Nature

Nature – Honeybees

by

Honeybees are approximately 1½ inches long and have a short life span of approximately six weeks. These bees can be found throughout the world, living in colonies or cities called hives. They can be found in tree hollows, on limbs, under eaves of houses or in man-made containers. Bees have been called the most important insects in the world and have been studied extensively. More than 30,000 books and articles have been written about them and their culture. Their society works mutually for the welfare of the hive and is successful because of the bee’s ability to communicate accurately and work cooperatively and efficiently with each other.

Honeybees are social creatures living in close proximity to each other. Sanitation squads are responsible for keeping the hive clean. After each one of the thousands of cells is cleaned, the squads discard all foreign material and varnish the walls.

To maintain the narrow range of temperature, 90° to 97° F, in which the larvae are nurtured, bees collect and store water. In order to cool the hive, the bees aggressively fan their wings, using the water as a source of evaporative cooling. The area is heated by the bees filling their bodies with excess honey, thus increasing their metabolism and creating excess heat to warm the brood area.

The population of each hive fluctuates between 15,000 and 80,000 and is controlled by nurse bees that “make” a queen bee by feeding her larger amounts of select larvae. The number of eggs she lays determines whether a new queen is established. Thousands of eggs are laid and hatch within three days.  The nurse bees then feed the larvae in the cells for six days making many trips to each cell daily.

Guard bees stationed at the entrance to the hive keep all intruders out. Each hive has a distinct odor, and the guards know immediately from sensors in their antenna if an approaching bee is not of its hive.

Bees work together to make their hexagon shaped honeycomb nursery by consuming large amounts of honey and forming a chain with each bee clinging to the bee above it. This chain remains intact for about 24 hours while wax is formed on their abdomens. The wax is then removed, shaped and molded into the honeycomb, which is the strongest shape, uses the least material, and allows the most room for larva and honey storage. Man, despite his great intellect has not found a stronger structure than the hexagonal shape of the little bee’s honeycomb.

Intricate and accurate communication is vital in the collection of nectar. Scout bees locate nectar and give samples to the other bees. Then the scout does his dance, typically in a figure eight pattern and a “waggle” from the center of his body. The vigor, sound and vibration of the waggle inform the other bees about the nectar and its location. If the bee moves north in its dance, the source is straight toward the sun. If the dance is 45 degrees left of north, the source is 45 degrees left of the sun.

Honeybees are wonderfully complex creatures. Man’s creation shows even more complexity than the honeybee that was spoken into existence. When God formed man, He stooped down and formed him out of the dust of the earth with His own hands and then breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Oh what praise He deserves for His love of His creation. “I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” (Psalm 139:4).

Adapted from the Moody Institute of Science DVD, City of Bees and from Character Sketches, Volume One, Living Lessons on Loyalty.

Nature – Animal Self-Medication

by

Do Wild Animals Heal Themselves?

Growing scientific evidence indicates that animals indeed have knowledge of natural medicines. In fact, they have access to the world’s largest pharmacy: nature itself.

The emerging science of Zoopharmacognosy studies how animals use leaves, roots, seeds and minerals to treat a variety of ailments. Biologists witnessing animals eating foods not part of their usual diet realize the animals are self-medicating with natural remedies.

Researchers who observed a pregnant African elephant for over a year made an interesting discovery. The elephant kept regular dietary habits throughout her long pregnancy, but the routine changed abruptly towards the end of her term. Heavily pregnant, the elephant set off in search of a shrub that grew 17 miles from her usual food source. The elephant chewed and ate the leaves and bark of the bush, then gave birth a few days later. The elephant, it seemed, had sought out this plant specifically to induce her labor. The same plant also happens to be brewed by Kenyan women to make a labor-inducing tea.

Not only do many animals know which plant they require, they also know exactly which part of the plant they should use and how they should ingest it. The Aspilia shrub produces bristly leaves which the chimpanzees in Tanzania carefully fold up, then roll around their mouths before swallowing whole. The prickly leaves ‘scour’ parasitical worms from the chimps’ intestinal lining.

The same chimps also peel the stems and eat the pith of the Vernonia plant (or bitter leaf). In bio-chemical research, Vernonia was found to have anti-parasitic and anti-microbial properties. Both Vernonia and Aspilia have long been used in Tanzanian folk medicine for stomach upsets and fevers.

It is only the sick chimpanzees that eat the plants. The chimps often grimace as they chew the Vernonia pith, indicating that they are not doing this for fun; healthy animals would find the bitter taste unpalatable.

Wild animals won’t seek out a remedy unless they need it. Scientists studying baboons at the Awash Falls in Ethiopia noted that although the tree Balanites aegyptiaca (Desert date) grew all around the falls, only the baboons living below the falls ate the tree’s fruit. These baboons were exposed to a parasitic worm found in water-snails. Balanites fruit is known to repel the snails. Baboons living above the falls were not in contact with the water-snails and therefore had no need of the medicinal fruit.

Many animals eat minerals like clay or charcoal for their curative properties. Colobus monkeys on the island of Zanzibar have been observed stealing and eating charcoal from human bonfires. The charcoal counteracts toxic phenols produced by the mango and almond leaves which make up their diet.

Some species of South American parrot and macaw are known to eat soil with a high kaolin content. The parrots’ diet contains toxins because of the fruit seeds they eat. The kaolin clay absorbs the toxins and carries them out of the birds’ digestive systems, leaving the parrots unharmed by the poisons. Kaolin has been used for centuries in many cultures as a remedy for human gastrointestinal upset.

Particularly among primates, medicinal skills appear to be taught and learned. Adult females are often seen batting their infant’s hand from a particular leaf or stem as if to say “No, not that one.” Excerpts from www.natural-wonder-pets.com/do-wild-animals-heal-themselves.html

“All the creatures of the woods and hills are a part of His [God’s] great household. He opens His hand and satisfies ‘the desire of every living thing’ (Psalm 145:16).” Child Guidance, 59.

Nature – Greyfriars Bobby

by

In 1850 a gardener called John Gray, together with his wife Jess and son John, arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland. Unable to find work as a gardener, he obtained employment in the Edinburgh Police Force as a night watchman.

To keep him company through the long winter nights John took on a partner, a diminutive Skye Terrier, his ‘watchdog’ called Bobby. Together John and Bobby became a familiar sight walking through the old cobbled streets of Edinburgh. Through the years, winter and summer, John and his faithful little friend were inseparable.

The years on the streets took its toll on John, and he contracted tuberculosis. Eventually he died of the disease on the 15th February 1858 and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, Scottish for churchyard. Bobby, the little pooch, as faithful as can be, followed his master to the grave site and there he remained, refusing to leave his master’s grave, even in the worst wintry conditions. He was as close as he could get, guarding his master’s grave, come rain or shine, or the cold blast of freezing winters. He could have stayed in his family home with all the comforts a loving family would provide, but he chose his best friend’s place of rest. The local residents were touched by Bobby’s devotion and would offer him food. He would follow William Dow, a local joiner and cabinet maker to the same coffee house that he had frequented with his master, where he was given a meal.

The gardener and keeper of Greyfriars tried on many occasions to evict Bobby from the Kirkyard. In the end he gave up and provided a shelter for Bobby by placing sacking beneath two tablestones at the side of John Gray’s grave.

Bobby’s fame spread throughout Edinburgh. It is reported that almost on a daily basis the crowds would gather at the entrance of the Kirkyard waiting for the one o’clock gun that would signal the appearance of Bobby leaving the grave for his midday meal.

In 1867 a new bylaw was passed that required all dogs to be licensed in the city or they would be destroyed. Sir William Chambers (the Lord Provost of Edinburgh) decided to pay Bobby’s license and presented him with a collar with a brass inscription “Greyfriars Bobby from the Lord Provost 1867 licensed.” This can be seen at the Museum of Edinburgh.

The kind folk of Edinburgh took good care of Bobby, but still he remained loyal to his master. For fourteen years, Bobby kept constant watch and guard over the grave until his own death in 1872.

Baroness Angelia Georgina Burdett-Coutts, President of the Ladies Committee of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), was so deeply moved by his story that she asked the City Council for permission to erect a granite fountain with a statue of Bobby placed on top.

William Brody sculptured the statue from life, and it was unveiled without ceremony in November 1873, opposite Greyfriars Kirkyard. Scotland’s capital city will always remember its most famous and faithful dog.

Dear friends, what a beautiful story of faithfulness. The Bible says that “There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). We know who that friend is: He gave up everything for us, including His life. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Are we making efforts daily to get close to Him? Do we pray, witness, study and truly live for Him?

Bobby’s headstone reads “Greyfriars Bobby – died 14th January 1872 – aged 16 years – Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all”.

Yes friends, let us be loyal and devoted to our Master, to the very end.

Nature – Be Not Afraid

by

Fear is an emotion induced by perceived danger or threat, which causes physiological changes and ultimately behavioral changes. These responses may include fleeing or hiding from perceived traumatic events or freezing—losing all ability to react in any way. An irrational fear is called a phobia.

Has fear ever caused your heart to pound, the blood to drain from your face, and your knees to knock?

Years ago, working night shift on a psychiatric unit, I heard a lady arguing loudly. Entering her room to see if I could be of assistance, she looked at me afraid and said, “He is right behind you, look!” I had no desire to turn around for fear I would witness her tormentor; instead I prayed, “Dear Lord, please remove whatever is troubling her.”

Fear can be paralyzing, altering our perception, causing loss of motor control and also insane thoughts, leading to depression and anxiety. There is so much in this world that fosters insecurity and apprehension that it is hard to know who and what is trustworthy.

If ever the world needed Jesus, it is now. Yet how many seek Him?  How many realize that Jesus is the answer to all our fears?

“For God hath not given us the Spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).

Consider one of God’s little creatures, the grasshopper mouse, which is fearless as can be. This critter lives in one of America’s hottest deserts, the Sonoran Desert, which is home to more venomous creatures than anywhere else in the U.S. This desert is no place for the fearful. With a height of 4.1 inches, what the mouse lacks in stature, it sure makes up for in attitude and courage. Displaying bravery against the odds, as night falls it emerges to track down deadly scorpions. Incredibly, the mouse is immune to the venom, and as it gets stung it shakes off the neurotoxins and converts it into a painkiller. Amazing!

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could brush off every sting we receive and convert it into a pain killer?

Grasshopper mice have an unusual way of staking claim to their territory and warning other creatures of their presence. Standing on their hind legs, they throw back their heads and howl, a mousy howl, at the night’s sky, like a miniature wolf.

If God gives a four-inch mouse the ability to survive in a hostile environment, can He not take care of you?

“But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

“In reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance to our present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what the Lord has wrought, I am filled with astonishment, and with confidence in Christ as leader. We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” Last Day Events, 72.

“And the Lord, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

Stay close to Jesus by prayer, seek Him in His word, tell others of what Jesus has done for you. Your faith will increase, and your fear will disappear.

Nature Nugget – The Eastern Chipmunk

by

The chipmunk’s name—Tamias—means the steward or one who lays up stores. It is an appropriate name for this industrious worker. With remarkable foresight, the animal lays aside provision for times of scarcity. During the days of autumn, the striped bundle of energy labors from dawn until dark, finding and storing nuts away in its winter warehouse underground.

Beginning in early spring the chipmunk has been diligent about its business. It has outgrown the protection of its mother’s den and is preparing a home of its own. This will mean many days of hard work, but work isn’t a problem for this energetic animal.

It has taken care to choose a location and dig its burrow, making a tunnel two inches in diameter that will reach a depth of five feet. At the greatest depth, the base of the tunnel, the chipmunk constructs its excrement chamber. At a higher level it will dig as many as six additional storage compartments, the contents of which will take all summer to fill, holding as much as a bushel of food.

A short distance from the pantry lies the master bedroom. The chipmunk takes special care to choose the material for its bed and the right day on which to make it. If the day is too wet, the leaves won’t dry. If there is no humidity in the air, they become too brittle and break. The chipmunk prefers oak leaves for its thickness and fragrant smell. First, the stem is bitten off. Then, using its teeth and forelegs, it rolls up the leaves and brings them to the burrow bedroom. The slightly damp leaves make a perfect mattress.

In the steps it takes to ensure the safety of its burrow, the little chipmunk is also methodical and remarkably orderly. When the chipmunk digs its tunnel, it deposits the excess dirt outside the hole. Once the tunnel is complete it digs another entrance, being extremely careful not to leave any tell-tale signs which would betray its location.

Finding an ideal spot among a pile of rocks for its secondary entrance, it disguises the exit and is particular to take the excavated soil a considerable distance away so as not to disclose the whereabouts of the opening. With this completed, it plugs the original entrance, carrying away any evidence of digging. An escape route is then constructed, engineered so meticulously that vegetation all the way up to the edge of the entrance is untouched.

The industrious chipmunk completes its project by late fall and is ready to enjoy a long rest which would confine it to its burrow until early spring. The chipmunk can rest, content that it has made every provision for its safety and comfort in its orderly confines.

Excerpts from Character Sketches, ©1976, Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts, 266–270.

Work, for the night is coming,

Work through the morning hours;

Work while the dew is sparkling,

Work ‘mid springing flowers;

Work when the day grows brighter,

Work in the glowing sun;

Work, for the night is coming,

When man’s work is done.

 

Work, for the night is coming,

Work through the sunny noon;

Fill brightest hours with labor,

Rest comes sure and soon.

Work till the last beam fadeth,

Fadeth to shine no more;

Work, while the night is darkening,

When man’s work is o’er.

“Work, for the Night is Coming,” Anna L. Coghill, 1854.

Nature – Elephant Shrew

by

The world is full of quirky creatures, and the elephant-shrew is a perfect example. These furry, long-nosed animals resemble a mix between miniature antelopes, anteaters, and rodents, says Galen Rathbun of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Even though their name and appearance suggest otherwise, elephant-shrews are more closely related to aardvarks, sea cows, and elephants than they are to shrews.

Checkered elephant shrews are found only in central and southeast Africa, Uganda, southern Tanzania, northern Zaire, northern and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, northern and central Mozambique, northeastern Zambia, and Malawi. Although found in a range of habitats, the checkered elephant shrew is more adapted to areas where water and plentiful supplies of food are available year-round. The thick ground cover of coastal bush forest, as well as highland and lowland forest, provides an ideal habitat.

Elephant shrews are terrestrial and are active during the day. Their ears and eyes are large, and, when alarmed, they run on their toes swiftly along paths that they construct and maintain, sometimes leaping over obstacles. When foraging, they move along the pathways, using their paws and the constantly moving proboscis to turn over leaf litter and soil in search of prey, which consists of small insects (especially ants and termites), other arthropods, and earthworms.

Elephant shrews take their name from their long pointed head and very long, mobile, trunk-like nose. Long, slim legs and characteristic hunchbacked posture give them the appearance of a miniature antelope or perhaps a tiny pig with a long tail. A gland on the underside of the tail produces a strong scent used to mark territories. This musky smell apparently serves as a deterrent against many carnivores.

Unlike many small mammals, the checkered elephant shrew is only active during daylight. It feeds nearly all day, constantly poking its long nose under leaves and forest litter. The mouth is set back and below the nose, but the tongue is extremely long and can be extended beyond the end of the nose. It eats invertebrates like ants, termites, beetles, spiders, millipedes and worms.

www.animalstown.com/animals/e/elephant-shrew/elephant-shrew.php

Nature – Sea Squirts aka Tunicates

by

Tunicates, commonly called sea squirts, are a group of marine animals that spend most of their lives attached to docks, rocks or the undersides of boats. To most people they look like small, colored blobs. It often comes as a surprise to learn that they are actually more closely related to vertebrates like ourselves than to most other invertebrate animals.

Tunicates are part of the phylum Urochordata, closely related to the phylum Chordata that includes all vertebrates. Because of these close ties, many scientists are working hard to learn about their biochemistry, their developmental biology, and their genetic relationship to other invertebrate and vertebrate animals.

A tunicate is built like a barrel. The name, “tunicate” comes from the firm, but flexible body covering, called a tunic. Most tunicates live with the posterior, or lower end of the barrel attached firmly to a fixed object, and have two openings, or siphons, projecting from the other. Tunicates are plankton feeders. They live by drawing seawater through their bodies. Water enters the oral siphon, passes through a sieve-like structure, the branchial basket that traps food particles and oxygen, and is expelled through the atrial siphon.

One clue that tunicates are related to vertebrates is found in the tunicate larva, or tadpole. It even looks like a tiny tadpole, and has a nerve cord down its back, similar to the nerve cord found inside the vertebrae of all vertebrates. The Cerebral Vesicle is equivalent to a vertebrate’s brain. Sensory organs include an eyespot, to detect light, and an otolith, which helps the animal orient to the pull of gravity.

Tunicate tadpoles mature extremely quickly, in a matter of just a few hours. Since the tadpoles do not feed at this stage of their lives, they have no mouths. Their sole job is to find a suitable place to live out their lives as adults. When ready to settle, a sticky secretion helps them attach head first to the spot they have chosen. They then reabsorb all the structures within their tail and recycle them to build new structures needed for their adult way of life.

https://depts.washington.edu/fhlk12/links/StudentProjects/Tun.biology.html

God had a reason for creating these beautiful creatures just as He had a reason for each one of us. As the sole work of the Sea Squirts is to find a suitable place to live out their lives as adults, so our work, or contribution, is to “walk in the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:5) and to “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Nature – Pearls in the Making

by

Pearls have been considered the most valuable and prized gems for thousands of years.

A pearl forms when an “irritant,” usually a parasite enters the mantle of a mollusk—an oyster or mussel. A defense mechanism commences by the production of a fluid, nacre (mother of pearl), which coats the intruder. Nacre, a composite of calcium carbonate and protein, is stronger than concrete. The parasite functions as the nucleus of the pearl and as layer upon layer of nacre continues to be produced, a beautiful pearl is formed.

God’s creation is amazing. He uses a parasite to create a gem!

The value of a natural pearl depends on its size, color, and surface quality. Currently the most expensive are the South Sea pearls which are primarily a white and gold color. The black pearl, also known as the Tahitian pearl, is produced by the black lip oyster. These pearls are gorgeous. Freshwater pearls can take between one to six years to form, and saltwater pearls from five to 20 years. The longer the pearl stays in the shell the larger it gets due to the continuous nacre coating.

The Bible talks about the costly pearl. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it” (Matthew 13:45, 46).

This parable shows that eternal life in Heaven is worth more than anything anyone could possibly have on earth. Earthly treasures are temporary, but those who believe in Jesus Christ would be wise to trade all the pleasures and riches of life on this earth for eternal life with Him in Heaven.

Revelation 21:18–21 describes the New Jerusalem, the home of the redeemed, as amazing to say the least. There are streets of gold with the twelve foundations made of precious stones all glittering and magnificent. “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was one pearl” (verse 21). How can the finite mind comprehend such a large pearl?

Oh, what monetary value man puts on such small gems. When we see the rich and famous with their little bobbles on their fingers and around their necks at such exorbitant cost, we cannot help but think of Heaven, where the precious jewels are construction elements!

Friend, Jesus considers You His jewel: “And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him” (Malachi 3:17).

The trials you encounter in this life are nothing compared to the joys that will await you in the life to come.

One last thought: the next time someone calls you “irritating,” take heart, my friend. You could be a pearl in the making!

Nature – Deep Waters

by

While thousands of climbers have successfully scaled Mount Everest, the highest point on earth, only two people have descended to the planet’s deepest point – the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench. This trench is approximately 200 km east of the Mariana Islands. In 2009, the Mariana Trench was established as a United States National Monument.

If Mount Everest were to be dropped into the Trench, its peak would still be more than a mile underwater. The crushing water pressure on the floor of the trench is more than 8 tons per square inch. This is 1,000 times the pressure felt at sea level or the equivalent of 50 jumbo jets piled on top of a person.

My favorite underwater world is the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland, Australia. It is one of the seven wonders of the natural world with a picture postcard of multicolored fish and coral. When I witness such beauty, I think of what Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

So let us picture the love of Jesus as we look at Ephesians 3:17–19: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”

I love the analogy of our sins being cast into the deep. Micah 7:19 says, “He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”

God took care of the Israelites by using the depth of the sea to divide the water so they could cross on dry land and then swallow Pharoah’s chariots and his army (see Exodus 15:3–5; Nehemiah 9:11).

The Red Sea has a maximum dept of 9,970 feet in the Central Suakin Trough and an average dept of 1,608 feet. Can you imagine walking on dry land through the sea with a wall of water on either side?

Here are a couple more verses of hope:

“Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; Thy judgments are a great deep: Oh Lord, Thou preservest man and beast” (Psalm 36:6).

The psalmist says, “Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me” (Psalm 69:14,15).

We are living in troublous times, but we do know how God led His people in the past and saved them from their enemies. Amazing events are ahead!

“I dwell with pleasure upon the resurrection of the just, who shall come forth from all the parts of the earth, from rocky caverns, from dungeons, from caves of the earth, from the waters of the deep. Not one is overlooked. Every one shall hear His voice. They will come forth with triumph and victory.” Letter 113, 1886.

Wonderful words of comfort. Dear Lord, please make us ready.

Nature – Pelorus Jack

by

Pelorus Jack was a dolphin famous for meeting and escorting ships through a stretch of water in Cook Strait, New Zealand, between 1888 and 1912. Pelorus Jack was usually spotted in Admiralty Bay between Cape Francis and Collinet Point, near French Pass, a notoriously dangerous channel used by ships travelling between Wellington in the North Island and Nelson in the South Island.

Pelorus Jack was approximately 13 feet (4 m) long and was of a white color with grey lines or shadings, and a round, white head. Although its sex was never determined, it was identified from photographs as a Risso’s dolphin, Grampus griseus. This is an uncommon species in New Zealand waters, and only 12 Risso’s dolphins have been reported in that area.

Pelorus Jack guided the ships by swimming alongside a watercraft for 20 minutes at a time. If the crew could not see Jack at first, they often waited for him to appear.

Pelorus Jack was first seen around 1888 when the dolphin appeared in front of the schooner Brindle when the ship approached French Pass, a channel located between D’Urville Island and the South Island. When the members of the crew saw the dolphin bobbing up and down in front of the ship, they wanted to kill him, but the captain’s wife talked them out of it. To their amazement, the dolphin then proceeded to guide the ship through the narrow channel. And for years thereafter, he safely guided almost every ship that came by. With rocks and strong currents, the area is dangerous to ships, but no shipwrecks occurred when Jack was present.

Many sailors and travellers saw Pelorus Jack, and he was mentioned in local newspapers and depicted in postcards.

In 1904, someone aboard the SS Penguin tried to shoot Pelorus Jack with a rifle. Despite the attempt on his life, Pelorus Jack continued to help ships. According to folklore, however, he no longer helped the Penguin, which shipwrecked in Cook Strait in 1909.

Jack was last seen in April 1912. There were various rumours connected to his disappearance, including fears that foreign whalers might have harpooned him. However, research suggests that Pelorus Jack was an old animal; his head was white and his body pale, both indications of age, so it is likely that he died of natural causes.

Following the shooting incident, a law was proposed to protect Pelorus Jack. He became protected by Order in Council under the Sea Fisheries Act on 26 September 1904. Pelorus Jack remained protected by that law until his disappearance in 1912. It is believed that he was the first individual sea creature protected by law in any country.

An Encyclopedia of New Zealand (1966), edited by A. H. McLintock.

“We are not merely to tell the child[ren] about these creatures of God’s. The animals themselves are to be his teachers.” Child Guidance, 58, 59.

If God can use a dolphin to guide ships through troublous waters, He is able also to guide all who put their trust in Him through any rough experience.

“Balaam owed his life to the poor animal he had treated so cruelly. The man who claimed to be a prophet of the Lord was so blinded by covetousness and ambition that he could not discern the angel of God visible to his beast. …

“Few realize as they should the sinfulness of abusing animals or leaving them to suffer from neglect. The animals were created to serve man.” From Eternity Past, 313.