|
MARVEL OF GOD'S CREATION
#7
The
Beaver
The beaver is
another uniquely designed creation. The following is copied verbatim from
Creation
Ex Nihilo Vol. 15 No. 2, March-May 1993, pages 38-41. Hopefully you
will see the value of subscribing to this creationist magazine as you read
the words of author and scientist, Denis Dreves:
"Beavers:
Aquatic Architects"
"The
dam building ability of beavers is fairly well known, but beavers possess
other amazing design features which God has included in their anatomy.
Beavers are air-breathing mammals which spend a great deal of time in
water. For this reason they need special equipment.
First,
the beaver has special valves in its ears and nose. When the beaver dives
below the water these valves automatically close so that no water can
enter. When the animal resurfaces, the valves reopen and it breathes
again.
Perhaps
their most amazing piece of equipment is their eyelids. If you have done any
diving or snorkeling you will know that water and materials in it can irritate
your eyes and wash out natural lubricants. Not only that, but your eyes do not
see well under water. That is why snorkelers wear goggles.
Were
we original to think up this idea of goggles?
Not
really. God designed beavers with "built-in" goggles. Their eyelids
are transparent, so they can close their eyes underwater and still see extremely
well. Their transparent eyelids give protection to their eyes from waterborne
irritants.
During
winter, beavers must feed on the bark of trees they have cut and stored in the
autumn, using their specially designed, self-sharpening front incisors (perhaps
one of the beaver's better known pieces of equipment).
The
beavers collect the young trees [usually two to five centimeters (one to two
inches) in diameter] for food, cut them to suitable lengths and then transport
them, by holding them in their teeth, to their underwater cache, forcing the
branches into the mud at the bottom of the pond.
AMAZING DESIGN
Which
brings us to another amazing design feature. To retrieve the stored food in the
winter months when ice covers the pond, the beaver may need to chew the sticks
underwater. They can do this without water entering their mouths, because they
have fur mouth flaps between their front incisors and their rear molar teeth,
which are set considerably further back. These two folds of skin, one on each
side of the mouth, meet behind the incisors and seal off the rest of the mouth.
The
beaver's large paddle-shaped tail, which has a scale-like skin covering it, is
used as a rudder when it swims. This is particularly important when the animal
is swimming with a branch in its mouth. The tail must compensate for any uneven
drag from the branch, thus the tail is often held at an angle for accurate
steering.
The
rear feet of the beaver are large and webbed like a duck's feet, to give the
animal good swimming ability. The two inner claws of each foot have split
toenails, which the beaver uses as a comb to groom itself and oil its fur.
Beavers
use their smaller, unwebbed front paws to carry mud and other materials, and to
dig canals which they use as a means of transporting wood and also as a means of
quick escape from predators.
The
fur of the beaver must be oiled to prevent water reaching the animal's skin. The
oil is provided from two large oil glands. They are filled with a rich, thick,
deep yellow oily liquid, which the beaver spreads on its fur for waterproofing.
This, along with its two layers of fur, are so effective that water rarely
reaches the skin. A layer of fat beneath the skin gives further protection
against the cold.
A
beaver can swim submerged for perhaps 800 meters (a half-mile) or more. Most
air-breathing creatures would be adversely affected by lack of oxygen to the
brain. The beaver has special equipment to compensate for this need. Large lungs
and liver allow for the storage of more air and oxygenated blood. In addition, a
beaver's heart beats more slowly when it dives, in order to conserve oxygen, and
the blood is restricted to the animals extremities while the vital supply to the
brain remains normal.
ENGINEERING SKILLS
Beavers
construct dams that may be hundreds of meters long. Construction of the dam is
done by cutting down trees and shrubs, dragging each piece to the dam-site, and
laying them in the water parallel to the stream (end facing upstream). Almost
everything the beavers can find goes into the dam - live wood, dead wood, mud,
grass and rocks. When the beaver's pond floods, mounting pressure on the dam can
cause it to break. To prevent this, if there is time, the beaver engineers a
spillway to relieve pressure, then fixes it after the water subsides.
Beaver
lodges are also the work of a master builder. They are built with sticks, and
sealed from the cold with mud. The center of the roof is not sealed, which
allows some ventilation. Access is only from underwater, with more than one
entry in case of the need to escape. The beavers can gain direct underwater
access to the cache of sticks they have stored under the water when ice covers
the pond in winter and this is their only available food.
Truly
the beaver is yet another example of the wonderful provision and wise planning
of a caring Creator God. Such variety of essential equipment could not have
evolved over time by chance and selection. All of the beaver's equipment must be
present and fully functional in the animal from the beginning for it to survive
its semi-aquatic life-style."
TOP
NEXT CHAPTER
PREVIOUS
CHAPTER TABLE
OF CONTENTS
|
