Nature

Nature Nugget – Pelagic Tubenoses

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Tubenoses are a group of marine birds that spend the majority of their lives at sea, only coming to land to nest. Members of this group include the well known albatrosses and the lesser known shearwaters and petrels.

The name tubenose is derived from the presence of tubular nostrils running along the top of their bills. Their kidneys alone cannot filter out all the salt in the diet of these birds, so a pair of glands near the nasal passages in the front of the head helps secrete excess salt that would otherwise poison the system. The duct from each of the salt glands carries the salt solution into the nasal cavity where it is then discharged through the tubular nostrils where it drips off the tip of the bird’s bill. The system works only when excess salts accumulate, such as after feeding or drinking. The ability to drink seawater is a very important adaptation for being a sea bird. So adapted are they to their environment that they require salt water and will die of thirst when only fresh water is available.

Among the few birds with an acute sense of smell, tubenoses are attracted to oily scents from as far away as 30 km (19 miles). Tubenoses prey on marine animals with the larger species feeding on fish and squids and the smaller species on plankton. Most are scavengers and will commonly follow marine mammals, schools of large predatory fish, and even ships, feeding on scraps and refuse generated by their feeding and fishing activities.

Albatrosses and shearwaters have extremely long narrow wings. Their type of flight requires continuous winds. These winds, which do not carry them very high, give them enough lift over the waves to make a long wind-pushed glide until they descend to wave level, where they then turn into the wind and are again lifted like a kite for the next glide. Albatrosses, which have the longest wingspan of any bird, are the greatest gliders and can fly for hours without flapping their wings. The Wandering Albatross is the champion, with a wingspan of up to 12 feet.

Compared to albatrosses, shearwaters appear energetic, rapidly flapping and gliding over the sea, usually close to the surface. Shearwaters get their name because their pointed wings appear to slice the sea as they skim through troughs between ocean waves.

Ornithologists estimate that petrels are probably the most numerous birds in the world. Their flight is very energetic also, with rapid flapping followed by short glides. The Storm-Petrels appear to walk on water, as they tend to have their webbed feet extended downward to the water’s surface while picking small marine organisms from the surface during flight.

Just as the Lord has provided a way for the tubenoses to rid their bodies of the excess salts which would be toxic to them if not eliminated, so has He provided a way for us to rid our lives of sin which is toxic to us. “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. Praise God for the gift of His son!

Nature Nugget – Mimicry

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Mimicry is “the superficial resemblance of one organism to another that secures it a selective advantage.” Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, 1981.

One of the best known examples of mimicry in North America is the Viceroy butterfly. The Viceroy mimics the orange and black coloration of the Monarch butterfly, which is distasteful to predators because it fed on the poisonous milkweed plant as a larva. Other native butterflies, such as the Spicebush Swallowtail and the females of the Tiger and Black Swallowtails mimic the coloration of the Pipevine Swallowtail, which is also distasteful to predators.

One of the most spectacular mimics in the Neotropic rainforest is a sphingid moth larva, which mimics the Parrot Snake. The caterpillar is colored a cryptic green, which resembles a twig until it is disturbed. When disturbed, the caterpillar, in one-motion swings its head end free and inflates its thorax with air, taking on the shape and color pattern of a Parrot Snake’s head complete with large false eyespots. This is usually enough of an effective surprise to shock even the most resolute predator. As if that weren’t enough, the last stage of development of this caterpillar mimics the arboreal Eyelash Viper.

“The Australian Hammer Orchid has taken advantage of a mating ritual of the Thynnid wasp, which involves a female wasp waiting on top of a plant for a male to spot her. The hammer orchid’s flower mimics the female wasp looking upward for a male flying by, complete with a fake shiny head and furry body. The orchid even releases an enticing, female wasp pheromone. When the male wasp tries to mate with the dummy female, he fails, but the orchid succeeds in getting pollen on the wasp. He flies away, only to be fooled again by another orchid. In the process the wasp transfers pollen from flower to flower.” http://www.pbs.org (cited September 2002).

There are many other examples of mimicry in nature. There are flies that mimic bees, spiders and insects that mimic ants, and insects that mimic leaves and twigs. Satan used mimicry in the Garden of Eden by taking the form of a serpent to deceive Eve. He is still using mimicry on us today by his many counterfeits. He has a counterfeit gospel, a counterfeit church, a counterfeit Sabbath, a counterfeit outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and counterfeit revivals and miracles. He has a counterfeit for every part of God’s work. “Satan can present a counterfeit so closely resembling the truth that it deceives those who are willing to be deceived . . . .” The Great Controversy, 528. Only the true student of God’s Word will be able to discern God’s truth from Satan’s counterfeits. “So closely will the counterfeit resemble the true that it will be impossible to distinguish between them except by the Holy Scriptures.” Ibid., 593.

Nature Nugget – Shorebirds Talents

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Shorebirds are a diverse avian group consisting of four families: plovers, avocets and stilts, oystercatchers, and sandpipers. Most North American shorebirds migrate over incredible distances from the arctic, where they breed, to coastal and interior wetland areas in South America, where they winter. Shorebirds need to eat up to one-third their body weight a day. Some can store fat reserves of up to 30 percent of their body’s weight in preparation for migration. Most shorebirds are closely associated with wetland areas where they feed on various shoreline habitats, mudflats, and marshes, in both fresh and saltwater environments.

Shorebirds have an amazing variety of bill shapes and sizes allowing them to feed in various habitats from dry soil to shallow water. Differences in bill length and shape and in leg length allow various species to flock together for protection without seriously competing with each other for food. These differences allow each species to find food at a different depth or location in the substrate. Some pick prey off the surface of the ground; others probe various depths underground, while others prey on aquatic creatures in the water and others on the surface of the water. Some feed at tideline, while others follow the waterline, and others feed in shallow water.

Plovers feed by picking, and have large eyes by which they locate their food. They feed above the waterline on wet to dry ground. Plovers are also known to use a technique called “foot patting” where the bird patters its feet on loose sand or mud, causing its prey to come to the surface. A well-known plover species in North America is the Killdeer, which is commonly found in pastures and farmland.

Oystercatchers have a long, triangular bill that is a cross between a knife and a chisel. They use it to stab into open bivalves, such as mussels and clams, severing the muscles that close the shell, or they smash open the shell if it is closed.

Avocets and Stilts have long legs and can feed in deeper water than most other shorebirds. Avocets have long, thin, upcurved bills, which they use as a scythe, sweeping it back and forth in the water stirring the bottom, and snatching up insects and crustaceans thus exposed.

The Sandpiper family constitutes the largest group of shorebirds. Body size, leg length, and bill size and shape are highly variable from one species to another. Sandpipers vary in size from the tiny 6-inch Least Sandpiper, which probes shallowly with its short bill, to the 23-inch Long-billed Curlew, which uses its long, decurved, forceps-like bill to probe deep into the burrows of marine worms. Two very odd members of this family are the Turnstones and Phalaropes. The Turnstones use their short upturned bills to flip over rocks and debris in search of food. Phalaropes gather their food in an ingenious way. They spin in circles on the surface of the water creating a whirlpool beneath them, which sucks up bottom dwelling insect larvae to the surface, where the Phalarope pick them off with their needle-like beaks.

Just as the Creator has given shorebirds a diversity of bill shapes and sizes and leg lengths, to allow them to exploit a variety of habitats and food sources, so He has provided mankind with a diversity of talents for use in His work. “To every person is committed some peculiar gift or talent which is to be used to advance the Redeemer’s kingdom.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 618. “In the Lord’s plan there is a diversity in the distribution of talents. . . . These talents are not bestowed capriciously, but according to the ability of the recipient.” Counsels on Stewardship, 116. “We must be always on the watch for opportunities to use for God the talents He has given us.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 27.

David Arbour writes from DeQueen, Arkansas.

Nature Nugget – Microevolution, Macroevolution, and Natural Selection

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The theory of Evolution can be divided into two categories: Microevolution and Macroevolution. As with all of Satan’s deceptions, he has mixed truth and error together in order to deceive. Microevolution fits perfectly in the creation model, but Macroevolution is a gross misconception. It is what one generally thinks of when the term Evolution is heard.

Macroevolution is a major change over a long period of time, involving the origin of new types of organisms from previously existing, but different, ancestral types. An example of this theory is the belief that man evolved from apes, and that all life evolved from single-celled organisms over millions of years. This was Satan’s masterpiece to do away with God and His Word. This theory is dangerous, as it places man on the same level with animals and does away with accountability to a creator God for our actions. Some Christians today have accepted this theory in an amalgamated form where they believe that God created the building blocks for life and then left them alone to evolve over millions of years to what it is now.

Microevolution means a small change within a species or group. Change happens, but the descendant is still clearly of the same type as the ancestor. This change might be better called variation or adaptation, but the changes are horizontal in effect, not vertical. In other words, the change does not result in a higher life form. Microevolutionary changes may be due to a number of processes, the most common of which is Natural Selection.

Natural Selection is a term coined by Charles Darwin that supposedly explains how change happens in his theory of Evolution. Because this term is linked with the theory of Evolution, it is often thought ill of by Creationists. In reality, Darwin stole the principle of Natural Selection from creationist writers of his day. It has never been proven to function in the false theory of Macroevolution. In the process of Natural Selection, a trait within the present variety is selected as the best for a given set of conditions. This trait usually gives the organism a survival advantage over others of its kind lacking this trait. In a short period of time, this trait becomes fixed in a local population, resulting in a new subspecies, morph, or race. When this kind of difference in a species occurs, science is quick to declare the result a separate species, even though they are really variations of the original species.

The Creator gave the ability for enormous variety within each created kind to allow for survival in the myriad of habitats and environments that are the result of sin and the flood. But He set natural limits to genetic change so that a population of organisms can vary only so much. “Science is ever discovering new wonders; but she brings from her research nothing that, rightly understood, conflicts with divine revelation.” Education, 128. “The deepest students of science are constrained to recognize in nature the working of infinite power. But to man’s unaided reason, nature’s teaching cannot but be contradictory and disappointing. Only in the light of revelation can it be read aright. ‘Through faith we understand.’ Hebrews 11:3.” Ibid., 134.

David Arbour writes from DeQueen, Arkansas.

Nature Nugget – The Emperor Penguin

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The Emperor Penguin is the largest of the penguins. They reach a height of nearly four feet (over one meter) and can weigh up to 90 pounds (40 kg). Emperor Penguins are the only species of bird that never sets foot on dry land, living exclusively on the Antarctic ice pack and in the surrounding sea. Like all penguins, Emperors are flightless, and use their modified wings as flippers to swim through the water. Emperor Penguins feed on fish, squid, and crustaceans and can dive deeper and remain under water longer than any bird. The average dive is over 700 feet (212 meters) for up to 18 minutes, but a record has been set at 1,700 feet (515 meters) for 22 minutes. When traveling across the ice, they toboggan on their bellies, using their flippers to push themselves along.

During the perpetual darkness of the Antarctic winter, Emperor Penguins gather in large colonies on the pack ice. The female lays a single egg. Soon after laying, she passes the egg to her mate and leaves for the sea to feed.

The male incubates the egg by balancing it on top of his feet and covering it with a thick roll of skin and feathers called the “brood pouch.” The temperature in the brood pouch is a constant 96.8 degrees F (36 degrees C). The incubation period runs through the coldest months of winter when temperatures drop to as low as minus 80 degrees F (27 degrees C) and winds reach velocities of up to 112 miles ( 190 kilometers) per hour. For added warmth and protection, the incubating males will huddle together in huge bunches. They take turns moving to the inside of the group, where they are protected from the icy wind.

Males do not eat during this incubation period, and by the time the females return, two months later, the males will have lost up to half their body weight. Females return to the colony at roughly the same time that the eggs hatch. If the chick hatches before the return of the female with food, the male can actually produce a “milk,” by a gland in his esophagus, to feed the chick for a short period of time.

With the return of the female, the male takes his turn in the sea to fatten up, before coming back to help feed the growing chick. The young chick stays sheltered in its mother’s brood pouch for two months. If a young chick falls out of the safety of this warm spot, it can freeze to death in as little as two minutes. As the chicks get older, the adults leave them in groups while they go fish. By January, as the ice begins to break up, the chicks are finally mature enough to head out independently to the open sea.

What patience and faith it must take for the male Emperor Penguin to stand on the freezing ice pack in the cold, dark, winter for two months, not knowing if his mate will survive to relieve him of his brooding duties. We Christians need such patience and faith to endure times of trial and darkness while waiting on our Lord’s return. “God’s chosen servants should meet with courage and patience the trials and sufferings that befall them through reproach, neglect, and misrepresentation. They should continue to discharge faithfully the work God has given them to do, ever remembering that the prophets of old and the Saviour of mankind and His apostles also endured abuse and persecution for the Word’s sake.” Prophets and Kings, 437.

David Arbour writes from his home in DeQueen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at incadove@ipa.net.

Nature Nugget – Ocean Giants

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Most of the largest animals in the world reside in the oceans. The oceans are nutrient rich, which provides an abundance of food, and the buoyancy of seawater helps support the animal’s massive weight.

The whale shark is one such example. It is the largest fish in the world, reaching a maximum length of around 50 feet and weighing up to 15 tons. Whale sharks cruise slowly at the surface of warm seas, feeding on plankton, krill, small fishes and squids, which they filter out of the water with their sieve-like gill rakers. Their gill rakers are so efficient that they can filter prey as small as one millimeter in diameter! Through their five-foot wide mouths they can filter over 1,500 gallons of water an hour. Whale sharks give live birth to their young, which are about two feet in length. They reach maturity at about 30 years of age and are believed to live well over 100 years.

Manta rays are another large, live-bearing fish species. They have “wingspans” of up to almost 30 feet and can attain weights of up to 3,000 pounds. They swim by flapping their pectoral fins, like a bird flapping its wings, and are capable of making incredible leaps out of the water. Like the whale shark, manta rays live in tropical waters and feed on plankton and small fishes. They have two large, flap-like cephalic lobes extending forward from the eyes, which they use to funnel food into their wide mouths while they swim.

The largest invertebrate in the world also lives in the sea. Found in most of the world’s oceans, the giant squid can attain lengths of up to 60 feet and weigh up to a ton. Sucker marks 18 inches in diameter have been found on the skin of sperm whales and suggest that squid up to 200 feet long could exist. Giant squid live deep in the sea where there is very little light. They have huge eyes the size of a man’s head to help them see. They prey on fish and other squids, which they capture with their sucker-laden tentacles. Giant squid are fast growers and only have a life span of about five years. Sperm whales are the only known enemies of the adult squids.

The blue whale is the largest mammal in the world, weighing as much as thirty elephants. It could easily carry the largest dinosaur on its back. At a maximum length of 118 feet and weighing up to 150 tons, it is the largest creature that has ever lived on the earth. Blue whales feed mainly on krill, which they strain through baleen plates in their mouths. A full-grown whale can consume up to four tons of krill a day. Newborn blue whales are around 23 feet long and can weigh 6,000 to 8,000 pounds. These whales have the richest milk of all mammals, and on this diet, the young whales can gain up to 200 pounds and grow one and a half inches in length per day.

The Lord is looking for “spiritual giants”! Men and women who are strong in moral power and who are qualified to stand as pillars in the cause of God. “The greatest want of the world is the want of men—men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall.” Education, 57.

David Arbour writes from his home in DeQueen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at incadove@ipa.net.

Nature Nugget – Mammalian Aviators

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There are nearly 1,000 species of bats in the world, which amounts to approximately a quarter of all mammal species. They are found everywhere except in the most extreme desert and Polar Regions. Bats are the only mammals that are capable of sustained flight. All bats fit into one of two groups, the Microchiroptera (typical bats) or the Megachiroptera (flying foxes). The flying foxes are named for their fox-like faces and are found only in the Old World tropics.

Bats are highly varied in appearance and size. Some have long, angora-like fur, ranging in color from bright red or yellow to jet-black or white. One species, the naked bat, is furless while others are so brightly patterned that they are known as butterfly bats. Others have enormous ears, or leaf-shaped noses, or intricate facial features, which play a sophisticated role in navigation. The bumblebee (or hog-nosed) bat of Thailand, weighing one-third the weight of a penny, is the world’s smallest mammal. In contrast, some flying foxes have wingspans of up to six feet.

Seventy percent of all bats are insect eaters. A few tropical species feed exclusively on fruit or nectar. Others are carnivorous, feeding on small vertebrates such as fish, frogs, mice, and birds. Vampire bats, of which there are three species, feed exclusively on blood. Bats are beneficial in that they play essential roles in keeping populations of night-flying insects in balance, including mosquitoes. In the tropics, the seed dispersal and pollination activities of fruit- and nectar-eating bats are vital to the survival of rain forests, with some acting as keystone species in the lives of plants crucial to entire ecosystems. For example, only bats pollinate the Baobab tree of African savannahs, which is often referred to as the Tree of Life because it is so important to the survival of numerous wildlife species. In the Old World tropics alone, more than 300 plant species are known to rely on the pollinating and seed dispersal services of bats.

Among the slowest reproducing mammals on earth, bats average only one young per year. But they are long-lived, with some surviving for more than 34 years. Some tropical bats engage in elaborate courtship displays. Male epauleted bats sing and flash large fluffs of white shoulder fur to attract mates. Male crested bats perform a spectacular display by expanding long hairs on top of the head similar to a peacock spreading its tail.

Bats are not blind, and many have excellent vision. Like dolphins, most bats navigate by echolocation, which involves the use of high-frequency sounds. Using sound alone, bats can “see” everything but color. In echolocation a series of short, high-pitched sounds are emitted. These sounds travel out away from the bat and then bounce off objects and surfaces in the bat’s path, creating an echo. The echo returns to the bat giving it a sense about what is in its path. This echolocation system is so accurate that bats can detect insects the size of gnats and objects as fine as a human hair.

Just as the bat’s echolocation shows it what is in its path and guides it safely through the darkness, so the Word of God guides the Christian in the path he should follow in this world of sin and darkness. “Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105. “This book is God’s great director. . . . It flashes its light ahead, that we may see the path by which we are traveling . . . .” My Life Today, 27. “The path where God leads the way may lie through the desert or the sea, but it is a safe path.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 290.

David Arbour writes from his home in DeQueen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at incadove@ipa.net.

Nature Nugget – Sapsucker Wells

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Sapsuckers are small woodpeckers that breed only in North America. There are currently four species recognized: the Yellow-bellied, Red-naped, Red-breasted, and Williamson’s Sapsuckers. The first three species are very closely related and may in actuality be just variations of the same species, since they look similar, have the same calls and habits, and interbreed where their ranges overlap. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is found mostly in eastern North America; the Red-naped Sapsucker is found at low to medium elevations throughout the interior west; the Red-breasted Sapsucker is found along the Pacific coast; and the Williamson’s Sapsucker is found at higher elevations in the mountains throughout the west.

Sapsuckers are cavity nesters and prefer to nest in trees such as aspens and poplars that are infected with heart rot fungus. The fungus makes the heartwood soft, which makes excavating the nest cavity easier. They excavate a new nest cavity every year. Their old cavities provide nesting sites for other species such as swallows, bluebirds, chickadees, and other woodpecker species.

As their name suggests, sapsuckers feed on tree sap, as well as on insects, and even on the cambium (inner bark) of certain trees. Sapsuckers drill vertical and horizontal rows of sap “wells” along the trunks of living trees. Sapsucker wells have been found on more than 275 species of both deciduous and coniferous trees. Each well or hole is about a quarter-inch in diameter and oozes a steady stream of sugary sap. The high sugar content of the sap attracts insects, which become trapped in the sticky sap. When the sapsucker visits the sap wells, it captures (laps) sap and insects with its long bushy tongue. The sapsuckers feed their young with insects dipped into the sap wells, which provides both protein and sugars for the young. This sap accounts for as much as 20 percent of the young sapsuckers’ diet.

Sapsuckers are a “keystone” species, meaning that large portions of certain ecosystems are dependent on them for survival. Not only are numerous species of birds dependent on their old cavities for nesting sites, but whole communities of other organisms use the sap wells for food, including wasps, hornets, butterflies, warblers, chipmunks, and squirrels. Other species such as flycatchers, robins, and vireos feed on the swarms of insects attracted to the sap. Thirty-five species of birds have been reported to visit sapsucker wells to feed on the nutrient-rich sap and/or the insects attracted there. Early returning hummingbirds in the spring are often dependent on sapsucker wells until the flowers start blooming.

As the sapsucker is dependent on the sapsucker wells for its survival, so should we depend on Christ and His Word for our survival. “But 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 words of God are the wellsprings of life. As you seek unto those living springs you will, through the Holy Spirit, be brought into communion with Christ.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 20. And as the sapsucker wells overflow and feed a wide variety of other creatures, so should we let God’s Word overflow from our lives to feed others. “He has intrusted you with sacred truth; Christ abiding in the individual members of the church is a well of water springing up into everlasting life. You are guilty before God if you do not make every effort possible to dispense this living water to others.” Christian Service, 12.

David Arbour writes from his home in DeQueen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at incadove@ipa.net.

Nature Nugget – Troglomorphic Fishes

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There are 81 known species of subterranean fishes in the world. Some travel back and forth between the darkness underground and the light above, but many spend their entire lives in the pitch-blackness of subterranean rivers, streams, lakes, and springs. These are the troglomorphic species, and they have adapted to this harsh environment by the loss of their eyes and the development of numerous large sensory papillae on various parts of their bodies. These sensory papillae are sensitive to vibrations and touch and compensate for their lack of sight, permitting them to carry on life functions, such as finding food and avoiding predators, in total darkness. They also lack pigment in the skin and look pinkish because of blood vessels showing through their translucent skin.

There are two groups of troglomorphic fishes in the United States, the cavefishes of the family Amblyopsidae and the blindcats of the family Ictaluridae. The cavefishes are less than five inches in length and are found in the eastern United States. They have a large branchial cavity, which allows them to carry and incubate their eggs in the gill chamber. Because the cave systems they live in are energy poor, cavefishes eat infrequently and conserve energy by having slow metabolisms and remaining motionless most of the time. They are slow-growing and long-lived. Cavefishes feed on copepods, isopods, amphipods, crayfish, small salamanders, and even their own young.

The Alabama Cavefish is found only in Key Cave in Lauderdale County, Alabama. Its total known population is numbered at less than 100, making it one of the most endangered fishes in the world. In contrast, the Southern Cavefish is uncommonly found in caves over a fairly large area involving seven states. The two remaining troglomorphic species in this family are the Ozark Cavefish of the Springfield Plateau and the Northern Cavefish of south-central Indiana and central Kentucky. Both are considered rare, with the Ozark Cavefish being classified as a threatened species.

The blindcats consist of four species, of which two occur in the United States. These are known from five artesian wells penetrating the San Antonio Pool of the Edward’s Aquifer in and near San Antonio, Texas. They have been found to occur together in three of these wells. Both species are abundant in their habitat and occur in these subterranean waters at depths of 900–2,000 feet. The Toothless Blindcat, at four inches, feeds on fungal growths and detritus, while the Widemouth Blindcat, at five inches, is an opportunistic predator, feeding on shrimp, amphipods, and isopods.

Just as these subterranean fishes have lost their eyesight from living in total darkness, so the Christian is in danger of losing his spiritual eyesight by living in the darkness of sin. “In following the path of Satan’s choosing, we are encompassed by the shadows of evil, and every step leads into deeper darkness and increases the blindness of the heart. The same law obtains in the spiritual as in the natural world. He who abides in darkness will at last lose the power of vision. He is shut in by a deeper than midnight blackness; and to him the brightest noontide can bring no light. He ‘walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.’ 1 John 2:11.

“Through persistently cherishing evil, willfully disregarding the pleadings of divine love, the sinner loses the love for good, the desire for God, the very capacity to receive the light of heaven. The invitation of mercy is still full of love, the light is shining as brightly as when it first dawned upon his soul; but the voice falls on deaf ears, the light on blinded eyes.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 92.

David Arbour writes from his home in DeQueen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at incadove@ipa.net.

Nature Nugget – Dragons

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Found on a few small islands in the Indonesian archipelago, the world’s largest lizard, the Komodo Dragon, reigns as top predator in its world. Reaching 10 feet in length and capable of weighing well over 300 pounds, the Komodo Dragon is a member of the monitor lizard family. Local names for the giant lizard include buaja darat meaning land crocodile and Ora meaning mouth. No doubt these names originated from the ferocious appetite and predatory nature of this reptile. Able to consume up to 80 percent of its own body weight in a single meal, Komodo Dragons are carnivores and feed mostly on carrion but are quite able to make their own kills. Although they can run briefly at speeds of up to 12 mph, they prefer to hunt by ambushing with stealth and power and are capable of taking large prey such as wild boar, deer, goats, water buffalo, and occasionally humans.

The Komodo Dragon’s teeth are its most dangerous weapon. Besides being large, curved, and serrated, they contain large numbers of bacteria, which are harbored in the teeth’s serrations due to meat residues from previous meals. Some fifty different bacterial strains, of which at least seven are known to be highly septic, have been found in their saliva. Any bite from one of these dragons is fatal and will kill the victim within a few days. Komodo Dragons are immune to each other’s bite, which is of great interest to the scientific community.

Komodo Dragons have fairly good sight and hearing, but their sense of smell is their primary food detector. They smell by the use of their long, yellow, forked tongues with which they gather airborne molecules and touch them to the roof of their mouths where there are special organs called Jacobson’s Organs that act as chemical analyzers. This system, along with an undulatory walk in which the head swings from side to side, helps the dragon sense the existence and direction of odoriferous carrion from as far away as 2.5 miles when the wind is right.

Males maintain and defend a territory and patrol up to 1.2 miles per day. Territories are dependent on the size of the animal. Feeding territories extend further and are often shared with other males. Komodo Dragons are generally solitary except during the breeding season and when feeding at carcasses. Females lay 20 to 40 eggs in the ground, and the young hatch in about 8 months. The young are 15 inches at hatching and spend the first year of their life living in the trees feeding on insects. The average life span for a Komodo Dragon is around 20 years. The Komodo Dragon is listed as an endangered species, as the total world population is around 5,000 with only 350 of them being breeding age females.

There is another dragon in this world besides the Komodo Dragon, and the Bible warns us about him: “The great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:9, 17.