Page 81 - Devotion Among Animals Revealing the Work of God

Selfless Devotion of Creatures Within the Family

The Dangerous Journey of the Grunion
The grunion, unlike other species of fish, buries its eggs on land
because its eggs can develop only in such an environment. For the
grunion, leaving the water for even a short time means death. Yet
they must do so, or else their lineage will terminate. These fish, act-
ing according to God's guidance, come ashore at the right time and
when conditions are just right to bury their eggs in the sand. They
wait for the full moon, because then the tides are bigger and waves
can reach further up the shore. They await the high tide, which lasts
for three hours, and then come ashore with the biggest wave they
can ride. The females that succeed in coming ashore this way, skill-

fully wriggle into the sand and spawn approximately 5 cm (2 inches)
under the surface.
Their danger has not yet passed, however, since they still must
return to the sea. They have to complete spawning and bury their
eggs in the sand before the tide withdraws. If they miss this oppor-
tunity, they will die on the dry shore. As we see, these fish expend
much effort into the correct placement of their eggs and run a great
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risk—but at the same time, acting intelligently.
The dangers the grunion faces and the intelligent behavior it
displays, both reveal that there is a mind and consciousness outside
of this little fish. There are many easier methods of spawning, yet it
prefers to bury its eggs in the sand on shore. Let's presume that it ac-
quired this habit through a series of chance events. What would
happen, according to this scenario? The female would die at the first
hurdle—trying to come ashore to bury her eggs. She would face pro-
hibitive conditions, making it impossible for her to learn by trial and
error—much less pass her "learning" along to the eggs, already in

her body! God makes the grunion's eggs able to develop in the sand,
as well as inspiring the fish to choose the right time to come ashore
and thereby, reproduce and survive.

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