Life Lessons from the Crocodile Hunter
I'm not an avid nature enthusiast, but I always cherish opportunities to get closer to God's…
It's hard to believe, looking at its picture, but a seahorse has much more than the shape of its head to make it unique! Each of these creature (whose size varies between just over half an inch to 14 inches long) are the only fish that can swim upright! (Not even the pipefish, their closest relative in the Syngnathidae family, can do that!) And you know how your fingerprint is special, so that your identity can never be stolen? Did you know the Designer of the seahorse gives each seahorse a not-by-accident unique coronet on its head—never duplicated—yet only about five newborn seahorses in every thousand survive after birth? So WHY would He still give each its own unique ID? It's as though the Creator has tireless, limitless, creative ideas and just looks for ways to express Himself. Perhaps we should just pause and ponder what kind of mind our Creator God has!
There are six kinds of spoonbills, but the only kind you'll find in the Western Hemisphere (where we live) is by far the most colorful. It's the roseate spoonbill, a long-legged bird with red legs, black knees and feet, who sports orange tail feathers with pink edging, a white back, a pink breast and pink wings with deep red trim from time to time. The wing color depends on whether they've just had a meal that included a lot of shrimp—or perhaps they're ready to breed. If that's the case you'll also see their bald heads take on a greenish tone! Now all these special colors that make these 30" tall birds really look exotic might make you think you're seeing a flamingo—but keep looking.
It is normal for a marine animal to have a layer of fat to protect it from cold ocean water. Normal—except for the sea otter! Did God forget something in their design? Not at all. In fact, the sea otter has something beyond what any other animal has. Not by accident the Divine Designer gave the sea otter unbelievably thick fur! Researchers have found the sea otter has from a quarter million to one million hairs per square inch covering its body! That thick fur comes in two layers.
Moose are BIG mammals! They start out as 20- to 35-pound newborns—but when just five days old, while nursing and already browsing for solid food, they can outrun humans! By the time they're five months old—still suckling as well as foraging amidst twigs, leaves and aquatic plants—not by accident most have already multiplied their birth weight 10 to 15 times! (A fully grown male will weigh 1000 to 1600 pounds; a mature female 800 to 1300!) World-wide they are the largest members of the deer family and the largest antlered animals in the world! For a few months each winter, not by accident their Designer has given the male moose the ability to shed those antlers which can weigh up to 80 pounds and be six feet across!
The name "Lovebird" is an excellent brief description of colorful, pint-size parrots that make affectionate and happy pets—If they have companionship! (Have you noticed how some humans seem to need companionship more than others?) For the Lovebird—life is to be shared. If you really don't have time to spend with these birds that crave closeness, then don't bring one alone into your life as a pet: get a pair. It's not by accident these birds will be life-long companions! They were created for that bond, and you'll have two happy campers at your house instead of just one!