Daily Devotional \u2013 July 22<\/p>\n
Biology<\/p>\n
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Coral polyps have built in poisonous \u201charpoons.\u201d The coral polyp\u2019s tentacles are covered with stinging cells (nematocysts) that shoot and kill the plankton. When zooplankton swim by and accidentally touch one of the stinging cells, the \u201charpoon\u201d is triggered. In thousandths of a second, the lid on the stinging cell flies open, and the harpoon is released. The barbs on the \u201charpoon\u201d tear a hole in the prey, and the filament trailing the harpoon enters the hole to inject the poison. The zooplankton dies, and the polyp can then pull the meal into its mouth and digest it in its stomach. Each harpoon can only be used one time. A new harpoon (nematocyst) soon grows in its place. This method of hunting zooplankton requires perfect synchronization of sensory cells, nerve cells and muscle cells of the coral animal. Synchronization takes planning and design. That great planner and designer is God! Coral is not just another pretty ornament \u2013 it is a colony of deadly hunters!<\/p>\n
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God thundereth marvelously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.<\/p>\n
~ Job 37:5<\/p>\n
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Source: \"Pearls in Paradise\" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett<\/p>\n