On Sunny Lane: Isn't it Amazing

Sweetheart and I have been watching a weekly nature series on television.

I don’t know what the name of it is, but the videos and narrative focus primarily on animals, birds and plant life in the wilds of the Americas. It also delves into the depths of the oceans and lakes and shows the wonders of life under water.

There are many things that amaze me about the program. For instance, I am amazed at the photography that produces such closeups of the animals and other subjects. It can do a closeup of the eye of a salamander and the salamander never blinks. How do they know when and where to get the best pictures without the wild creatures being aware and being startled?

I am amazed that the narrator can relay so much information that researchers have discovered about the habits and habitats that are shown on the screen. How do wildlife experts know all of that stuff? They would almost have to live among the animals to learn all about it.

It is amazing to see how various mammals and birds interact with each other, among themselves and other species. In many cases the relationship is compatible, but in others it is a matter of predator and prey.

It is amazing to see all of the life that exists in the oceans. They are not just water, rocks and sand. There’s a whole civilization in there. There are fish of many kinds, sizes and colors. There are many other strange and beautiful sea creatures.

The narrator told us about a giant octopus. It sits on a bunch of mussels, exudes a mucus over them and then eats them. The male and female octopus mate in, what the narrator called, a sexual embrace for four hours. They never see each other again. Nine months later, the female produces 100,000 eggs, but only 10 percent of them live. Then she goes away and dies.

How do researchers know those things? Did someone sit on the ocean floor in a SCUBA outfit and count all of those eggs? Did he follow the male and female around until they died? Did someone send down a very long telescope, while someone sat in a boat and counted? It was said that the ocean is nine miles deep in this one particular area. How do they know that? Do they use a giant tape measure?

What is truly amazing is the huge number and kinds of plants, animals, birds and sea life that God created. To us humans it might appear that some creatures’ only purpose in life is to provide food for others. And some only appear to be on earth to reproduce and die.

Why did God have to make so many different kinds of beings? Couldn’t we have got along with half that many? We will never know. Fortunately, God has created humankind with a greater destiny than that of lower classes of beings. It looks as though we have an amazing God who never ceases to amaze us.

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Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or send a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com