Clean the Blushing Fish

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Many types of animals help each other – an activity called “altruism” – even though some of these animals would normally eat each other. Different kinds of animals that help each other pose a serious problem for those who deny an all wise Creator. Evolution has lots of reasons why natural enemies would not cooperate to help each other. But consider the example of the yellow tailed goat fish.

The yellow tailed goat fish is a mostly white fish that swims in small schools. They often cruise around reefs where the yellow French angel fish live. The angel fish hide from the goat fish who might eat them. However, the goat fish are often bothered by parasites that lodge in their scales and gills. When this happens, the goat fish swim to the reef in which the angel fish live and blush a bright rust red color.

When this happens, the angel fish knows that the goat fish has not come for lunch but to be cleaned. So the angel fish swims out and cleans the goat fish of his uncomfortable and unhealthy parasites! When the goat fish is clean he stops blushing and swims off to leave the angel fish in peace.

Is it possible that our wise Creator has provided for the needs of His creatures in a way that could provide these unexplained mysteries for those who want to explain things without Him? We think so. We think this is one of the ways in which His glory, power and wisdom are made evident to those who don’t want to admit an intelligent Creator.