did you know - Peacock Mantis Shrimp

Peacock Mantis Shrimp are a surprising example of why we are able to believe God is real and the Bible is true as they show us how God designed it “just right”! Look at what Jeremiah 32:17 says – “Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.”

Let’s see how the Peacock Mantis Shrimp show us nothing is too hard for God.

• Measuring at about seven inches long, a Peacock Mantis Shrimp is not tiny – at least for a shrimp!
• Not only are Peacock Mantis Shrimp “big”, but they are powerful as they are actually able to punch prey or predators with a punch which breaks glass and has the same velocity as a .22 caliber rifle! They have a special core in their clubs which works like a shock absorber – this keeps their clubs from breaking when they punch prey.
• They are quick, too, as their punch is 50 times faster than the blink of your eye and creates “cavitation bubbles” which generate light and heat for a split second almost as hot as the sun – 4,400 degrees Celsius! When the bubbles pop, they make a shockwave which kills their prey – if they missed with their punch.
• Peacock Mantis Shrimp’s eyes move independently; this lets them see in two directions at once, and they are able to see colors even you are not able to see as they have at least 12 types of photoreceptors – you have three in your eyes.
• They also are able to send polarized light messages to another Peacock Mantis Shrimp which only they are able to see.
• Male Peacock Mantis Shrimp are beautiful with their reds, golds, greens, and blues – female Peacock Mantis Shrimp are just red.
• Dad and mom Peacock Mantis Shrimp stay together for their lifetime – when a mom lays eggs, she carries them around with her front legs until they hatch to protect and care for the eggs.
• Peacock Mantis Shrimp move quickly – they move thirty times their own length per second – yes, per second!

What do you think is the most surprising thing about Peacock Mantis Shrimp?

Activity to make the Point & Have Fun!

God designed Peacock Mantis Shrimp to be absolutely amazing! So, to help you remember their amazing bubble-making ability, let’s make some bubbles of your own. While they will not be as hot as the sun, or make shockwaves when they pop, they will be fun! You will need . . .

• ·    ½ cup water
• ¼ cup Dawn dish soap
• 1/8 cup sugar, or corn syrup, or glycerin
• Straws
• Cups
• Knit gloves/mittens/socks and rubber gloves
• Plate

Directions – 1. Combine water, soap, and sugar 2. Mix gently 3. Put on a rubber glove 4. Use a straw to blow a bubble in your hand 5. Bounce it gently and see what happens 6. Switch gloves and try bouncing your bubble 7. Put a touch of water on a plate, and then pour just a bit of bubble solution onto your plate 8. Use straw to blow bubbles – try blowing a bubble inside a bubble – have fun!

While you are not able to make bubbles hot as the sun or which make shockwaves when they break, you are able to have fun blowing bubbles, bouncing bubbles, and experimenting with your bubbles.

God designed and created Peacock Mantis Shrimp with the ability to blow incredible bubbles! He designed them to be able to move super-fast, punch very powerful punches, and gave them “shock-absorbers” to protect them. Clearly God knew what He was doing when He designed these shrimp – and He had a lot of fun doing so!

As you enjoy your bubbles, talk about some of the amazing things God did when He designed you – do you enjoy music, art, sports, writing, science, telling jokes, dancing, laughing, serving others? God knew what He was doing when He designed you and He did an amazing job doing so!

Think About This . . .

“Many people today—both Christians and non-Christians—assume ‘creation’ and ‘evolution’ are contradictory beliefs: That a person either believes in a creator God, or they believe in a natural process like evolution. I understand this perspective because I once held it myself. I still believe God is the creator of all things, but my perspective on evolution has shifted. I now see evolution as simply a way of understanding God’s creation, through the lens of science.” – John Ortberg, senior pastor at Menlo Church, Master of Divinity and doctorate degree in clinical psychology from Fuller Seminary

You will learn more about Peacock Mantis Shrimp in my book, Giant Anteaters, Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Rufous Potoos and More, which you are able to buy at this link for the children you love.

did you know - Pygmy Hippos

Living in West Africa is an animal people outside of there didn’t even know existed until 1911 – the Pygmy Hippo. It makes me think of Jeremiah 27:5 - It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the animals that are on the earth.

God absolutely knew what He was doing when He designed Pygmy Hippos as one of the animals which evolved on the Earth. Let’s learn what makes them so unique.

did you know - Giant Clams!

Living at the bottom of the warm Indian and South Pacific Oceans you may discover a very unique animal – the Giant Clam. When I see it, I think about what it says in Nehemiah 9:6 –  “ You are the Lord, You alone. You have made the seas and all that is in them; and You preserve all of them.”

Let’s see some of the special things about Giant Clams which God made and how they help us know God designed and created them on purpose –

did you know - Sumatran Rhinoceros!

Living in the jungles on Sumatra and Borneo are the last of the Sumatran Rhinoceros. They remind me of John 1:3 – All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

Let’s take a closer look at Sumatran Rhinos and how they show us God made them.

did you know . . . Tree Kangaroos!

Living in the rainforests and on the mountains in Paupua New Guniea, Indonesia, and North Australia you will find very rare, unusual, and special macropods known as Tree Kangaroos. Look at Psalm 95:3, 4 – For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.

Let’s learn about some of the ways Tree Kangaroos show us they are something special God designed to live upon some of His mountains.

just for fun!!! Did You Know . . . Pangolins!

While Pangolins may look and sound like they could not be a real animal, they actually are! Here are a few fun facts about them - did you know - 

Just for Fun!!! Did You Know . . . Bees Knees!

Did you know . . . every bee has a special brush located on its knees  which it uses to clean the pollen out of its breathing apparatus  when it comes out of a flower. Without the brush, the bee will  suffocate. God designed the bee to have this brush because He knew what each part of His creation needed to survive!