In the cold Antarctic Ocean krill are found in huge numbers. The name includes extremely small shrimp, red crabs, tiny lobsters and fish larvae, all swimming together in huge schools that often cover several miles.
Tiny shrimp make up the greatest part of these groups. Their eleven pairs of legs are extremely important to them the five back pairs are shaped like paddles for swimming, and the six front pairs are used for capturing tiny food particles. To do this, they throw out each leg in a circle and draw the food particles to their mouths.
Where do krill come from? They start life deep in the ocean as eggs too small to be seen easily. The larvae hatching from these various kinds of eggs don’t grow to full size for four years. During this time they don’t look at all like the adults.
It is the grown krill that are hunted, as they are very nutritious and tasty to whales, seals, porpoises and other marine life. Sometimes, when aware that a hungry enemy is near, they wriggle out of their shells which, holding their shape deceive the hungry enemy. Then the now-unprotected krill drops down deep and remains there until a new shell grows and covers it over.
Whales (principally those called baleens) living or migrating through this area, are krill’s greatest enemy, and one of them can swallow as much as five tons of krill a day. When gulping a mouthful of seawater with krill in it, the whale traps and crushes the krill by closing its huge mouth. The seawater squirts out before the whale swallows the krill.
In addition to whales, it is estimated that millions of penguins and seals, as well as numerous kinds of sponges and fish, dispose of many tons of krill each day. Yet krill keep showing up in great numbers.
Isn’t it remarkable how the Creator provides these tiny bits of sea life to meet the food needs of so many larger creatures, and yet enables the krill to replenish their numbers year after year? It is a reminder that He is looking upon all things of the sea, earth and sky at all times.
But these creatures have only a short life and then cease to exist, whereas every person has his lifetime here on earth and then enters eternity to exist forever. Where will your eternity be? If you know the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, it will be in heaven with Him and the vast number of others who have accepted Him as their Saviour. If not, it will be in an awful place the Bible calls “outer darkness.”
Will you choose heaven?
ML-11/01/1992