What is Leviathan?

Job 41& science in harmony

Some people think Leviathan was a crocodilian.

Let’s investigate and consider this possibility.

Think of some problems or challenges Leviathan or an alligator might have. As you go through the Power Point, jot down some adaptations that God gave these creatures to solve the problems.

A croc's tongue doesn't move—it's attached to the bottom of its mouth.

1Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope? 2 Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook?

All the species of alligators, caimans, crocodiles, and gharial together are known as “crocodilians.” They belong to the order Crocodylia Will he keep begging you for mercy? Will he speak to you with gentle words? 4 Will he make an agreement with you for you to take him as your slave for life?

Some crocodilians make nests like birds but on the ground; others dig a hole in the sandy beach to lay their leathery eggs.

The mama croc will guard the eggs from predators that might try to dig them up and eat them. Once they hatch the mom carries them in her mouth to the water.

5 Can you make a pet of him like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls?

The female guards them for about a year, attacking predators that come close. She may let them ride on her back and some species call their hatchlings to swim into their mouths for protection.

It looks like she swallowed them but they are actually protected!

When the babies are ready to hatch, they grunt or bark from inside the egg. Some mothers will help by gently biting the egg to open it. The babies use a short little tooth on the end of their snouts called an “egg tooth” to break out.

Many species have been hunted for their skins to make shoes and luggage. Others are endangered because of loss of habitat.

6 Will traders barter for him? Will they divide him up among the merchants?

Crocodilians, like reptiles in general, keep growing all their lives.

7 Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? 8 If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering. 10 No one is fierce enough to rouse him.

Because God created them with powerful senses they are excellent hunters. Crocs have keen hearing and vertical pupils give them good night vision.

As you read, determine which senses help the crocodile and how. Compare to another creature with a Venn Diagram.

Crocodilians have slits on their heads that can close to cover their keen ears when they dive.

God placed their eyes on top of their heads so they can see well as they cruise the water

Crocodilians can swim up to 20 miles per hour and on land they can move as fast as 11 miles per hour with their muscular legs. They can only move short distances on land before they tire.

12 I will not fail to speak of his limbs, his strength and his graceful form.

The tail is half the animal's length and can be used as a weapon. It stores fat that the reptile will use for nourishment during the winter.

Crocs are cold blooded ectothermic (cold blooded) and must bask in the sun to get heat.

Quick write

13 Who can strip off his outer coat? Who would approach him with a bridle? Imagine someone trying to put a bridle on a crocodilian and ride it. Who is doing this? Where? Why? How did the story resolve?

Write the story in 1-2 paragraphs.

Crocs have 66 teeth but don't chew their food. They either swallow prey whole or tear off large pieces. 14 Who dares open the doors of his mouth ringed about with his fearsome teeth?

God gave crocs special organs in their snouts to give them a great sense of smell.

Some croc species can eat up to half their body weight in one meal. They will juggle the food around to get food in the right position, toss their heads back and let the food fall down their throats.

His back has rows of shields tightly sealed together; 16 each is so close to the next that no air can pass between. 17 They are joined fast to one another; they cling together and cannot be parted .

Alligator facts: Length: largest—black caiman is up to 16 feet and the smallest—Cuvier's dwarf caiman is up to 5 feet the American alligator can reach 15 feet Weight: up to 1,000 pounds Life span: 30 to 60 years 22 23 Strength resides in his neck; dismay goes before him. The folds of his flesh are tightly joined; they are firm and immovable.

Crocodile facts: Length: largest saltwater crocodile was smallest—African dwarf crocodile is 4 to 6 feet Weight: saltwater crocodile—up to 2,000 pounds but most species are 1,000 pounds or less 20.7 feet; the

24 His chest is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone. Life span: 50 to 75 years

25 When he rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before his thrashing.

26 29 The sword that reaches him has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin. 27 28 Iron he treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood. Arrows do not make him flee; sling stones are like chaff to him. A club seems to him but a piece of straw; he laughs at the rattling of the lance.

Their bellies are yellow to white and have smooth scales. Crocodilians live in or near the water..

30 His undersides are jagged potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.

Sometimes appearing to be logs floating in a swamp or washed up on shore. Crocs can hold their breath underwater for more than an hour.

31 He makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.

Crocodiles swim very well, propelling themselves through the water with their tails and webbed feet.

32 33 34 Behind him he leaves a glistening wake; one would think the deep had white hair. Nothing on earth is his equal— a creature without fear. He looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud."

Crocodiles swim very well, propelling themselves through the water with their tails and webbed feet.

Psalms 104 Salt water crocodile habitat 25 26 There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

Or could Leviathan be a Bombardier Beetle?

The bombardier beetle, found mainly in Africa and Asia, can fire a powerful jet of hot, toxic fluid to fight off predators such as birds and frogs. The venomous squirt can travel as far as 20cm.

18 His snorting throws out flashes of light; his eyes are like the rays of dawn.

19 Firebrands stream from his mouth; sparks of fire shoot out. Quantities of hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide gases build up in the beetle’s abdomen and produce the toxic benzoquinone. This hot fluid is then fired off in the face of enemy.

20 21 Smoke pours from his nostrils as from a boiling pot over a fire of reeds. His breath sets coals ablaze, and flames dart from his mouth. For more info: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401170543.htm

http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v12/i1/bombardier.asp

For more information visit: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-crocodile.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/reptiles/croc odile/Amcrocprintout.shtml

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