DID YOU KNOW ABOUT LUMINESCENT
CREATURES?
Have
you ever seen lights moving in trees at night? The source
of these lights, which may sometimes be so many that a tree
may be suffused with them all over, is fireflies. Fireflies
are the best known of luminescent living creatures. These
creatures, which emit light and illuminate trees in the darkness
of the night, are among those that scientists have studied
most. Soon we will examine why, but first let's see how these
creatures use light.
Scientists have tried for years
to imitate the light that fireflies emit, yet have not
been successful. This is among the evidence that Allah
created fireflies with a perfect design.
|
Fireflies produce green-yellow
lights in their bodies. Light is the means of communication
for fireflies. As well as giving mating signals, this light
is also used for defence from enemies. By means of light,
their enemies understand that fireflies are not tasty and
thus decide not to feed on them.
The main characteristic of these
beetles is that they make the most of light and they virtually
do not waste any energy. Therefore fireflies have become a
subject for investigation by scientists for years. However,
despite all the research that has been carried out, humans
have not yet produced a light as prolific as that of fireflies.
It is amazing how a living creature
produces light, yet is not adversely affected by its heat.
You must have noticed that lamps produce heat as well as illumination.
If you touch a source of light, for example, a light bulb,
the heat burns your hand. So you might wonder how the firefly
is not injured by the heat it produces. In fact, that's what
is so amazing about luminescent creatures: the heat they produce
does not affect them. That is because the light produced by
these creatures is completely different from what we use as
a medium of illumination. This light is called "cold light",
and heat is not emitted during the production of this type
of light. Therefore production of this type of light is very
effective and scientists have tried for years to imitate this
type of light.
As well as fireflies, various
underwater creatures, insects and other species also produce
their own light. Each has a different way to produce its light,
different fields in which to use the light and different durations
and types of light. And each on its own is a wonder.
Obviously, it was not the creatures
who equipped themselves with the systems to produce light
and who ensure the continuance of these systems. A system
that produces light in a living creature's body cannot possibly
come into existence as a result of coincidences. Moreover,
a structure so perfect that does not cause any damage to the
body could not have possibly emerged during the production
process. All luminescent creatures are evidence of Allah's
artistry in excellent creation. Allah shows us the evidence
of His eternal knowledge, intelligence and power in the creatures
He creates. He also reminds mankind that no matter how hard
man tries, he cannot bring the flawless mechanisms in nature
into existence unless our Lord wills.
LUMINESCENT UNDERWATER CREATURES
Many
underwater creatures, like the ones shown in the pictures,
possess systems as fireflies do for producing light. They
generally use their light to stupefy or frighten their enemies.
Almost all of them have series of cells along their backs
like seams of a fabric and these cells can produce light.
Now let's have a look at the general characteristics of these
creatures.
One of these species is an animal
that looks like a jellyfish. They generally feed on small
marine animals and plants that are invisible to the naked
eye. Some seize their prey by use of their sticky tentacles,
which move in water like a fishing line. Members of another
species have such large mouths that they can open them wide
and swallow many creatures. They have series of thin hairs
on their bodies, which they use to propel themselves forward
in the water.
Luminescent creatures have some
other extraordinary traits. For example, some red species
shine when they are struck, and can leave glitteringly illuminated
particles in the water. This is a way to confuse, and thus
to escape from, their enemies.
Creatures like starfish, sea
urchins and feather stars are "spiny": Many of these creatures
are covered with spines, which are used as a means of defence.
They live on seashores, in coral reefs and on the seabed.
These creatures also produce their own light to protect themselves
against their enemies. Having luminous arms or spines, they
can also produce clouds of light in the water when they are
attacked.
Everyone in the heavens and
earth belongs to Him.
All are submissive to Him. It is He Who originated
creation and then regenerates it. That is very easy
for Him. His is the most exalted designation in
the heavens and the earth. He is the Almighty,
the All-Wise.
(Surat ar-Rum: 26-27)
|
The most interesting feature
of luminescent marine creatures is probably the fact that
they use their light to mislead others. A starfish species
is a good example of this. This starfish species lives about
1,000 metres (3,280 feet) deep in the sea. It emits bright
green-blue light from the tip of its arms. This gleaming warning
notifies its enemies that it is not tasty. Another starfish
species starts flashing when it is attacked and detaches and
throws one of its arms towards the enemy to divert it. The
attention of its enemy is distracted by the torn arm, which
still emits white light. In the meantime the starfish finds
the time to flee.
As
we have seen in the few examples given above, the mechanisms
in living creatures that enable them to produce light demonstrate
to us the perfect creation of Allah. What have been mentioned
here are creatures that live underwater, the dominant component
of whose bodies is usually water - as in our own bodies -
and that cannot possibly have intelligence like that of human
beings. Yet each possesses such wonderful features that it
astonishes us to know about them. This reveals that Allah
originates things matchlessly. These examples are in order
to make us comprehend that there is no other god besides Allah,
the Creator of everything. One who understands this will comprehend
Allah's infinite might and will strive only to earn Allah's
good pleasure.
Remember that Allah informs
us in a verse that those who dare to associate other gods
with Allah will be forsaken:
Do not set up any
other god together with Allah and so sit there reviled and
forsaken. (Surat al-Isra': 22)
THE SLEEPING BAG OF THE
PARROTFISH
The sleeping bag that protects
the parrotfish is seen in the picture below.
|
The fish shown in the picture
is called the parrotfish since it resembles a parrot as you
may have noticed. This colourful fish employs quite an unusual
method to protect itself against its enemies. Especially at
night, it covers its entire body with a gelatine-like substance
that it itself produces. Before answering the question "why?",
let's see how this substance is produced and used.
This gelatinous sheath of the
parrotfish is secreted from the upper side of the gill cavity.
The fish secretes the substance while it breathes. After a
while this sheath covers the entire body of the fish. By doing
so the fish places itself within a kind of sleeping bag and
becomes protected from external danger at night. This substance
also enables the fish to conceal itself by camouflage. As
a vital function, the transparent sleeping bag protects the
fish from moray eels, one of its bitter enemies. The moray
eels have an excellent sense of smell and can find their prey
with it. However, the protective sheath of the parrotfish
prevents the moray from perceiving its scent. The moray cannot
notice the fish in the sheath even if it bumps into it while
passing by.
This
being the case, one should ask the following questions: How
did parrotfish obtain this protective sheath that they use
at night? How do they know that their leading enemy hunts
by means of its sense of smell? How did they discover a substance,
so essential in obstructing the moray's sense of smell so
enabling them to spend the night in safety?
Obviously, one cannot expect
a fish to decide to produce a chemical in its body and then
to cover itself with this substance. Nor could such a thing
have developed spontaneously through time. Parrotfish shown
in the picture could not consciously plan to produce such
a substance and could not make up such a system in their bodies
of their own volition; neither could a parrotfish that lived
1,000 or 10,000 years ago.
It is a clever method of camouflage
that the body of the fish is covered with gelatine, which
is quite suitable for protecting the fish from its enemy.
It is obvious that such a feature could come into existence
only as a result of intelligent design. This intelligence
is not the fish's or somebody else's, but Allah's, Who created
all creatures.
THE SKILFUL CAMOUFLAGE OF
SCORPION FISH
The
appearance of a scorpion fish is very colourful. These fish
have the same colour as the coral among which they live. As
you can see in the picture, the red-and-white striped scorpion
fish can conceal itself by camouflage among the coral, which
are virtually the same colours. That way it escapes the attentions
of predators and reduces the risk of becoming prey. Again
thanks to this coloration, it can easily draw near to its
own prey.
Take a careful look at the scorpion
fish - seen in the picture below and the picture on the back
page - and you will realise how hard it really is to notice
their presence in their environments.
Like scorpion fish, many other
marine creatures cannot be distinguished from their environments.
Their presence is only noticed when they move. These perfectly
camouflaged creatures use their coloration to enable them
to hunt, to reproduce and to give various signals to other
creatures. But how did this harmony come about? Who made the
body of a fish the same colour as the reefs in which it lives,
and made it look even more like the reefs by giving it a projecting
shape?
Thanks to their particular
coloration, scorpion fish conceal themselves easily
among the rocks.
|
Neither
chance nor the action of some other fish can possibly give
a creature the same colour as the environment in which it
lives. A fish, shrimp or crab can neither have the knowledge
of colour nor be able to produce systems in their own bodies
to change their colour. Such systems could only be designed
and placed in the animal's body by a superior and powerful
Being.
This almighty Being is Allah.
Allah created all creatures together with the attributes they
possess and in harmony with the environments in which they
live. Allah has informed us in the Qur'an that He has knowledge
of all creatures He created:
Does He Who created
not then know? He is the All-Pervading, the All-Aware. It
is He Who made the earth submissive to you, so walk its broad
trails and eat what it provides. The Resurrection is to Him.
(Surat al-Mulk: 14-15)
INTERESTING FEATURES OF
SEA HORSES
Male sea horse and its young
|
You may have seen sea horses
on television or in books. Their unusual horse-like appearance
and their wavering pattern of swimming might have attracted
your attention. Did you know that, contrary to what one might
suppose, these animals are very small? Sea horses, which are
4 to 30 centimetres (1,5 to 12 inches) in size, generally
live among seaweed and other plants close to the shore. The
bony armour of the sea horse protects it against dangers.
This armour is so tough that it is virtually impossible to
crush a dried sea horse using your hands.
The sea horse's head is at a
right angle to its body, which is not seen in any other fish.
Consequently, sea horses swim with their bodies upright and
can move their heads up and down. However, they cannot turn
their heads to the side. Now let's think about the problems
that other living creatures would suffer if they could not
turn their heads to the right or to the left; they would be
susceptible to all sorts of physical dangers. However, thanks
to their special body designs, sea horses do not experience
such problems. Each eye of a sea horse can move individually
and freely in all directions. That's how sea horses see around
themselves easily although they cannot turn their heads to
the side.
The
movements of these fish in the water are also worth consideration
because they swim thanks to a quite unique system. Each sea
horse has a nuumber of swim bladders. Making necessary modifications
in the amount of the gas filling these bladders, a sea horse
can swim upwards and downwards. If these bladders are damaged
and even a minor amount of gas is lost, the sea horse sinks
deep down in the sea, which means death for it. One point
should be noted here: the amount of gas filling the swim bladders
has been arranged exactly. Therefore any change could result
in the death of the animal.
What this exact arrangement
reveals to us is of great importance. If sea horses can survive
only with a certain amount of gas in the bladders, then they
must have possessed the current features they have today when
they too first emerged. In other words, sea horses have not
attained their features in time as claimed by evolutionists.
They were created together with all their features and characteristics
out of nothing and all at once. Like all creatures in the
universe, Allah created sea horses complete and perfect.
The design in sea horses, which
is merely one of the numerous marine species, is an example
of Allah's infinite power and endless knowledge.
DRAGONFLIES: FLIGHT MACHINES
It
is possible to see dragonflies many places where water exists.
If you know this insect, you might have already seen that
it moves very fast and that it can make very sudden and sharp
manoeuvres. But for those who are not familiar with it, let's
have a look at this insect.
The appearance of a dragonfly
resembles a helicopter. This insect has such a perfect talent
for flight that regardless of the speed and direction it is
flying in, it can suddenly stop and fly in just the opposite
direction, to such an extent that it may remain suspended
in the air and wait in the proper position to attack its prey.
This is thanks to its wings, which it can flap very fast.
When it is in this position, it can make a swift turn and
head towards its prey. In fact, these are merely a few facets
of its manoeuvrability that have been sources of inspiration
for mankind in the construction of helicopters that are the
products of today's advanced technology.
The
body of a dragonfly has a ringed structure that gives the
impression of its being covered with metal. A dragonfly, whose
colour may vary from ice blue to claret red, has two pairs
of wings on its back, one being at the front and the other
at the rear. While flying, the two front wings move up as
the two rear wings move down.
Sikorsky helicopters were produced
in today's technology by taking this particular form of the
wings of the dragonfly as model. First the picture of a dragonfly
was loaded onto a computer. Considering the dragonfly's manoeuvres
in the air, 2,000 special drawings were made. At the end of
this study, Sikorsky came up with its new and very strong
model with its advanced mobility, meant for transporting soldiers
and supplies.
Have
you ever noticed dragonfly's eyes? Dragonflies have perfect
vision. The eyes of the dragonfly are considered the best
insect eyes by scientists. A dragonfly has a pair of eyes,
each one of which contains about 30,000 lenses. These eyes,
which look like two hemispheres and cover half of the insect's
head, provide a broad field of view. Consequently, even its
back is virtually within the dragonfly's range of vision.
These are merely a few of the
features of dragonflies, described very briefly. Suppose that
any one of these features of the dragonfly, say the particular
type of wings, did not exist. Could this insect then make
sudden manoeuvres and catch its prey? Or, if it did not have
eyes that enabled it to see in every direction, could it manage
to escape from its enemies?
The absence of any of the systems
that a dragonfly possesses will give rise to a dysfunction
of other systems. Yet, the dragonfly was created completely
with all of its systems. Allah created the dragonfly perfect,
like all other creatures, and it is thanks to Allah's creation
that this insect lives at ease.
SECRET SHELTERS IN THE SEAS:
CORALS
You may think at first sight
that a coral reef is merely a heap of colourful stones. Yet,
you would be mistaken because corals are living creatures.
Billions of corals live together, attach themselves to others
with special secretions and bring this stone-like structure
into existence.
Remnants of dead corals become
calcified and these residues become coral nests in time where
many creatures live together. Every fish species living in
a coral reef has particular characteristics. For example,
fish that hunt in the daytime, such as angelfish, hide in
quiet and secluded sections and cracks of the reef as the
sun sets.
Patterns
of behaviour of fish that live in the coral reefs are diverse.
For example, some fish, like the parrotfish we mentioned earlier,
sleep deeply at nights in their sleeping bags. Some fish species,
such as sticklebacks, on the other hand, are half-awake while
they rest. Red mullet and some others use very bright colours
in daytime and turn their skin colour pale at nights.
Sponges, corals and some fish
that lay eggs also live in dead coral residues. Besides these,
small crabs and shrimps climb onto coral reefs to feed on
microscopic plants and animals. Fish such as sharks and moray
eels that live in coral reefs use their strong sense of smell
to find food in the dark.
Many different creatures that
Allah created in the seas and their unique designs with miraculous
features manifest our Lord's matchless artistry and infinite
knowledge. In Surat an-Nahl, Allah gives some examples of
the creatures He created. In the same surah He states that
people should be thankful for them:
And also the things
of varying colours He has created for you in the earth. There
is certainly a Sign in that for people who pay heed. It is
He Who made the sea subservient to you so that you can eat
fresh flesh from it and bring out from it ornaments to wear.
And you see the ships cleaving through it so that you can
seek His bounty, and so that hopefully you will show thanks.
(Surat an-Nahl: 13-14)
|