The World’s Ugliest Animal – Creation Moment

April 27, 2015 by Lee

Blobfish ©Simon Elgood

Now here is an interesting and “ugly” fish. This was shared by Creation Moments.

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:11 KJV)

Published on Apr 22, 2015

http://www.CreationMoments.com

When this fish is taken out of the water, its face almost looks like a very sad person. In 2013 it was voted the “World’s Ugliest Animal”. What is this creature that was adopted as the mascot of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society? It’s the appropriately named blobfish.
Photos of the ugly blobfish have been making the rounds on the Internet. And yet, even the blobfish has beauty when you consider that it was designed to function perfectly in its environment.

Blobfish inhabit the deep waters off the coasts of Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. If you wanted to see one in its natural habitat, you would have to dive to a depth of between 2,000 and 3,900 feet where the pressure is several dozen times higher than at sea level. The pressure is no problem for the blobfish, though. Its jelly-like body is slightly less dense than water, allowing it to float effortlessly just above the sea floor.
Blobfish don’t have much muscle for swimming, but they don’t need it. They simply swallow edible matter that floats into their mouth. Sadly, they are an endangered species because of fishing trawlers dragging their nets on the seafloor.

Yes, the blobfish is far from attractive. But it serves as a reminder that sinful human beings are unattractive in the sight of God. And yet, while we were still sinners, God sent His Son to die for us and to exchange His righteousness for our sins, making us acceptable in God’s sight. What a Savior!
Prayer:

Father, thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to reveal the ugliness brought about by sin. Thank You also for sending Your Son to remove my sin and make me righteous in Your sight. Amen.

Plus

Woodpecker With A Weasel On It’s Back

March 7, 2015 by Lee

Green Woodpecker with Weasel On It’s Back ©Martin Le-May

You have to see this:

Amateur photographer Martin Le-May, from Essex, has recorded the extraordinary image of a weasel riding on the back of a green woodpecker as it flies through the air.

http://focusingonwildlife.com/news/weasel-photographed-riding-on-a-woodpeckers-back/

Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” (Luke 19:2-5 NKJV)

Maybe the Weasel, like Zacchaeus, thought Jesus was going to come by and he wanted to get a better look.
*
Picadae – Woodpeckers

Wordless Birds

“Horn” Birds

July 23, 2014 by Lee

Hornbill Friarbird (Philemon yorki) by Tom Tarrant

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. (Psalms 18:2 KJV)

The Sunday Inspiration this week was about Hornbills. That put me to wondering what other birds have “Horn” in their name. So, let’s see what is listed in the IOC’s List of Birds, which is what this blog uses:

The first thing I found is a Hornbill Friarbird (Philemon yorki), formerly (Philemon buceroides yorki), is one of the newer splits. It was a subspecies of the Helmeted Friarbird (Philemon buceroides). In fact, Wikipedia doesn’t even cover it yet, but others do.

Call from xeno-canto by Marc Anderson

Next I sorted my IOC List of names alphabetically by first name of birds. Here is what I found:

Hornby’s Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma hornbyi)
Horned Coot (Fulica cornuta)
Horned Curassow (Pauxi unicornis)
Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)
Horned Guan (Oreophasis derbianus)
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)
Horned Parakeet (Eunymphicus cornutus)
Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata)
Horned Screamer (Anhima cornuta)
Horned Sungem (Heliactin bilophus)

I know there is a Great Horned Owl, so I guess I need to sort some more.

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
Lesser Horned Owl (Bubo magellanicus)
Scarlet-horned Manakin (Dixiphia cornuta)
Hornby’s Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma hornbyi)
Lesser Hornero (Furnarius minor)
Band-tailed Hornero (Furnarius figulus)
Pale-legged Hornero (Furnarius leucopus)
Pacific Hornero (Furnarius cinnamomeus)
Caribbean Hornero (Furnarius longirostris)
Bay Hornero (FurRufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus)
Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus)
Crested Hornero (Furnarius cristatus)

Trust you don’t mind finding out this information. When we stop being curious, we stagnate. Besides, the Lord has made so many birds out there for us to find, 10,530 at the time, this is a way to discover a few more of them. I found some “Thornbirds”, but will save that for another time. Also, birds do not have horns, but rather tufts of feathers that stick up like horns.

The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. (Proverbs 10:22 KJV)

Also he (Solomon) spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. (1 Kings 4:33 NKJV)

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Birds of the World

Sunday Inspiration – Hornbills

Other Sunday Inspirations

Good News Tracts

Intimidating Duets – ©Creation Moments

July 12, 2014 by Lee

Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca) ©©J.J. Harrison

“… and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low…” Ecclesiastes 12:4b

Precision in communication is highly important. This is especially true of the type of communication called music, whether you are talking about Mozart or magpie-larks.

Only about three percent of bird species are known to sing duets. In a duet, one mate begins singing, and the other mate begins a half second later. Among Australian magpie-larks, pairs that are newly mated usually lack that precision. However, in pairs that have been together for two years, the lag time of the duet usually varies by only a few hundredths of a second.

Researchers also discovered that this precision serves a purpose. Male magpie-larks respond to perceived threats by increasing their singing. When they played the less-precise duets to 12 pairs of other magpie-larks, the males only responded in this way seven times in five minutes. However, the more-precise duets resulted in nine responses in five minutes. In short, other magpie-larks are more intimidated by pairs that sing with precision than by those who do not. This is important in preserving an established couple’s territory from invasion by new couples.

Communication with precision is yet another fingerprint of God on the creation. In Scripture, the ultimate in precise communication, God even points us to the birds as He urges us to recognize His involvement in the creation.

Prayer:

Thank You, Father, for taking care of all Your creation and especially for sending Your Son to save me. Amen.

Notes:
Science News, 6/9/07, p. 357, S. Milius, “Scary Singing.” Photo: Female magpie-lark. Courtesy of J.J. Harrison. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. ©Creation Moments 2014

Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca) by W Kwong

Lee’s Addition:

By them the birds of the heavens have their home; They sing among the branches. (Psalms 104:12 NKJV)

Magpie-larks are members of the Monarchs – Monarchidae Family, which has 99 species in it. There are only two larks in this family:

Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca)
Torrent-lark (Grallina bruijnii) WorldBirds – Photos

Here is a sound recording from xeno-canto of a duet.

Feather Coloration

April 26, 2014 by Lee

Malayan Peacock-Pheasant (Polyplectron malacense) Feathers ©WikiC

Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? (Job 39:13 KJV)

Though you lie down among the sheepfolds, You will be like the wings of a dove covered with silver, And her feathers with yellow gold.” (Psalms 68:13 NKJV)

and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “A great eagle with large wings and long pinions, Full of feathers of various colors, Came to Lebanon And took from the cedar the highest branch. (Ezekiel 17:3 NKJV)

Our Lord Jesus Christ has created an amazing array of colored feathers to clothe our avian friends. Found these intesting facts in the following book:

Feather Colors (by Dr Roger Lederer)

Good ground – American Yellow Warbler (Dendroica aestiva) by J Fenton

“The colors of feathers are produced in two ways: pigment and structure.

Brown, gray, yellow, black, tan, orange, and related colors are caused by pigments in the feathers.”

Red-crested Turaco (Tauraco erythrolophus) Brevard Zoo by Lee

“The turaco family of Africa contains red and green copper pigments found in no other animal. Int other birds, different pigments combined with light refraction produce such colors.”

Australian King Parrot (Alisterus scapularis) Female by Ian

“Bluebird blue, parrot green, white, metallic red, and iridescence are produced by the structure of the feather. To produce blue color, brown granules in the barbs of the feather scatter light–red and yellow wavelengths pass through the granules, while blue is reflected.”

Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides)

“If your find a feather from a blue bird–a bluebird or jay, for example–look at the feather in your hand: it will appear blue. Then hold the feather up to the light and look through it; it will appear brown.”

(From – “Feather Colors”, p.83, The Amazing Bird Facts and Trivia by Dr Roger Lederer)

All About Birds – Color

All About Birds – Feathers and Plumages

Why Are Some Feathers Blue? – Smithsonian

How Do Birds Get Their Color? – 10,000 Birds

Feather – Wikipedia

P.S. There will be no “Sunday Inspiration” this week. I am getting ready to take my computer apart. We will be painting and re-flooring this room. There are articles scheduled for Mon, Wed, and Thur. Should be back up and running by Friday, May 2nd. I will still be able to check “comments” and “likes” via a laptop. Thank you for your support. Lord Bless all of you who visit this site.

Deep-Frozen Squirrel ~ by Creation Moments

April 16, 2014 by Lee

Artic Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus parryii) (eating mushroom) ©WikiC

Deep-Frozen Squirrel ~ from Creation Moments

Then the beasts go into dens, and remain in their places. Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north. By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened. (Job 37:8-10)

Researchers have discovered a species of mammal that can actually survive being frozen for several weeks.

Scientists were amazed to find that the little Arctic ground squirrel can allow its body to drop to 27 degrees F – that’s five degrees below the freezing point of water – for up to two weeks at a time during its unusual Arctic ground squirrel eating a mushroom eight-to ten-month hibernation period. After the two weeks at this very low temperature, the squirrel rouses itself, returns to normal body temperature, takes care of a few bathroom duties, and then returns to a state of nearly frozen hibernation for another two weeks. The squirrel usually comes out of hibernation for its short summer in June. It has only two or three months before the ground freezes again and it returns to hibernation, so the squirrel is very busy eating and mating for two short months. You could say that the Arctic ground squirrel sleeps most of its life away.

Scientists say that the Arctic ground squirrel is the only mammal that is able to allow its body temperature to fall below freezing. If they can find out how the squirrel does it, they believe the same method might be used to preserve transplant organs for longer than a few hours. So once again, scientists expect to learn new medical methods by studying how the Creator does the same thing.

*
Prayer:
Dear Father, Your understanding and wisdom in designing the creation are so great that even those who do not want to recognize You still expect to learn from You. As they do so, make it ever more difficult for them to deny You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Artic Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus parryii) ©Nunavut ©WikiC

Notes:
“Squirrel makes its body subfreezing to hibernate,” Minneapolis Star Tribune, Saturday/July1/1989/8A. Photo: Arctic ground squirrel eating a mushroom. Courtesy of Ianaré Sévi. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. (Used with permission of Creation Moments 2014)

Lee’s Addition:

Arctic Ground Squirrels Are No Stiff – Deseret News

More Interesting Things

Wordless Birds

Interesting Things – The Master Artist

March 25, 2014 by Lee

Deep Sea Fish – Watercress darter – Creation Moments

THE MASTER ARTIST
in
God’s Design

And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:9 KJV)

For example, the Earth could get along with a lot less color. All those beautiful sunsets and sunrises actually serve no purpose, and neither does each one have to be different from every other. Many flowers have Watercress dartercolors that attract their pollinators, but few flowers actually need color for this purpose. But then, flowers in black and white certainly would be dull. There are many beautiful deep-sea fish that don’t need their bright and beautiful colors at all. Some of these fish live so far below the surface of the water that only a small amount of blue light reaches those depths. Where these fish live, everything always looks a very dim blue. Yet, some of these fish have incredibly bright coloration that they and their friends never see.

Here we have to ask the evolutionist what value could it have been for this fish to develop all these bright colors when they can serve no purpose for survival? In Genesis 2:9 we read that when God created the fruit trees for food, He also made them “pleasant to the sight.” They didn’t need to be. Clearly, God does indeed appreciate beauty and has created works that human artists can only try to copy.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, I thank You for all the beauty You have created in the world. I ask that You would help us to gain a better appreciation for it, and find better ways to preserve it. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Notes:
Gary Parker, Ed.D., “Nature’s Challenges to Evolutionary Theory,” Institute of Creation Research, Impact Series, October, 1978, No. 64. Photo: Watercress darter.

Magnificent Hummingbird (Eugenes fulgens) by Judd Patterson

Lee’s Addition:

This article goes along with the many things written here about our beautifully created birds.

I am so thankful that the Lord likes color and beauty. When heaven is described, it usually tells of the various “precious stones, “streets of gold,” and other wonderful sights that we cannot comprehend.

Surely the Creator has given us these brilliantly colored birds, fish, flowers, butterflies, trees in the Fall, and numerous other things, to give us a “glimpse” and “taste” of what heaven will look like, color wise.

Creation Moments – Master Artist

“Nature’s Challenge to Evolutionary Theory” – Institute of Creation Research

Watercress Darter – Wikipedia

More Interesting Things

Panda – Plus

March 24, 2014 by Lee

Shhhh! I’m reviewing…

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. (Proverbs 17:22 KJV)

This Email was called Panda Therapy. Not sure who the therapy was for. Made me put a smile on, so guess that is therapy.

(The captions are very clever, though I modified a few of them.)

Is it any wonder the world has fallen in love with these animals?

Mom?
Can you come and get me down –
now?

You go. I’ll just stay here and rest my head a little bit.

Shhhh! I’m reviewing…

Pardon me but do you have a napkin?

Pandas looking for lost earrings….

Oops!
Slight miscalculation.

On the count of three—Lift!

Mom?
Can you come and get me down –
now?

Kung Fu Panda…bring it on!

It wasn’t me! I didn’t steal this bamboo shoot! It was just sitting here – I promise it!

I’m sure there’s a way out somewhere – I saw an ant go this way yesterday

I’m not coming out.
You’ll have to come in and and get me

I’ll give you 2 seconds to get off me or I’m calling Mom.

I cannot believe that I’m stuck in this tree again.
What is the matter with me?

Dear Martha Stewart…
I have this brown stain on my nice, white, fluffy seat

Does this log make my seat look fat?

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned…

Paparazzi!
Could we have a little privacy please?

Betcha can’t see me…..

Absolutely nothing accomplished.
The perfect day for a panda

Lee’s Addition:

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (Psalms 34:8 KJV)

The Lord created some of the most adorable and neat animals. I realize they are wild and need to be treated that way, but still He placed them here for us to find enjoyment from their antics. I am sure some other neat captions could be made for these photos. Enjoy!

See Other Plus articles:

Shutterfly’s Faces of Nature

March 5, 2014 by Lee

Shutterfly – Penguin – at Faces of Nature

Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” (Jeremiah 1:11 NKJV)

Received an email from one of our readers who wanted to share her site that shows Faces of Nature.

Brown Hooded Longbeak at Faces of Nature

” I am a nature enthusiast and photographer from Langhorne, PA. I take photos of “Faces in Nature” – items that resemble faces which occur naturally in our surroundings – I don’t change or Photoshop – they are as I find them. I have over 100 but lots of birds as it turns out.”

Here is one on the “lighter side.”

Angry Bird at Faces of Nature

If you would like to check out all of Susan’s “Faces of Nature” at Shutterfly: CLICK HERE

I think my favorite is a “White Toucan”

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2 KJV)

Story of Jonah ~ by Mary Margaret

February 24, 2014 by Lee

A friend sent me this link to a young girl telling the story of Jonah. It is amazing and she is doing all from memory. She looks as time as if she is reading, but she isn’t.

Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. (Jonah 1:1-3 KJV)

Interesting Things – Not So Bird-Brained

February 22, 2014 by Lee

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) Sleeping by Lee

NOT SO BIRD-BRAINED ~ by Creation Moments

So God created . . . every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:21)

How do you take a much-needed nap or get a good night’s sleep when you must be alert to danger? Human beings designate people to stay awake and watch for danger when they sleep. Then, they set up warning systems.

Since birds are much more vulnerable to danger, God gave them the ability to do these things on a simple scale, and then He gave them one more amazing gift. Many birds are able to put half of their brain to sleep, while the other half stays awake and alert. The eye that serves the sleeping half even closes, while the eye that serves the waking half of the brain stays alert, searching for danger. After the first sleeping half is nicely rested, it wakes up, and the other half goes to sleep. Of course, these birds can also put both sides of the brain to sleep at the same time, just as we do. Whales, seals and dolphins are among the non-birds that can half-brain sleep as well.

Evidence of the clever design of this half-brain sleep ability can be seen in the fact that where two birds sleep next to each other, each bird will put the half of the brain that faces its partner to sleep. Once that half is rested, they change places, so the other half of their brain can sleep.

When Scripture tells us that God looked at His creation and declared it “good,” God’s standard for good is perfection. His ingenious design, which would allow birds to protect themselves even when sin and death entered the creation, is part of the goodness of God’s creation.

Prayer:
I thank You, Lord, that You made a creation perfect and so beautiful that even in could not completely destroy it. Amen.

Notes:
S. Milius, Half-asleep birds choose which half dozes, Science News, February 6, 1999, v.155, p.86

Interesting Things – Dragonfly

January 7, 2014 by Lee

Here is an interesting video fromYouTube.com – Exploration Films about the Dragonflies. It is very interesting.

Dragonfly by Phil Kwong

Learning from the Dragonfly by Creation Moments

“Scientists studying the dragonfly are learning even more secrets of flight. Our best high-performance aircraft can barely lift themselves off the ground. However, the dragonfly can lift 15 times his own weight into the air.”

The Amazing Mosquito Hawk by Creation Moments

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?
(Job 12:7-9 KJV)

More articles from Creation Moments:

100 Foot Ferns “dragonflies had wingspans of six feet”

The Pre-Flood Atmosphere “dragonflies were the size of hawks”

From Creation Ministries International:

“Dragonflies

Dragonflies are probably the most beautiful of the flying insects. There are about 4,500 different varieties. They begin their life in water, where eggs hatch into rather ugly brown nymphs. The time spent living in water varies from a few weeks to several years, but for all the varieties the day comes when the nymph suddenly has the urge to climb out of the water. It sits for a while at the top of a piece of grass until its skin splits open and out comes a dragonfly! After waiting for its wings to become firm and dry, the dragonfly flies away, its lovely colours glinting in the sunshine.

Although they are very small, dragonflies are wonderfully designed for flying. Their two pairs of wings are very light, but strengthened by a network of tiny veins, which not only carry blood fluid to keep the wings stiff, but also nerves and oxygen. Some dragonflies beat their wings 40 times in one second! Dragonflies are like tiny helicopters—they can even fly backwards! In fact, Igor Sikorsky, who first designed helicopters, for the idea from watching dragonflies.

Dragonfly by QuyTran

Another wonderful thing about dragonflies is their eyes. Each pair of eyes is actually made up of as many as 30,000 separate eyes, each with its own lens! This enables the insect to see what is happening over a wide area, and spot every tiny movement without moving its head.

The supposedly oldest fossil dragonflies are just like dragonflies are now, except that they were much larger—75 centimeters (2.5 feet) from wing-tip to wing-tip! So there is no evidence that they evolved from ancestors without wings. And surely those amazing eyes did not evolve? Dragonflies are another of the many wonders of God’s creation!” From Our World (Answers for Kids.)

Astonishing acrobatics – dragonflies – by Johathan Sarfati

(Updated 4/29/09)

Dragonflies and fighter pilots – what can we learn? by Ken Ham

Originally posted in 2009 – this is a duplicate.

More Interesting Things:

Interesting Things – Dragonflies II

Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus

Birdwatching from a Christian Perspective

Tag Archives: Interesting Things

The World’s Ugliest Animal – Creation Moment

Plus

Woodpecker With A Weasel On It’s Back

“Horn” Birds

Intimidating Duets – ©Creation Moments

Feather Coloration

Feather Colors (by Dr Roger Lederer)

Deep-Frozen Squirrel ~ by Creation Moments

Interesting Things – The Master Artist

THE MASTER ARTIST
in
God’s Design

Panda – Plus

Is it any wonder the world has fallen in love with these animals?

Shutterfly’s Faces of Nature

Story of Jonah ~ by Mary Margaret

Interesting Things – Not So Bird-Brained

Interesting Things – Dragonfly

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THE MASTER ARTIST in God’s Design

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Is it any wonder the world has fallen in love with these animals?

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THE MASTER ARTIST
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God’s Design