“Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast made ... the seas, and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all.” Nehemiah 9:66Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. (Nehemiah 9:6)
Sticklebacks are a family of small fish found in both freshwater and saltwater across the Northern Hemisphere. They get their name from the sharp spines on the tops of their bodies. The most common is the 3-spined variety, a very lively little fellow about 2 inches long. There is also a 4-spined, a 10-spined and a 15-spined. The freshwater sticklebacks reach lengths of 1 to 3 inches, while saltwater sticklebacks reach lengths of up to 7 inches.
The one we will look at is the 3-spined, which is rather pretty in its grayish-golden color with patches of red in the springtime. In spite of its small size, it is a tough fighter, especially in nesting season. Two of them in combat will dart and snap at each other. If one gets his teeth in, he will hang on like a bulldog, whirling round and round until the other admits defeat and escapes. When this happens, the winner’s shining green sides, golden and scarlet head and silvery-white stomach become brighter, but the loser’s colors fade in defeat. However, if he wins a battle later, the bright colors come out again. Sometimes after the winner has chased the loser away, the loser gets bold and chases the winner back home. Then they go at it again, never actually fighting, but chasing back and forth until they get tired of the game.
Fights are usually in defense of a muff-shaped nest, made of all kinds of fibers found in the water and fastened together with a sticky material given off by the male. In defending his nest, this little fellow’s fierceness is great enough to scare away fish much larger than itself.
The male nest builder convinces several females to use it as a place to lay their eggs. The eggs hatch in ten days and then the nest he has worked so hard to build is destroyed. Most of his time is then spent guarding the young ones until they are able to care for themselves.
Contrary to the usual pattern of parents, the mother fish has no interest in her young ones, and if the father didn’t care for them they would not survive. But it is another example of the Creator’s interest in making a wide variety of creatures, and we know from the verse at the beginning of this article that He cares for even such tiny creatures as these. We also need God’s care and protection, and He tells us to “seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face continually. Remember His marvelous works that He hath done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth” (1 Chronicles 16:11-12). Have you thanked Him for such loving care?
ML-12/09/2012