When we talk about incredible animals that prove God's existence, the Megapode (or Australian Incubator Bird) is one that defiantly makes the list. Let's discover why this bird is so incredible.
When the female is ready to lay her eggs, she will search for a nest that the male has build and make sure it is suitable to her. The male will make the nest about 3 feet into the ground, 10 or more feet above the ground, and sometimes 50 feet across. This is obviously not your typical bird's nest here. When the female approves, she will then lay her eggs, 20-35 of them, at a rate of one egg ever 3 days for up to seven months. It is interesting that this bird is not much bigger than a three pound hen, and yet it lays eggs as large as an ostrich egg, and many of them. Once she is done laying her eggs she will leave the nest and never return or take any part in the incubation.
If this wasn't amazing enough already, the male's responsibility is what is really astonishing. While most birds sit on the eggs to keep them warm, this bird doesn't. With the eggs buried deeply in the nest, the male works very hard to make sure the nest is at a precise 91 degrees. If it is even one degree higher or lower, the eggs will not survive. So, to maintain the temperature, the male will dig down and check the temperature of the eggs. If it is a particularly hot day, he will put material on the top of the nest, such as sand, to help block the sunlight and keep the eggs cool! Or if it is a cool day, he will add additional materials to ensure the eggs are kept warm. Sometimes he will make the nest in just the right way to let sunlight warm the eggs. Even more incredible is that sometimes the male will use volcanic action to help warm the eggs! Another responsibility of the male is to keep the nest at 99.5% humidity (if it drops below 80%, the chicks will die). So, he will dig holes in the nest so moisture is able to get in. The male digs down many times per day to check on the eggs and adjust the nest if needed. Scientists today are not completely sure how the male incubator bird is able to check the temperature of the eggs (they think either his tongue or his beak), but whatever the mechanism may be, it is very sensitive and is able to keep precise measurements.
As soon as they break out of their eggs, they know immediately that they will need to dig out of the nest. They were never told this is what they needed to do, but they are born with instinctive directions only God could have implanted. It will take them 3 days to dig out of the nest. The chicks will dig their way out of the nest and then they are completely on their own. The good news is, they will hatch with feathers and the capability to fly. They are not fed or cared for in any way. They are now dependent on themselves for survival. How could a brand new bird, who has never even seen the sun before, know to dig its way out of the nest, know how to fly, and know how to take care of all of its survival needs? This is obviously not learned from either parent.
Evolution talks about how a creature will evolve when there is a need for change. How could the incubator bird know it needed to check the temperature of the eggs, much less keep them at a precise 91 degrees? How could he know to keep the humidity above 81%? How do the chicks know to they are under the ground and need to dig their way out? And how do the chicks know how to survive without ANY guidance? An animal that is dead cannot evolve into a different form. With evolution, this incredible bird would have gone extinct (not to mention MANY others) a long time ago. The Supreme Being of this universe could only have created this bird. The only possible way for this bird to even be alive today is if God had a hand in all that it does. Our God truly is an awesome God. Let's praise Him for His wonderful creation.
When the female is ready to lay her eggs, she will search for a nest that the male has build and make sure it is suitable to her. The male will make the nest about 3 feet into the ground, 10 or more feet above the ground, and sometimes 50 feet across. This is obviously not your typical bird's nest here. When the female approves, she will then lay her eggs, 20-35 of them, at a rate of one egg ever 3 days for up to seven months. It is interesting that this bird is not much bigger than a three pound hen, and yet it lays eggs as large as an ostrich egg, and many of them. Once she is done laying her eggs she will leave the nest and never return or take any part in the incubation.
If this wasn't amazing enough already, the male's responsibility is what is really astonishing. While most birds sit on the eggs to keep them warm, this bird doesn't. With the eggs buried deeply in the nest, the male works very hard to make sure the nest is at a precise 91 degrees. If it is even one degree higher or lower, the eggs will not survive. So, to maintain the temperature, the male will dig down and check the temperature of the eggs. If it is a particularly hot day, he will put material on the top of the nest, such as sand, to help block the sunlight and keep the eggs cool! Or if it is a cool day, he will add additional materials to ensure the eggs are kept warm. Sometimes he will make the nest in just the right way to let sunlight warm the eggs. Even more incredible is that sometimes the male will use volcanic action to help warm the eggs! Another responsibility of the male is to keep the nest at 99.5% humidity (if it drops below 80%, the chicks will die). So, he will dig holes in the nest so moisture is able to get in. The male digs down many times per day to check on the eggs and adjust the nest if needed. Scientists today are not completely sure how the male incubator bird is able to check the temperature of the eggs (they think either his tongue or his beak), but whatever the mechanism may be, it is very sensitive and is able to keep precise measurements.
As soon as they break out of their eggs, they know immediately that they will need to dig out of the nest. They were never told this is what they needed to do, but they are born with instinctive directions only God could have implanted. It will take them 3 days to dig out of the nest. The chicks will dig their way out of the nest and then they are completely on their own. The good news is, they will hatch with feathers and the capability to fly. They are not fed or cared for in any way. They are now dependent on themselves for survival. How could a brand new bird, who has never even seen the sun before, know to dig its way out of the nest, know how to fly, and know how to take care of all of its survival needs? This is obviously not learned from either parent.
Evolution talks about how a creature will evolve when there is a need for change. How could the incubator bird know it needed to check the temperature of the eggs, much less keep them at a precise 91 degrees? How could he know to keep the humidity above 81%? How do the chicks know to they are under the ground and need to dig their way out? And how do the chicks know how to survive without ANY guidance? An animal that is dead cannot evolve into a different form. With evolution, this incredible bird would have gone extinct (not to mention MANY others) a long time ago. The Supreme Being of this universe could only have created this bird. The only possible way for this bird to even be alive today is if God had a hand in all that it does. Our God truly is an awesome God. Let's praise Him for His wonderful creation.
--Brett Petrillo
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.