“For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth... all things were created by Him, and for Him.” Colossians 1:1616For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: (Colossians 1:16).
In last week’s article we looked at unusual frogs and toads in different parts of the world. Here are a few more.
A tiny frog in Central America, the pygmy marsupial, lays a small number of sticky eggs each spring. Somehow, using her legs, the mother gets them into slits on her back where she carries them for many days until they are ready to hatch into tadpoles. Then she finds a good spot in the water, hops in, releases the eggs into the water and swims away, leaving them to take care of themselves.
The Cuban tree frog, makes its home in Florida. It has bulging black and green eyes and a gray stomach and throat, but is pale yellow over the top from head to tail. Its yellow legs have odd cups on the end of each toe, providing a good grip on tree trunks and branches as it feeds on insects at night.
The glass frog of South America is well named, for its entire body, including the legs, is transparent and looks like it was made out of glass. Its eggs look like little green-colored beads or marbles. At hatching time the father frog guards these eggs and makes sure they are always kept moist.
The last one we will look at is the desert spadefoot toad, whose home is in a hot desert area of Arizona. This shy and ugly brownish-green fellow, with huge, bulging green eyes and deep-black pupils, is only seen when heavy rains fill up otherwise empty streambeds, making pools along the edges. Then, amazingly, several of these may come out of the muddy ground. The females lay a few eggs which they attach to rocks and plants at the edge of the water. Several days later little ones hatch out and find food of some kind, enabling them to grow full size. Then, as the water in the stream begins to dry up, they quickly bury themselves in the mud, using their back feet as shovels, and will remain there until new rains come -maybe many months later. No one has been able to figure out how they live and even grow down in the muddy ground. It is certainly another of the wonders of God’s creation, and we know He is looking over them even in their odd way of life.
If space permitted we could go on and on, always being reminded of the wonders of God’s creation and His preserving care over all things. Just think how much more He cares for men and women, boys and girls. One way is that He has given us the ability to read His Word, the Bible, and learn how good He is to us. There we learn how much He loves us and how the Lord Jesus gave His life on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of those who trust Him. How thankful each one should be that He gave His life for them so that they could accept Him as Saviour. Have you done this?
ML-08/30/1992