The Wonders of God’s Creation
“They that go down to the sea in ships... in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.” Psalms 107:23,24.
While the squid is dreaded by fish and other marine life that are smaller, it also has many enemies that consider squid-food a very nice answer to their hunger. Fish larger than themselves — killer-whales, porpoises, octopi and other kinds of sea life — gobble up the small and medium-sized squid whenever they get a chance.
But squid are not without means of defense. In addition to being able to swim away faster than most anything else in water, the Creator has given them other means of self-protection. For one thing, its strong arms can often wind around an attacker, even if it is larger than itself, and kill it. But they have two other most-interesting defensive weapons that are frequently used. One is an ability to change color almost as fast as you can wink your eye, so that they blend in with their surroundings and are hidden from the enemy. Another is to shoot out a cloud of thick black ink, sometimes even making it in a shape and color that looks just like itself. Then it backs quickly away while the badly fooled enemy attacks the inky mass and, to his surprise, finds nothing there. Aren’t these wonderful features the Creator has given them?
The shallow ocean shores of some California islands are one place where great quantities of squid are caught. Every winter millions of them, six to eight inches long, come there to lay tremendous quantities of eggs, and fisherman (as well as sharks and other big fish) are always waiting for them —somehow knowing just when this will take place. They scoop up tons of them, but scarcely make a dent in their numbers. The same thing takes place in the Mediterranean Sea where they are caught in a similar manner. Millions of tons go to the world’s fish markets from these and other places every year.
Ocean workers, mentioned in the opening verse, as well as cruising tourists, tell of interesting encounters with squid; one common thrill is to see smaller ones jump from the water by means of their jet propulsion in leaps as high as 20 feet and 50 feet in distance. Sometimes they unintentionally land on board bigger boats and at other times jump over smaller ones.
Truly the works of the Lord are marvelous, and though we may not understand why He created some of these odd creatures, we know they serve His plan in ways known to Him. He also has a plan for every boy and girl, every man and woman. Have you thanked Him for His love for you and asked Him to show you what His plan is for you and how you can honor Him in your life?
ML-11/29/1987