Fascinating Creatures
Until now, we only told you about the creatures that you are used to seeing around you. However, there are creatures that we don’t usually see around us, but we come across in books or on television. These creatures also have very special features. We will now tell you about a few of these. Read all of them very carefully, because when you do, you will be very surprised, and at the same time you will say, “How wonderfully Allah has created them”.
HOW DO PENGUINS LIVE ON SUCH A FREEZING CONTINENT AT THE SOUTH POLE?
Penguins live at the polar region of our planet. The unique feature of the pole is its amazing coldness and that it is always covered with snow and ice. The weather is so cold that it forms glaciers above the sea. Now, think about how cold you feel when you go out to play snowballs in the winter. You would feel cold even if you were wearing a sweater, a coat, a cap, a pair of gloves and a scarf. When you are playing snowballs, the temperature is probably only 10 degrees Celcius below zero (14 degrees Fahrenheit). The penguins live in a place where the temperature falls to 400 C below zero (-1040 F).
Moreover, the penguins don’t have any coats, sweaters or gloves, and they live in a place that is a lot colder than ours. They walk on ice without any shoes and they don’t even become sick. They don’t have homes. They sleep on ice. If you were to lie down on ice for even a few minutes, you would become seriously sick. Nothing happens to the penguins. Why?
It is because Allah has created them in such a way that they can live in such a freezing environment. Penguins’ bodies and their features are very different from ours. Due to this, they can live in the coldest weather without any difficulties.
Allah has covered penguins’ bodies with a very thick layer of fat, so that they won’t feel the cold. The layer of fat prevents them from feeling the cold, and acts as a fur. Conversely, the layer of fat surrounding our bodies is quite thin and this is why we quickly become cold. This is why we have to wear thick clothes in cold weather.
The penguin displays great devotion towards its eggs and babies. Penguins incubate their eggs during the coldest weather. Unlike other creatures, it is not the female penguin that incubates the eggs but the male. The female penguin lays only one egg and then leaves it to the male. She leaves for distant places to find food for her husband and baby. Because of all the ice and snow that surrounds them, she has to travel far to be able to find food.
The male penguin incubates the egg for exactly four months. The penguin carries the egg in between his feet and during these four months, he never once leaves it on the ground. If he were to do so, the egg would freeze and die within a matter of minutes.
The male penguin is so patient that for four months, he moves about with the egg between his feet. This is why he is unable to go hunting and remains hungry. The weather is very cold. When the weather becomes unbearably cold, all the male penguins get together even if they are carrying eggs between their feet. They come close to each other, forming a circle, and in this way, they warm each other up. They continuously switch positions so that the ones left outside the circle can also become warm. Just as the egg is about to hatch, the mother penguin returns from hunting. She feeds her baby with the food that she has stored in her throat. To prevent the baby from freezing, the mother and father penguins carry it in between their feet and keep it warm with the fur of their abdomen. As you can see, Allah has given these lovely creatures some exquisite features. Allah has created the penguin with a body that protects it from the cold, and has also made it very devoted. Because they are so dedicated, they take wonderful care of their offspring. This feature has been given to the penguins millions of years ago. The penguins that have lived before and the ones that are living now have not changed a bit when it comes to the devotion that they display.
CAMELS CARRY WATER TANKS ON THEIR BACKS
Just a while ago, we mentioned the penguins that live in the coldest part of earth, and how Allah has created them appropriately for that environment. On the other hand, camels are animals that were created to survive the hottest climates on earth. Camels are commonly used for transportation in the desert. Deserts are vast areas of sand and the temperatures in these areas can rise as high as 500 C (1220 F).
You might have experienced temperatures around 300 C (860 F). Even at such a temperature, you immediately become tired and thirsty when you are out and playing.
Camels can still go for kilometres at temperatures of 500 C (1220 F). They can stay without water for days. This is because Allah has also created their bodies very differently from ours. Camels store the water they drink inside them for long periods and they quench their thirst with the water they carry within them.
Feeding is also a problem in the desert, since the desert is dry land and there is almost no vegetation. There are only cactuses and other thorny plants. The camel's mouth and lips are so tough that when it bites, it can even pierce a hole in the sole of a shoe. This is why it can easily feed on thorns and keep hunger away.
As well as that, the hair that covers the skin of the camel protects it from the intolerable heat. Allah has made the camel's feet wide because they always walk on desert sand. Due to their width, the camel's feet don't sink in the sand. In addition, Allah has made the skin under the camel's feet very thick. In this way, the soles of their feet never burn.
There are very frequent sandstorms in the desert. Did you ever witness a strong wind when you were at the beach? You would not have been able to open your eyes because you had to try to prevent all the sand from getting in them. If that wind were to become a bit stronger, you wouldn't have been able to see ahead. However, camels have two layers of eyelashes. These lashes weave into each other just like a trap and they protect the camel's eyes during sandstorms.
Allah has created every living thing with the features that are most suitable for their habitat. There are no penguins in the desert, for instance. Since the penguin's features are not suitable for desert conditions, the penguin would die quickly in the desert. Similarly, camels could not survive near the poles. Allah has created everything where they should be. Allah is the strongest and He has endless knowledge. Allah creates everything without any shortcomings. Allah informs us of the camel's creation in the Qur'an as:
"Have they not looked at the camel-how it was created?" (Surat al Gashiya: 17)
THE BEE HUMMINBIRD
As you can see, this bird is small enough to stand on a pencil. Even with their small size, the bee hummingbirds travel very long distances and during this trip, they flap their wings around two and a half million times. Just how many times can you lift and put down your arms? If you try to lift them up and put them down only about 50 times, the next day your arms would ache. However, this tiny bird does this two and a half million times and nothing happens to it. Allah has created these birds with the ability to handle such an extremely difficult task.
THE DEFENSIVE CRAB:THE HERMIT
There are many interesting creatures living in the seas. These creatures mostly defend themselves by the most unusual methods. Hermit crabs, for instance, use live weapons to protect themselves from octopuses and other enemies. There is a type of vegetation that exists at the bottom of the ocean. The hermits collect these plants and put them on top of their shells. The reason for this is that these plants have thorns that are painful to the touch. In this way, the hermits protect themselves from their predators. Do not forget that hermit crabs could not have thought of such a brilliant plan all on their own. Allah has taught them how to protect themselves.
BOOBY, THE BIRD THAT SWIMS
Boobies are birds that dive into water from great heights, and they have webs between their toes. Allah has given them this flipper type of foot especially, so that they can swim on the surface and in the depths of the sea. Boobies dive as well. They dive into the sea to catch fish and they remain under the water to swim long distances.
DO FISH FLY?
Flying fish don't fly with wings like birds, but they slide on fins that resemble a bird's wings. They travel about 56 kilometres (35 miles) in an hour. These small fish can move faster in water by spreading their fins and lifting their tails out of the water. In this way, they slide swiftly in water.
THE HERON
The heron displays great skill in catching fish. It stands up spreading its wings in an umbrella shape above its head. This produces a shadow and prevents reflections from the surface of the water. Now, the heron can clearly see its prey under the surface of the water. The wings of the bird form a circular shadow on the water's surface, and it always fishes inside this circle.
THE OSTRICH
The ostrich is a bird that runs extremely fast. It can run at speeds of up to 70 kilometres (45 miles) per hour. The ostrich has only two toes on each of its feet, and one of these toes is much larger than the other one. The uniqueness of the ostrich is its ability to run only on its big toe.
THE POLAR BEAR
The polar bear can run very fast on ice with his levelled, hairy claws and non-slippery soles. Polar bears, with their thick furs, have a very important protector in such cold polar weather. A 10 cm (4 inch) thick layer of fat prevents the cold from affecting them. This is why they can swim in icy cold waters with speeds of 10-11 km/hour (7 miles/hour), for distances of about 2000 km. (1250 miles). Allah has created polar bears, like penguins, so that they can survive in such cold habitats, and He has positioned them in the coldest parts of earth, at the poles, the polar bear at the North Pole and the penguin at the South Pole.
Allah has also given polar bears a very strong sense of smell. Their sense of smell is so acute that they can easily pick up the smell of a seal hiding beneath 1,5 metres (1,6 yards) of snow.
In addition, it has an extra eyelid that is like a membrane. This membrane acts as "a pair of sunglasses" and protects them against snow-blindness.
CHEETAH : THE FAST RUNNER
Cheetahs are known as the fastest running animals on land. They can go over short distances with great speeds. They can accelerate up to 75 km.(45 miles) per hour within a few seconds. Some cheetahs can run more than 600 metres (650 yards) at the unbelievable speed of 113 km/hour (70 miles/hour).
THE INTERESTING METHOD OF GAZELLES
Some creatures use the method of leaving scents to border their territories. For example, the gazelle uses long thin twigs and plants, as well as a substance, which smells like tar, secreted by glands directly under its eyes to mark its territory. This scent lets other gazelles know that this territory already has an owner.Reindeer, on the other hand, have scent glands on the tips of their rear feet. The substance secreted by these glands makes it possible for them to mark their territories. Rabbits mark their territory with a substance secreted by glands on their chins.
THE GECKO'S FEET SUCTION CUPS
The gecko is a type of lizard that lives in hot climates. Its most amazing feature is its ability to walk on vertical flat surfaces with ease. The geckos can easily climb even on glass with the help of the suction cups on the tips of their toes. In addition, they have hidden claws in their toes. When they reach uneven surfaces, they let out these claws just like a cat and continue their walk.
THE BASILISK THAT RUNS ON WATER
What would you think if you saw a lizard running on water? You could say, "I'm probably dreaming". This is not a dream; it is reality! The lizard, named the basilisk, can run on water and it can do this extremely fast. Flaps at the back of its feet allow it to splash the water. These flaps curl up when it walks on land. If it comes across any danger, it quickly gets into water and starts to run fast. Meanwhile, the flaps on the back of its feet open and provide it the width that will allow it to run on water.
DUCKS
Ducks can fly with speeds of up to 50 km. (30 miles) per hour. In addition, they keep on changing direction to protect themselves from predators. When they need to dive into water, they do it so fast that it becomes extremely difficult for hunters to hunt them down.
ELEPHANT'S LONG TRUNKS
The trunks of elephants contain 50,000 muscles. When needed, these muscles contract, making it possible for the elephant to push even the heaviest of loads. The trunk, at the same time, can perform such delicate tasks as collecting pea seeds and cracking them open in the elephant's mouth. The trunk, which is practical in so many ways, can also be used as a long finger, a trumpet or a loudspeaker. The trunk can hold about 4 litres (7 pints) of water for drinking or showering the body.
You may have heard these special features of the creatures we have mentioned for the first time. They all have very awesome features, don't they? These are only a few of the awesome creatures on earth. There are thousands of animals on earth like these that you might not have seen or heard of yet. Well, could all these animals have achieved such interesting features by chance? Of course not! Allah is the One Who has created them with all these features and unique qualities.
