Manatees

Manatees

"A mechanical creature, the manatee, at A KEY Encounter, waves very slowly as people pass by. But it appears so real that many persons believe it is alive! 

In real life these playful mammals are usually in no hurry to go anywhere. The only major threat to their well-being is passing too near propellers or having collisions with fast-moving boats. So a slow wave from one of them from the water tank in our Jungle Walk seems natural." Excerpt from July 2006 AKE newsletter.

The Manatee is a mammal that lives/plays usually about 3 to 9 feet below the surface of the water. Its nostrils bring air into its two lungs, and of course they must surface to breathe. Manatees can stay under water for up to 20 minutes at a time! (Normally they surface every 3 to 5 minutes.) But there are times they must go back under water quickly. So it's not by accident that their Creator designed flaps that conveniently close the nostrils of their short, boxy snouts when they go for a dive!

Manatees aren't skinny at all. The average adult male (some 10-12 feet long) weighs 1,000 to 2,000 pounds. If a human male, 6-feet tall, weighed 500 to 1,000 pounds, the extra weight might go around his middle! And that's exactly where you find it in the manatee! But they were created with a round, roly-poly shape. And how they love to play in warm water! They play gently: body-surfing, doing barrel rolls, grabbing each other's flippers, putting their mouths together to nibble and kiss! Of course they must eat as well. And as vegetarians they need at least 100 pounds of grass daily! Their convenient nails on the ends of their two flippers are used to steer as well as in pulling up the sea grass.

Since manatees are not aggressive, there's no need for sharp front teeth! In fact, they have no front teeth at all, but rather have a rough-surfaced palate and lower jaw for food processing, plus large flexible lips to help them grasp their food, much like an elephant uses his trunk. However, the manatee must grind all that sea grass to digest it. So they were designed with flat-surfaced, rough-textured teeth called "marching molars." Their Creator knew that daily grinding would soon wear down the best of teeth, so again it is not by accident that He created them to continually "grow in" new flat molars at the back of the jaw. The new molars then migrate forward in the mouth! When the front grinders become worn down and fall out—they are replaced quickly by molars that have marched forward to take their turn! An awesome, God-created solution to an on-going need!

Our Creator has great ideas to meet needs doesn't He? Even of a manatee! That being the case, we can be sure He enjoys meeting our needs as well!

These crabs were loved enough to be given condition for survival. Would our Creator have done less when He created us?

 "NOT BY ACCIDENT" (c) Juanita Kretschmar is used by permission and was first published in the book "Not By Accident"  page 25.

Picture originally found here

Related Articles

More From Genesis

Frogs

Frogs

"I love the Lord, because He has heard My voice" (Psalm 116:1). Next time you go to a pond, see…
Frogs

Roseate Spoonbill

There are six kinds of spoonbills, but the only kind you'll find in the Western Hemisphere…
Roseate Spoonbill

You Shall Not Eat...the Hare

I had a biology lesson resulting from my walk today in the latter part of February.
You Shall Not Eat...the Hare
House Cats

House Cats

“Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest” (Exodus 34:21). What animal so…
House Cats

The Miracle of the Heavens

The initial shock of stellar majesty inspires a new appreciation for the word awesome.
The Miracle of the Heavens

Frigate Birds

The magnificent frigate bird is one of nature's most aerial of all birds.
Frigate Birds

Toucans

"Excuse me, excuse me!"
Toucans

Ravens

One wonders WHY God created the raven with an intelligence which they often use manipulatively…
Ravens

The Coyote

A female coyote chooses whom she will mate with - sometimes her choice is unwise! But then…
The Coyote

The Miracle of Water

In Genesis1:2, we read of GOD’s Spirit moving (or hovering) over the face of the water. On the…
The Miracle of Water

Bombardier Beetle

It's Not By Accident time again—time to meet another of God's special creatures—that has a…
Bombardier Beetle
Koala Bears

Koala Bears

It's not by accident time now—to learn a bit about a furry animal who was created to thrive on…
Koala Bears

Elephants

For some of God's creatures it is definitely not by accident but rather part of God's design…
Elephants

Macaws

"There was loud disagreement going on. Maxine and Rainbow were perched far apart screeching at…
Macaws
American Robin

American Robins

"He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). Did you ever see a bird nest in a tree? How did that nest get…
American Robins

Monkeys

"God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He…
Monkeys

Bluebirds

There are all sorts of ways of getting attention. If you were a male bluebird and you found…
Bluebirds

Publish the Menu module to "offcanvas" position. Here you can publish other modules as well.
Learn More.


donation