CELEBRATING

30YEARSOF DISCOVERY MAGAZINE

IN THIS ISSUE:FELINES

SCRIPTURE AND SCIENCE FOR KIDS

EXCELLENT EYES

WONDERFUL WHISKERS

VOLUME 31:10 OCTOBER 2020

TERRIFIC TONGUE

FELI

NES

THE WORD “FELINE” IS THE NAME GIVEN TO THE CAT FAMILY. THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 40 DIFFER-

ENT SPECIES OF CATS IN THE WORLD. THE TIGER IS THE LARGEST SPECIES. IT CAN GROW TO BE 13 FEET LONG AND WEIGH ALMOST 700 POUNDS. IT IS DIF-

FICULT TO DETERMINE WHICH SPECIES OF CAT IS THE SMALLEST. THE LITTLEST CAT ON RECORD WAS A

HIMALAYAN-PERSIAN CAT NAMED TINKER TOY. HE WAS 2.75 INCHES TALL AND 7 INCHES LONG.

DID YOU KNOW THAT GOD MADE A CREATURE THAT HAS A COMB FOR A TONGUE, CAN TASTE THE AIR WITH A SPECIAL ORGAN IN ITS MOUTH, CAN SEE IN THE DARK, AND CAN MEASURE THINGS WITH ITS WHISKERS?

ALL CATS ARE CARNIVORES. THAT MEANS THEY EAT MEAT. GOD DESIGNED THEM

WITH SPECIAL FEATURES THAT MAKE THEM ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE PREDATORS IN THE WORLD.

He did. And in this issue of Discovery, we are going to learn all about God’s fantastic felines.

CATS HAVE MUSCULAR BODIES THAT ARE

AGILE AND GREAT FOR RUNNING, CLIMBING, AND

JUMPING.

IN FACT, THE COUGAR (ALSO CALLED THE MOUNTAIN LION) IS ONE OF THE GREATEST JUMPERS IN

THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. FROM A SITTING POSITION, IT CAN JUMP STRAIGHT UP TO A HEIGHT OF 18 FEET. THAT IS EIGHT FEET HIGHER THAN A BASKETBALL GOAL. IF IT COULD GRIP A BASKETBALL, IT COULD DUNK EVERY TIME!

If a cougar is running and jumps, it can cover up to 45 feet in a single jump. That means if you were to walk across a large room using 15 long steps, you would cover the distance of one cougar jump.

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FELI

NES

MACRO OF CAT PAPILLAE

United States Postal Service STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, and CIRCULATION Required by 39 USC 3685 1. DISCOVERY. 2. 23370. 3. 9/11/2020. 4. Monthly. 5. 12. 6. $14.00. 7. 230 Landmark Dr., Montgomery, AL, 36117. 8. 230 Landmark Dr., Montgomery, AL 36117. 9. Publisher, Apologetics Press, 230 Landmark Dr., Montgomery, AL 36117; editor, Kyle Butt, 230 Landmark Dr., Montgomery, AL 36117; Managing editor, Kyle Butt, 230 Landmark Dr., Montgomery, AL 36117. 10. Non-profit Apologetics Press, Inc., 230 Landmark Dr., Montgomery, AL 36117. 11. None. 12. No Change. 13: DISCOVERY . 14. Oct 2020 19. 15. Science/Religion/Apologetics (see chart below). 16. Electronic Copy Circulation (see chart below) 17. October 2020 18. Tommy Hatfield, General Manager, 9/11/2020.

15. Average Current Actual Copies

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16. Average Current Actual Copies

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God designed the cat tongue to be extremely useful as well. Maybe you have a pet cat. There are

about 60 different breeds of domesticated cats. The word “domesticated” means tamed or made into pets. If

you are a cat person, though, you know it is really hard to

“tame” any cat to get it to do just what you want it to do.

If you do have a cat, you

know that sometimes it will cough up a hairball. Other pets such as

dogs do not get hairballs. Why do cats? If you have ever been licked by a cat, you probably noticed that its tongue was very rough, almost

like sandpaper. The rough texture of a cat’s tongue comes from tiny

structures on its surface called papillae (puh-

PI-lee). They are little hooks made of keratin,

which is the same substance your fingernails and

toenails are made of.

BASICALLY, CATS HAVE A HAIRBRUSH FOR A TONGUE. THEY GROOM THEMSELVES (AND EACH OTHER) WITH

THEIR TONGUES SO MUCH BECAUSE IT KEEPS THEM CLEAN, REMOVES DIRT AND PARASITES SUCH AS FLEES AND TICKS, COMBS THEIR HAIR TO KEEP IT SLICK AND STRAIGHT, AND SPREADS OIL EVENLY TO HELP WATER ROLL OFF THEIR FUR MORE QUICKLY. WHO KNEW THAT CAT LICKING WAS SO HELPFUL?

CLICK QR code to watch a video about KITTENS.

THE TERRIFIC CAT TONGUE IS NOT THE ONLY ASTONISHING

FEATURE FOUND IN THE MOUTH

OF A CAT.

Sure, cats have 30 teeth that can be used to hunt and eat prey. But they also have something called a vomeronasal [vah-muh-row-NAY-zel] organ (also known as a Jacobson’s organ). It is located on the roof of the mouth, just behind the front teeth. This organ gives cats a kind of 6th sense that is not smell, or taste, but a mixture of both. In essence, it can breath in air and “taste” it to learn more about what animals or chemicals are in

the area.

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ACTIVITYACTIVITY

PAGEPAGE

True or False

Crossword Challenge

WANT MORE? CLICK THE QR

CODE TO HELP GRANT

THROUGH THE MAZE TO HIS

CAT.

1. ___ All cats are her-bivores.

2. ___ God designed cats with special features that make them one of the most remarkable predators in the world.

3. ___ There are about 60 different breeds of domesti-cated cats.

4. ___ Accidental evolution over millions of years gave cats everything they need to be successful.

5. ___ What humans can see at 20 feet, cats see clearly at 200 feet.

6. ___ Cats use whiskers to “see” in the dark by feeling their way through tight spots and dark places.

7. ___ Cats see very poorly in the dark.

8. ___ Cats are marvels of God’s creation.

Across:

3. Super-sensitive hairs that grow on a cat’s front legs and face

4. What a cat will sometimes cough up

5. Another name for mountain lion

7. The name given to the cat family

8. Organ that gives cats a kind of 6th sense (which is not smell, or taste, but a mixture of both)

9. Means "tamed" or "made into pets"

Down:

1. Approximate number of species of cats in the world

2. The smallest cat on record

5. Animals, like cats, that eat only meat

6. Tiny structures on the surface of a cat’s tongue that make it feel rough

10. Largest species of cat in the world

Imagine walking about with a ruler stuck across your face. You never know when you might need to measure a tight spot to see if your head will fit safely into it. Well, cats have built in rulers—their whiskers. Cat whiskers are super-sensitive hairs

that grow on their front legs and face. These hairs are connected to follicles in their bodies that con-nect to nerves. The nerves detect tiny vibrations

CLICK QR code to watch a short video on CAT QUICKNESS.

and other important features of the cat’s surroundings. Cats use these whiskers to “see” in the dark by feeling their way through tight spots

and dark places.

CONTINUED on page 80

In fact, the whiskers act as a tape measure that helps cats feel if they will fit through a space. In the dark they can know if they will fit through a pipe or drain

without ever seeing the inside of it. If you have a cat, make sure you never trim its whiskers, it will mess up its measurements!

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APOLOGETICS PRESS, INC.230 Landmark Drive

Montgomery, AL 36117(800) 234-8558 (Orders)

(334) 272-8558DiscoveryMagazine.com

© 2020 Apologetics Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Editor: Kyle Butt, M.Div.Associate Editor: Eric Lyons, M.Min.

Layout and Design: Rob Baker, M.Ed.

Periodicals Postage PAID

Yearly Subscription Fees in U.S. Funds Only • United States of America: Individual rate: $14 each • Bulk rate (at least 5 to same address): $12 each.Club rate (at least 10 to different addresses paid together): $12.50 each

ANSWERS

Discovery is published monthly by Apologetics Press, Inc., 230 Landmark Drive, Montgomery, AL 36117. Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at Montgomery, AL. POSTMASTER: Send address changes

to Discovery, 230 Landmark Drive, Montgomery, AL 36117; USPS# 23370

CROSSWORD CHALLENGE: Across: 3. Whiskers; 4. Hairball; 5. Cougar; 7. Feline; 8. Vemeronasal Organ; 9. Domesticated; Down: 1. Forty; 2. Himalayan-Persian; 5. Carnivores; 6. Papillae; 10. Tiger. TRUE OR FALSE: 1. F; 2. T; 3. T; 4. F; 5. T; 6. T; 7. F; 8. T.

As if whiskers were not cool enough, cats also have exceptional eyesight. God equipped them with several special sight features. First, they can have up to 20/200 vision. That means what humans would see at 20 feet, cats see clearly at 200 feet. Also, they have many more rod cells in their eyes than humans have. While humans have about 125 million rod cells, cats have up to eight times that many. Rod

cells are sensitive to lower light and help cats see better in the dark. Furthermore, cats have a tissue called tapetum that sits just behind the retina. This tissue reflects light back into the eye to help cats get the most out of the light.

The Tapetum also gives cats’ eyes (and those of other animals) a reflective glare when they stare into a

flashlight or car headlights.

CLICK QR code to watch a video about the amazing LION.

GOD DESIGNED CATS WITH EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

NOT ONLY ARE THEY SUCCESSFUL PREDATORS, PETS, AND MICE CATCHERS;

THEIR REMARKABLE DESIGN ALSO SUCCESSFULLY SHOWS GOD’S POWER

AND INTELLIGENCE.

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