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John Clayton
Bats eat bugs, but bugs are cold blooded. When it is cold, bugs
do not fly and bats cannot eat them. How does a bat living far
underground in a cave that stays at 55 degrees F year-round know
whether the bugs are out or not?
An ecologist at the University of Illinois has discovered that
bats use changes in air pressure to tell if the bugs are out.
When air pressure is low, it is because the air is light in weight
and rising due to the fact that it is warm. When the pressure
is high, the air is dense due to cold temperatures.
Researchers have found that if the barometer is above 29.1 inches
of mercury, bats in Illinois do not leave their caves. The bats
use a middle ear receptor called the vitali organ to measure pressure
and can detect changes less than one tenth of an inch of mercury.
All living things have specialized structures to help them survive
in the ecological niche designed for them. Truly we can know
there is a God through the things He has made.
This article taken from: Does God Exist?, Sept/Oct 1996
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