Intricate Animal Designs Demand a Creator | The Institute for Creation Research
Intricate Animal Designs Demand a Creator

Evidence of our Creator is all around us. Romans 1:19-20 states, “What may be known of God is manifest in [people], for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.” God’s handiwork is certainly manifested in the exquisite engineered design of His creatures.

The Salmon

One example of God’s creative genius is the salmon. This fish is born inland in freshwater streams miles from the ocean, migrates to live in the salty sea, and then returns to fresh water so it can spawn. The salmon has a unique ability to maintain a constant healthy level of saltiness. Its internal cellular and organellar systems adjust automatically in response to environmental tracking systems that monitor external salt levels.1

Chief among these engineered systems are specialized sodium pumps embedded in the cell membranes. The pumps’ activity is coordinated not only within the internal apparatus of the cell but also with other systems in the salmon’s various organs, especially those on the forefront of osmoregulation (the maintenance of body-fluid pressure) such as the gills and kidneys.

In addition to these integrated cellular systems, the salmon has built-in behavioral traits to also manage its salt levels. Instead of immediately charging into the ocean or back into fresh water, it pauses to temporarily equilibrate its body in transitionary zones between the two.

The Dragonfly

The field of bioengineering makes use of the design found in living creatures. One flying creature human engineers have tried to copy is the dragonfly. These insects are expert fliers. They can maneuver straight up and down, hover in place like a helicopter, and even mate in midair.

The dragonfly’s optics are also amazing, with almost its entire head composed of visual sensors loaded with engineering that’s only beginning to be understood. It has very complex eyes constructed of individual visual sensory units called ommatidia. A single compound eye has an integrated lens system containing up to 30,000 ommatidia. Each individual ommatidium collects its own stream of visual information that’s transmitted to the dragonfly’s brain, where it’s decoded and processed to form a mosaic image with intricate visual depth and detail.

Combined with its flight capabilities, the dragonfly’s high-tech visual system allows it to track and grab aerial targets like flies with deadly precision. A study of caged dragonflies found they were able to successfully snatch their rapidly moving prey out of the air with 95% accuracy.2

The Hummingbird

The hummingbird is another animal that glorifies the Creator. This little creature is distinctly different from all other bird kinds. Hummingbirds are the only bird that can fly backward. They can literally zip around in just about every direction due to their wings’ ability to rotate in a full circle and flap up to 80 times per second.

Hummingbirds have much larger and more complicated brains than insects. One study determined that “the hummingbirds had faster reaction times than those reported for visual feedback control in insects.”3 The endurance and speed of hummingbirds are also phenomenal. They can fly at 25 to 30 mph and dive at speeds of up to 60 mph. The ruby-throated hummingbird has the ability to travel up to 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico to reach its breeding grounds.

The V-22 Osprey is human engineers’ attempt to create something with roughly similar flight capabilities. This military aircraft requires constant fueling, maintenance, supervision, and construction since it can’t feed itself or reproduce like the hummingbird. Human efforts to copy the intricate form and function of God’s creatures is further evidence of our Creator’s engineering genius.

References

  1. Vargas-Chacoff, L. et al. 2018. Effects of elevated temperature on osmoregulation and stress responses in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts in fresh water and seawater. Journal of Fish Biology. 93 (3): 550-559.
  2. Gonzalez-Bellido, P. T. et al. 2013. Eight pairs of descending visual neurons in the dragonfly give wing motor centers accurate population vector of prey direction. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 110 (2): 696-701.
  3. Cheng, B. et al. 2016. Flight mechanics and control of escape manoeuvres in hummingbirds. I. Flight kinematics. Journal of Experimental Biology. 219 (22): 3518-3531.

* Dr. Tomkins is Director of Life Sciences at the Institute for Creation Research and earned his Ph.D. in genetics from Clemson University.

Cite this article: Jeffrey P. Tomkins, Ph.D. 2019. Intricate Animal Designs Demand a Creator. Acts & Facts. 48 (7).

The Latest
NEWS
Bumblebee University
Entomologists, biologists who study insects, continue to uncover amazing discoveries regarding the intellect of bees1,2 Now, biologists...

CREATION.LIVE PODCAST
Struck: Risking It All for the Truth | Creation.Live Podcast:...
In this unique episode, host Trey talks with three key people involved in creating Struck—an upcoming miniseries that shows the special ties between...

NEWS
Giant Ants Buried in Receding Flood Rocks
Evolutionary scientists are baffled by a large ant fossil found in British Columbia, Canada. Known as Titanomyrma, this same ant had been found previously...

CREATION PODCAST
Why Do Animals Hibernate? | The Creation Podcast: Episode 45
The word hibernation is often used in reference to deep sleep, but what is it really? What kinds of creatures hibernate? How does this demonstrate the...

NEWS
Thalattosuchians—Extinct Crocodile Relatives?
The Thalattosuchia are an extinct group of marine crocodylomorphs (a group that includes the crocodiles) that allegedly transitioned from land to water...

NEWS
The Star-Nosed Mole
The star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is a fascinating semi-aquatic mammal found in eastern Canada and the United States. Moles (placental mammals)...

NEWS
The Hexagon: An Indication of Order and Design in Nature
In nature, noncoincidental patterns and geometry exist everywhere. But the number six appears to overshadow nature’s mathematical landscape. Whether...

NEWS
Neanderthal Crab Bake
The evolutionary science community said it perfectly in their headlines: “Proof that Neanderthals ate crabs is another 'nail in the coffin'...

CREATION PODCAST
Is There Any Truth to Dragon Legends? | The Creation Podcast:...
Dragons are considered by many to be made-up creatures in fairytales and legends, but our ancestors produced many descriptions and depictions of "dragons,"...

NEWS
Our Sun, Finely Tuned for Life on Earth
Aside from appreciating the splendor of the sun during a beautiful sunrise or sunset, many rarely consider how special, necessary, and finely tuned...