow them to take advantage of the surface tension of the water. The toe fringes are special flaps of skin that open up to increase the surface area of the foot on the water relative to the lizard’s weight. As the foot pushes down into the water, it creates a hole, trapping a pocket of air which holds the lizard up. This motion produces 110 to 225 percent of the force needed to support the lizard’s weight. All this would be lost if the lizard was not fast enough to pull its foot back out of the hole before it refilled with water and created drag.

To be able to walk on water, an averaged sized man would have to run 65 miles an hour and expend 15 times more energy than a human is able to expend. But one man can and did walk on water. “As a fond mother watches the child she has in kindness corrected, so the compassionate Master watched his disciples; and when their hearts were subdued, their unholy ambition quelled, and they humbly prayed for help, it was given them. At the very moment they believed themselves lost, a flash of lightning revealed the figure of a man walking toward them upon the water. An unspeakable terror seized them. The hands that had grasped the oars with muscle like iron, relaxed their hold, and fell powerless by their sides. The boat rocked at the will of the waves, while their eyes were riveted upon this vision of a man stepping firmly upon the white-capped billows.

“They thought it must be a spirit, which omened their immediate destruction. Jesus calmly advanced as though he would pass them, but they recognize his form, and feel that he will not leave them in their distress. They cry out, supplicating his help! The figure turns! It is their beloved Master, whose well-known voice speaks, silencing their fear, ‘Be of good cheer. It is I, be not afraid.’ [Matthew 14:27.] Were ever words so welcome, so reassuring as these! The disciples are speechless with joy. Their apprehensions are gone. The storm is forgotten. They hail Jesus as their Deliverer!” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 2, 268, 269.

David Arbour writes from his home in De Queen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Nature Nugget – Sea Cows

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The Sirenians, also called sea cows, are relatives of the elephants, and are the only totally aquatic herbivorous mammals. Like the elephants, they are long lived with some species living up to 60 years. They inhabit the shallow waters of rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands. Except for one species, they all require warm water environments. Lacking hind limbs, Sirenians have flippers for forelimbs, streamlined, almost hairless bodies, and long, strong tails. Sirenians also have large, fleshy snouts which they use to grab vegetation while feeding. The Sirenians are represented by two families: the manatees and the dugongs.

The dugongs consist of two marine species: the dugong and the extinct Steller’s sea cow. The Steller’s sea cow was a giant, 60-foot-long, cold-water species that lived in the Bering Sea where it traveled in herds and fed on kelp. It was hunted to extinction for its meat and oil during the eighteenth century. The dugong is found over a large area of the tropical Indo-Pacific with its greatest population occurring in the northern waters of Australia. It has a fluked, dolphin-like tail which aids it in swimming in the strong ocean currents. The dugong grows to a length of around 9 feet and can weigh over 600 pounds. Their main diet is sea grasses which they graze off the ocean bottom.

The manatees, unlike the dugongs, have rounded, flat, paddle-shaped tails and are not restricted to marine environments. The manatees currently consist of four species: West African manatee, West Indian manatee, Amazonian Manatee, and the recently discovered dwarf manatee. The Amazonian and dwarf manatees are restricted to the freshwaters of the Amazon Basin of South America. The West African and West Indian manatees are found in both freshwater and marine environments.

The West Indian Manatee can reach lengths of over 13 feet and weigh up to 3,500 pounds, while the dwarf manatee only reaches a length of 4 feet. Manatees feed on a wide variety of aquatic plants including surface floaters such as water hyacinths. They have been known to even crawl part way out of the water to graze on shoreline vegetation. Their teeth are few in number and are known as “marching molars” because they are constantly replaced throughout their lifetime, a necessity due to the abrasive nature of the vegetation upon which they feed. Manatees, as well as their close relatives the dugongs, were frequently mistaken for mermaids and sirens by sailors who had been at sea too long.

Like the weary sailors who mistook the manatees and dugongs for mermaids, we Christians need to be on our guard against making mistakes and misjudging our brethren.

“Human minds and hearts, unless wholly sanctified, purified, and refined from partiality and prejudice, are liable to commit grave errors, to misjudge and deal unkindly and unjustly with souls that are the purchase of the blood of Christ.” The Home Missionary, February 1, 1892. “Jesus could make no mistake; but human judgment is erring, and may be wrong. Men may misjudge motives; they may be deceived by appearances, and when they think they are doing right to reprove wrong, they may go too far, censure too severely, and wound where they wished to heal; or they may exercise sympathy unwisely, and, in their ignorance, counteract reproof that is merited and timely.” The Signs of the Times, March 3, 1887. “Men may make mistakes; they may misjudge and misconceive. Their imaginations and impressions may be faulty. But the Lord never makes a blunder. You are to look to Jesus, who is the author and finisher of your faith.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 20, 75.

David Arbour writes from his home in De Queen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.