“[God] in whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:10.
In our last issue we looked at the king penguin. Now let’s explore the one called emperor penguin. Perhaps both names, king and emperor, were chosen because these birds are the largest of all penguins. They stand three to four feet high and weigh from 40 to 50 pounds.
There are similarities between the two, but also definite differences. For instance, emperors do not like grassy or muddy places for homes; they choose only snow or ice in cold Antarctic areas. Colonies may vary from a few hundred to a million or more.
Another difference is in their coloring. The emperor’s head is black. Its sharp, strong beak is grayish, with a red mouth and bill plates (lips). The yellow of its chest extends partway around its neck, with snow-white below the yellow. Thick, waterproof feathers hide its legs from view. A solid black coat on the back makes a group standing together look like short men dressed in tuxedos.
They mostly stand when not in water. Very seldom does one stoop over unless feeding a young chick. Then the parent bends over to deposit previously eaten and digested seafood in the chick’s mouth.
They seem to enjoy sliding on snow or ice. When they come to a long, sloping, smooth place, they get down on their stomachs and use their strong, narrow wings like arms to push off. At the same time they kick their feet and enjoy a good long slide, like a boy or girl on a sled.
Penguins can swim faster than fish and catch them from behind, using their strong, spike-like beaks. Sometimes they swim at great depths for 10 or 15 minutes. If you have tried holding your breath for even one or two minutes, you will realize how wonderfully the Creator has designed them for this purpose.
Mother and father emperors incubate just one egg each year. They handle this responsibility differently than the kings do. The father takes the first turn, holding the egg on his feet in a warm pouch for two weeks (compared with two months for the father king). Then the mother, who has been feeding in the ocean, returns to take her two-week turn, and then they switch again. At the end of about two months the chick hatches, and both parents share in its feeding until it is big enough to care for itself.
As the opening Bible verse indicates, every living thing has been created by God, and He watches over all. When He gave life and form to each creature He “saw that it was good.” Although “evolution” tries to leave God out, how much better to believe the truth-what God tells us in the Bible.
ML-02/17/1991