Unexpected Flying Critters

As you can tell, I have my unregistered assault keyboard in working order and ready to begin 2018. Today, however, the subject matter will be light reading, and we will commence to doing heavier stuff later. So, let's get things off the ground by talking about things that get off the ground.


Wallace's flying frog is among several creatures that were designed to glide
Wallace's flying frog image credit: Wikimedia Commons / Rushenb (CC BY-SA 4.0)
What are you likely to think of when someone asks about a critter that doesn't have wings but still manages to fly? Class? Anyone?

"Flying squirrel!"

I suspicion that it's the most common response since there are different species that are kind of widespread. Like its cousin the colugo, it doesn't actually fly, but glides. There are several animals that can be seen getting some distance by abandoning ground travel. There are flying frogs, geckos (probably to sell flight insurance), and even snakes.



via GIPHY

Yes, really. Several things get in the air. For example, Wallace's flying frog was named after Alfred Russel Wallace. (He's the same guy that came up with the idea of evolution by natural selection in a fever dream, but Charles Darwin got published first. We don't hear much about him because he was a sort of heretic because he believed in a form of intelligent design.) Interesting that it's in the family of Rhacophoridae, sometimes called tree or moss frogs. Only a few of them glide.

Evolutionists have no plausible explanation for the varieties of creatures that have the intricate specified designs needed for such travel. The sensible conclusion is that these were designed by the Master Engineer. We can expect to see creation deniers become intellectually honest when pigs fly without the assistance of catapults.
Mammals, reptiles, and even amphibians can actually glide through the atmosphere. God’s inventive engineering has equipped these unexpected animals for aerial travel. The fantastic designs of more familiar flyers like falcons and fruit bats should not fail to inspire, but each newfound aeronautical wonder in the living world offers a fresh example of God’s creativity.
To read the rest of this short but interesting article, click on "When Frogs Fly".