I have written before about how miraculously designed our Moon is to make possible the existence of humans, advanced civilization, and certain important scientific discoveries.1 Now, new studies give us yet more reasons to thank God for the Moon.

The Moon is the second brightest object in the sky. It is so dim, however, compared to the Sun that it has no measurable impact on the daytime behavior of nonhuman animals. The only significant human impact I am aware of is how humans can use the daytime Moon as a compass. Mentally drawing a line that connects the horns of the crescent or quarter Moon to the horizon approximately indicates the south direction.

At night, the Moon is bright enough to partially illuminate one’s surroundings. During my youth, thanks to the light of a nearly full Moon, I was able to find my way, at night, out of a wilderness mountain park back to civilization. For millennia, farmers have taken advantage of the harvest moons (the full moons during September and October) to extend the reaping of their fields into the nighttime hours.

Recent field studies by biologists and ecologists have revealed the amazing design of the Moon’s luminosity, orbital period, and phases for optimizing the nocturnal well-being of both predator and prey animals. For decades, biologists had assumed that the brighter the Moon, the greater the predation risk for nocturnal animals. A field study of 59 different nocturnal mammals revealed that, generally, the opposite is true.2 Small nocturnal mammals forage more on bright moonlit nights when they can spot predators more easily. This effect is more pronounced for prey mammals whose primary sense is sight and most pronounced for prey animals possessing the highest sight acuity.

Another field study done in Serengeti National Park showed that the low nighttime illumination associated with a new moon increased the hunting success of lions.3 Consequently, lions expend much more energy hunting during a new moon than they do during a full moon.

Predators primarily targeting carrion focus their nighttime predation during full moon phases when it is easier for them to find carrion.4 Predators subject to predation by larger predators tend to focus their nocturnal hunting activity during full moon phases. And, the higher up on the food chain a predator resides, the more likely that predator will expend substantially more hunting energy during new moon phases.

None of these research papers explicitly concludes anything about the design of the Moon for Earth’s life. However, several such design features of the Moon are apparent.

The tidal locking of the Moon to Earth means that the phases of the Moon are regular and predictable. Animals can easily adjust their life cycles and behaviors to match the lunar cycle. The Moon’s orbital period of 29 days is not so long that large predators like lions would need to wait too long for the cover of maximum nighttime darkness to optimize their hunting success. On the other hand, the Moon’s orbital period is not so short that prey mammals lack the time they need for extended, relaxed nighttime foraging.

If the Moon were even slightly larger in diameter, slightly closer to Earth, or if it possessed a slightly more reflective surface, animals would find it difficult to sleep at night and large predators would be challenged to find and kill enough prey to stay alive and provide for their offspring. If the Moon were slightly smaller in diameter, slightly more distant from Earth, or if it possessed a less reflective surface, animals would find it much more difficult to forage at night and either would suffer greater predation or would need to expend too much energy attempting to avoid predators.

Because of the unique features of the Moon, the predator-prey relationships of Earth’s life can be optimized for the benefit of both prey and predators. We now have even more reasons to thank God for the many ways he designed the Moon for our benefit and the benefit of all life.

Endnotes
  1. Hugh Ross, Improbable Planet: How Earth Became Humanity’s Home (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2016): 48–58; Hugh Ross, “Yet More Reasons to Thank God for the Moon,” Today’s New Reason to Believe (blog), Reasons to Believe, November 22, 2016, http://reasons.org/explore/blogs/todays-new-reason-to-believe/read/todays-new-reason-to-believe/2016/11/22/yet-more-reasons-to-thank-god-for-the-moon; Hugh Ross, “Rare Moon Just Got Rarer,” Today’s New Reason to Believe (blog), Reasons to Believe, June 5, 2017, http://reasons.org/explore/blogs/todays-new-reason-to-believe/read/todays-new-reason-to-believe/2017/06/05/rare-moon-just-got-rarer.
  2. Laura R. Prugh and Christopher D. Golden, “Does Moonlight Increase Predation Risk? Meta-Analysis Reveals Divergent Responses of Nocturnal Mammals to Lunar Cycles,” Journal of Animal Ecology 83 (March 2014): 504–14, doi:10.1111/1365-2656.12148.
  3. M. S. Palmer et al., “A ‘Dynamic’ Landscape of Fear: Prey Responses to Spatiotemporal Variations in Predation Risk Across the Lunar Cycle,” Ecology Letters 20 (November 2017): 1364–73, doi:10.1111/ele.12832.
  4. H. B. Lillywhite and F. Brischoux, “Is It Better in the Moonlight? Nocturnal Activity of Insular Cottonmouth Snakes Increases with Lunar Light Levels,” Journal of Zoology 286 (March 2012): 194–99, doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00866.x.

Check out more from Dr. Hugh Ross @Reasons.org

 

About The Author

Dr. Hugh Ross

Reasons to Believe emerged from my passion to research, develop, and proclaim the most powerful new reasons to believe in Christ as Creator, Lord, and Savior and to use those new reasons to reach people for Christ. I also am eager to equip Christians to engage, rather than withdraw from or attack, educated non-Christians. One of the approaches I’ve developed, with the help of my RTB colleagues, is a biblical creation model that is testable, falsifiable, and predictive. I enjoy constructively integrating all 66 books of the Bible with all the science disciplines as a way to discover and apply deeper truths. 1 Peter 3:15–16 sets my ministry goal, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience." Hugh Ross launched his career at age seven when he went to the library to find out why stars are hot. Physics and astronomy captured his curiosity and never let go. At age seventeen he became the youngest person ever to serve as director of observations for Vancouver's Royal Astronomical Society. With the help of a provincial scholarship and a National Research Council (NRC) of Canada fellowship, he completed his undergraduate degree in physics (University of British Columbia) and graduate degrees in astronomy (University of Toronto). The NRC also sent him to the United States for postdoctoral studies. At Caltech he researched quasi-stellar objects, or "quasars," some of the most distant and ancient objects in the universe. Not all of Hugh's discoveries involved astrophysics. Prompted by curiosity, he studied the world’s religions and "holy books" and found only one book that proved scientifically and historically accurate: the Bible. Hugh started at religious "ground zero" and through scientific and historical reality-testing became convinced that the Bible is truly the Word of God! When he went on to describe for others his journey to faith in Jesus Christ, he was surprised to discover how many people believed or disbelieved without checking the evidence. Hugh's unshakable confidence that God's revelations in Scripture and nature do not, will not, and cannot contradict became his unique message. Wholeheartedly encouraged by family and friends, communicating that message as broadly and clearly as possible became his mission. Thus, in 1986, he founded science-faith think tank Reasons to Believe (RTB). He and his colleagues at RTB keep tabs on the frontiers of research to share with scientists and nonscientists alike the thrilling news of what's being discovered and how it connects with biblical theology. In this realm, he has written many books, including: The Fingerprint of God, The Creator and the Cosmos, Beyond the Cosmos, A Matter of Days, Creation as Science, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is, and More Than a Theory. Between writing books and articles, recording podcasts, and taking interviews, Hugh travels the world challenging students and faculty, churches and professional groups, to consider what they believe and why. He presents a persuasive case for Christianity without applying pressure. Because he treats people's questions and comments with respect, he is in great demand as a speaker and as a talk-radio and television guest. Having grown up amid the splendor of Canada's mountains, wildlife, and waterways, Hugh loves the outdoors. Hiking, trail running, and photography are among his favorite recreational pursuits - in addition to stargazing. Hugh lives in Southern California with his wife, Kathy, and two sons.



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