The Crafty Flea

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The water flea fills one of the lowest spots on the food chain. What this means is that even though the water flea is concerned about little else than going about his business, just about everyone else in the pond is interested in eating him.

Not much larger than a grain of rice, the water flea has been given such a clever defense against predators that even scientists were fooled for a while. Adult water fleas, or Daphnia, are egg shaped except for their legs and are easy to swallow. Newly hatched water fleas are usually egg shaped, too, making them a tender, easy-to-swallow lunch. But as the number of predators in the pond or stream grows, hatchlings begin to develop an odd array of sharp projections on their bodies. Some look so different from their parents that at first scientists misidentified them as a different species.

The water fleas' strategy involves more than just trying to look like something different from a traditional water flea lunch. The sharp projections make them hard to swallow. Anyone would rather swallow an egg than a porcupine! Research shows that these projections reduce mortality of young water fleas by 50 percent.

If the Creator takes this personalized care of water fleas, how much more He wishes to take this kind of personalized care of you! None of us need ever feel alone or uncared for. Your Creator seeks a personal relationship with you through His Son, Jesus Christ!