There are over 20,000 species of fish in the world, and all have been designed by the Creator for the particular body of water where they live. Let’s look at a few that live in the Red Sea.
The foot-long stargazer fish hides itself completely in the sea’s sandy bottom, with only its unusual mouth showing with teeth that look like broken pieces of spaghetti. Small fish, curious about this display, are immediately snapped up by the stargazer’s vicious mouth.
Garden eels anchor their tails in burrows at the sea bottom. The rest of their yard-long bodies are held vertical and sway with the current, making them look like stalks of seaweed. They never leave this position (except when frightened), but sway toward one another—sometimes in a friendly way—sometimes to fight. If something frightens them, they sink into their burrows, completely hidden, and remain there until the danger is past. Small bits of marine life drifting by are their food supply.
The jet-black razor fish is very timid. When frightened, it drops to the bottom and lies there unmoving like a flat stone until the intruder leaves the area. Like the stargazer, sometimes it will bury itself in the sand.
Another Red Sea native is a six-inch-wide Red Sea urchin. It is related to the starfish and looks something like one. But this sea urchin has hundreds of black, prickly spines all over its body to protect it.
The dark brown sea moth is another unusual sea creature. It has a long, narrow snout and a heavy, armor-like coat that matches the color of the sandy sea floor. As it slowly glides along with its nearly transparent “wings,” it is almost invisible. But when pursued, it can put on a burst of speed to escape all but the swiftest fish. Its armor becomes too tight as it grows and drops off from time to time, but it is soon replaced by new armor.
The snapping shrimp and the little goby fish are friendly companions and make their home together in a burrow in the sea bottom. The shrimp uses its claws to keep the burrow entrance open while making sure one of its feelers is always touching the goby. If the goby senses danger, it wiggles its body in warning, and the shrimp immediately scoots down the burrow, with the goby quickly following.
These are just a few of the millions of fish and sea creatures watched over by the Creator. His eyes never leave them, just as He watches over every person in the world. We are told, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:33The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. (Proverbs 15:3)). What does He see when He looks at you?
ML-04/01/2012