And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. Genesis 1:20 - 23 NIV I’m often asked “How do you come up with these creatures?” (In my stories) Well, my inspiration comes from the world around me. Believe me when I tell you, God has created some amazing, quite fantastical creatures. And, since God began with the oceans, so will we begin our exploration. ![]() Blue Ringed Octopus. Join me now as we dive down into the blue-green waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. We’ll explore the tide pools and swim around the coral reefs. Do you see that tiny, (think 2 to 3 inches) eight legged creature there? The yellowish brown one. Yes, that one. Oops, there it goes! Amazing little thing. Able to change shape easily, it’s squeezed its way into a crevice. See? Just there. Careful, don’t get too close. Notice how the previously dark rings on its legs and mantle are now iridescent blue and pulsating? That means it’s getting stressed and we really don’t want it stressed. This little octopus may be small but it’s mighty. Their venom is deadly to humans and there is no anti-venom. If you get bitten (and yes, it actually has a beak of all things) your muscles will be paralyzed and that, my friend, makes breathing impossible. Unless of course, you have a ventilator handy and someone close by to keep your heart beating. Mind you, this is a very shy denizen of the deep and really only wants to eat small crabs, shrimp or possibly fish if they can get them. They even pile up rocks outside the entrance to their lairs to protect themselves. Of course, if a predator does manage to grab an arm, this octopus can regenerate it within six weeks. Which is a good thing since they only live for about two years. Look out, there it goes! Look at how it swims. It's expelling water from its hyponome (funnel) basically blowing itself through the water. Now that’s amazing! Better get back to the surface before we run out of air. :) Next time, we’re going to seek out the Sea Dragon. (Oooo, could be scary!) Without googling it, (no cheating) what do you imagine it will look like? I'd love to hear what you come up with and thanks for joining me on this dive.
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Susan J DonettiLives in Northern California with her husband, two dogs, three cats and one horse. Archives
September 2014
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