The Wonders of God’s Creation
This unusual bird looks like a dignified little man, dressed in a formal black and white suit, with a wobbly walk on the ice. No other bird goes so far into the harsh Antarctic area, and God has provided everything it needs. To insulate its body against the fierce cold, it has a complete covering of short feathers that extend down to its webbed feet. It gets all its food from the ocean and can also drink the salt water.
The Emperor penguin is the largest of the penguin family; about three to four feet tall. All have wings, but cannot fly with them. Instead, they are used as flippers to swim extremely fast under water. Special muscles give these wings great strength.
The Adelie species gathers rocks and makes crude nests, but the Emperor does not. About a month after arriving on the ice barrier, a pair sets about having a family of just one chick. The female is very excited about this and goes several weeks without eating. Then, about the middle of May an egg is produced, which she then turns over to her companion and dives into the ocean, leading him to take care of it. As this is really the beginning of winter in Antarctica, the male has a difficult proem since there is no nest for the egg.
First, he must keep it off the ice. He stands with his feet close together and rolls the egg to the top of them. Although that doesn’t seem like a very safe place, the Creator has provided a way to overcome this problem. With the egg securely in place, “papa” pulls a soft pouch of skin down over it, making it snug and warm. Then he stands in this position—never moving or going for food or water—for two months! Nothing will tempt him to give up!
Now, another amazing thing: Although “mama” has been away all this time, on the exact day the chick hatches she comes out of the ocean, her stomach big and round from gorging on seafood. Thousands of penguins looking just like her mate may be around, but she goes right to him. Then she takes over, putting her beak in the chick’s mouth and feeds it from her full stomach. She does this until it can take care of itself.
Meanwhile, the male, skinny and worn, takes to the water to find the food he needs. Shortly after the chick is full grown it joins others on ice rafts, and the currents carry them north several hundred miles to the New Zealand area or perhaps to the tip of South America. The next May they repeat the cycle all over again.
There are some who try to tell us the penguin was at first a common land bird, blown to the Antarctic by fierce storms and over the years adapted itself to the new surroundings. But they fail to explain how a bird from a warm climate could last even one day on the ice, with no usable food or water. No wonder they’re silent on this. Common sense says the poor birds would die the very first day! We know that when the Lord God created the penguin, He made it exactly as it is now, so it could thrive in that part of the earth. “Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven, and in earth (and) in the seas.” Psalms 135:66Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places. (Psalm 135:6).
ML-10/19/1980