The mudskipper is a one inch long fish that lives on the mudflats along the estuaries and rivers of Africa, Asia and Australia. The abilities that God has designed into the mudskipper are among some of the most unusual of all the unusual fishes that were created to swim in the oceans.
Mudskippers spend their time during high tide tucked into burrows that they dig in the muddy bottoms of these estuaries. Then at low tide they leave the burrows and “walk” on their pectoral fins as they swing their heads back and forth in search of shrimp and other small edible objects. They can stay out of the water for several hours until the tide returns. They are able to hold water in their gill covers, and also absorb oxygen through their skin. It has also now been learned that they can also hold air in their mouths with which they can survive.
Biologists have known that mudflat burrows are very poor homes because of the lack of oxygen as bacteria decay leaves and other organic matter and use up the oxygen. The scientists did not know how the mudskipper was able to survive in these airless holes. It has now come to light because of the careful observations of biologists that God’s plan for the mudskipper is one of amazing forethought.
It seems that the mudskipper is not only busy during the times of low tide feeds, but they are also very busy collecting air and storing it for when the tide comes back in. The mudskipper does this by gulping air in its mouth. It then scampers back down into its hole where it blows the air out in the burrow. When the mudskipper comes out of the hole it always looks deflated as compared to when it went in just a few minutes earlier. This will is repeated for up to 30 minutes at a time or until the burrow is well aerated.
Not only does this let the mudskipper have air to breath during the time of high tide, but also probably is how the eggs that are also laid inside of burrows survive. Without oxygen the eggs would not survive. This talent of gulping air and carrying it and storing it up for a later time and to provide for the eggs of the future generation points to a Divine plan by the Creator–not accidental, natural selection over eons of time.
Man has so many things that we do not understand about the simplest of God’s creation. The mudskipper points this out with room left over for the skeptic to marvel at. Man strives to explain the unexplainable when he takes the creator out of the picture. “To God be the Glory, great things he has done.”
