Noah and the Ark

Illustration from Tom Dooley and Bill Looney, The True Story of Noah's Ark, Master Books, 2003
 

 

How Did Noah Gather All the Animals To Go on the Ark?

Illustration from Tom Dooley and Bill Looney, The True Story of Noah's Ark, Master Books, 2003

•         How could Noah possibly go out and find two of every kind of animal?

•         How would he capture animals that were difficult to catch?

•         How could the animals that were in remote places (e.g. kangaroos and koalas in Australia, kiwis in New Zealand, etc.) get to the ark?

•         The first thing we have to remember about gathering the animals to the ark is that the animals came to Noah (under God's sovereign direction):

•         Genesis 6:20 - Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.

•         Genesis 7:6-9 - Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah.

•         Also, the earth was undoubtedly much different before the flood than it is now. Some possible differences are:

•         The mountains were probably not as large (remember the mountains were raised up after the flood).

•         There may have only been one continent before the flood (Genesis 1:9 says that the waters were gathered into one place – let the dry land appear)

•         There was not as much water on the earth (remember a great deal of water came on to the earth during the flood from out of the fountains of the deep) so there may not have been vast oceans.

•         Diverse animal kinds may not have been spread out much as they are today thus getting two of each kind of animal on the ark would not require animals to travel great distances.

 

How Could Noah Have Gotten All Those Animals on the Ark?

•         To Answer This Question We Need to Know:

–        How big was the ark?

–        How many animals did Noah need to take on the ark?

–        How big were the animals that Noah took on the ark?

How big was the ark?

•      What some people picture:

•     What the Bible teaches:

 

Noah’s Ark:

•

Illustration from Tom Dooley and Bill Looney, The True Story of Noah's Ark, Master Books, 2003

•     50% Longer Than a Football Field

•     About the Height a Four Story Building

•     Storage Capacity = 522 Standard Railroad Stock Cars

 

How many animals did Noah need to take on the ark?

•         Genesis 6:19-20 - You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. (20) Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 

•         Genesis 7:2-3 - Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, (3) and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 

•         Genesis 7:21-23 - Every living thing that moved on the earth  perished --birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark

•         Noah only had to keep breathing land animals on the ark.

•         Therefore Noah did not have to take any fish or sea creatures on the ark.

•         Noah only had to take select animals representing each created “kind”:

–       Seven of each “clean” kind (whether seven pairs or seven individuals is uncertain)

–       Two of each "unclean"

•         Note there are very few clean animals (clean animals are defined in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14).

•         Therefore the vast majority of animal kinds on the ark would be represented by one pair (rather than seven). 

•         Noah only had to keep breathing land animals on the ark.

•         Therefore Noah did not have to take any fish or sea creatures on the ark.

•         Noah only had to take select animals representing each created “kind”:

–       Seven of each “clean” kind (whether seven pairs or seven individuals is uncertain)

–       Two of each unclean

•         Note there are very few clean animals (clean animals are defined in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14).

•         Therefore the vast majority of animal kinds on the ark would be represented by one pair (rather than seven).

 

What is an animal “kind”?

•         Noah was instructed to take two (or seven) of each “kind” of land animal on board the ark .

•         Animals are of the same “kind” if they can procreate and therefore produce other animals of the same “kind” as themselves.

•         Thus by having a representative of each kind of animal on the ark, the earth could be repopulated after the flood with each of the different kinds of animals as they existed before the flood.

•         Genesis 8:17 - Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you-- the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground-- so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number upon it.
 

•         By observing the different kinds of living things in the world today, we can see that God built a great deal of variety and adaptability into each created kind!

 

•    While God has built great variety into each kind, God has also placed limits. God made all living things to produce “according to their kinds” (Genesis 1:11,12,21,24,25)

 

•   So God did not populate the earth using the evolutionary “tree” where all things are thought to descend from one single celled organism:

 

•   Nor do we think God populated the earth using the stereotypical creationist “lawn” where little, if any variation occurs within a created kind:

 

•   We believe that God populated (and after the flood repopulated) the earth using the creationist “orchard” where there is variety and yet limits within each created kind.

 

•   Therefore while preserving a relatively small number of land animals on the ark, God was able to repopulate the earth with all the varieties of land animals that we see today!

 

So how many “kinds” of animals did Noah take on the ark?

•         It is difficult to know for sure which animal species today are descended from a common ancestral “kind” because:

–       We are not always aware of different species can successfully mate with other species and produce offspring

–       In many cases, due to such things as mutations or genetic drift over time, two species that have descended from a common ancestral kind can no longer successfully mate

 

•         In 1961, Henry Morris, working with estimates of the number of animal species given by Ernst Mayr, a leading American systematic taxonomist, estimated that there were probably no more than 35,000 individual vertebrate animals on the ark. (Whitcomb and Morris, The Genesis Flood - The Biblical Record and Its Scientific Implications, 1961, pp.65-70)

(Whitcomb and Morris, The Genesis Flood - The Biblical Record and Its Scientific Implications, 1961, pp.65-70)

•         Morris estimates that it takes 146 stock cars to carry 35,000 average (sheep) sized animals.

•         Based on the dimensions given for the ark (450 feet long x 75 feet wide x 45 feet high) it had a carrying capacity of 522 standard stock cars used by modern railroads.

•         Therefore, according to Morris’ estimates, the ark was three times bigger than necessary!


 

•    In a more recent study, John Woodmorappe shows that Morris’ figures may have been too conservative!

(John Woodmorappe , Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study , 1996)

•    To estimate the number of animal kinds on the ark, Woodmorappe uses modern animal classifications.

 

Modern Animal Classification

•         Kingdom

•         Phylum

•         Class

•         Order

•         Family

•         Genus

•         Species

 

An Example of Modern Animal Classification

•         Kingdom  - Animalia

•         Phylum – Chordata

•         Subphylum - Vertebrata

•         Class - Reptilia

•         Order - Squamata (amphisbaenians, lizards, and snakes)

•         Suborder Sauria (lizards)

•         Family - Anguidae (alligator lizards, glass lizards, and lateral fold lizards)

•         Genus - Elgaria (western alligator lizards)

–       Species – Elgaria kingii (Arizona alligator lizard and madrean alligator lizard)

–       Species – Elgaria multicarinata (southern alligator lizard) 

 

 

Another Example of Modern Animal Classification

•         Kingdom  - Animalia

•         Phylum - Chordata

•         Subphylum - Vertebrata

•         Class -  Mammalia (mammals)

•         Order - Carnivora (carnivores)

•         Family - Felidae (cats – cheetahs, small cats, leopards, lions, and tigers)

•         Genus - Panthera (roaring cats)

•         Species -

–       leo (lion)

–       tigris (tiger)


 

So how many “kinds” of animals did Noah take on the ark?

•         If we use the modern animal classification of genus as the most likely indicator of original “kind”, Woodmorappe shows that there would have been about 16,000 animals on the ark. (p. 7-8)

•         Woodmorappe believes that the family classification is probably a better approximation of the original kinds in which case there would only need to have been 2,000 animals on the ark.

•         But, in order to be conservative, Woodmorappe made all his calculations based on the assumption that there were 16,000 animals on the ark.

•         He analyzed the average size of these animals and found that half the animals on the ark would weigh less than a small rat! (p.13)

•         He goes on to state that only 11% of the animals on the ark would have been substantially larger than a sheep. (p.13)

The above estimates come from John Woodmorappe , Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study , 1996

 

How could Noah fit all those HUGE dinosaurs on the Ark?

•         Note, the Bible does not say that the animals that Noah took on the ark had to be fully grown.

•         It would make sense for Noah to take younger animals on the ark for a couple of reasons:

–       Younger animals would (on the average) have more years of life left to repopulate the earth once they got off the ark.

–       In the case of the larger animals, such as the larger dinosaurs, the younger animals would be smaller and would more easily fit on the ark

 

So How Could Noah Have Gotten All Those Animals on the Ark?

•         Using standard floor space requirements recommended for:

–       The housing of laboratory animals for the smaller animals

–       Intensively housed livestock for the larger animals,

•         Woodmorappe calculated that the space required to house the 16,000 animals and their enclosures would require less than half of the floor space of the ark’s three decks. (p.16)

•         This calculation assumes no stacking of enclosures, which would allow at least some food and water to be stored overhead. (p.16)

•         There is also plenty of room left over for the ark’s infrastructure and passageways.

The above estimates come from John Woodmorappe , Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study , 1996


 

How Could Noah Have Cared For So Many Animals On the Ark?

Illustration from Tom Dooley and Bill Looney, The True Story of Noah's Ark, Master Books, 2003

•         We are not given the details of what was involved in caring for the animals on the ark or how Noah and his family went about doing what was necessary.

•         We are told that Noah was to bring food on the ark for himself and the animals:

–       Genesis 6:19-21 - You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. (20) Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. (21) You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them."

•         From this we can at least infer that Noah and his family had to feed the animals.

•         At the same time, we cannot rule out that God may have made special (perhaps even miraculous) provision to help Noah in his care of the animals .

•         For example, some have suggested that God could have caused many of the animals on the ark to hibernate during the flood, in order to make caring for them easier.

•         The Bible does not say anything about this, so we can’t assume it. But at the same time, it is a possibility.

•         Some have argued that food taken on board rules out hibernation, but this is not so. Hibernating animals do not sleep all winter, despite what many think, so they would still need food occasionally.

•         John Woodmorappe in Noah' Ark: A Feasibility Study, 1996 shows in painstaking detail a variety of possible ways that Noah and his family could have cared for the animals on the Ark without any miraculous intervention on the part of God!

 

Food Requirements on the Ark

•         The Ark would probably have carried compressed and dried foodstuffs, and probably a lot of concentrated food.

•         Perhaps Noah fed the cattle mainly on grain, plus some hay for fiber.

•         Woodmorappe calculated that the volume of foodstuffs would have been only about 15 % of the Ark’s total volume.

•         Drinking water would only have taken up 9.4 % of the volume. This volume would be reduced further if rainwater was collected and piped into troughs.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/Magazines/docs/cen_v19n2_animals_ark.asp


 

Waste Disposal on the Ark

•         It is doubtful whether the humans had to clean the cages every morning.

•         Possibly they had sloped floors or slatted cages, where the manure could fall away from the animals and be flushed away (plenty of water around!) or destroyed by composting by worms which would also provide earthworms as a food source.

•         Very deep bedding can sometimes last for a year without needing a change. Absorbent material (e.g. sawdust, softwood wood shavings and especially peat moss) would reduce the moisture content and hence the odor.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/Magazines/docs/cen_v19n2_animals_ark.asp

 

 

John Woodmorappe , Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study , 1996, p.25
•

 

How did Noah deal with ferocious animals on the ark?

•         How did Noah keep from the lions and tigers, for example, from attacking and eating other animals or even him and his family?

•         The Bible seems to imply that animals did not become ferocious towards man (and perhaps each other as well) until after the flood:

–       Genesis 9:2-3 - The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

•         Notice the implication that man just was allowed to eat meat for the first time – after the flood. Perhaps this was also true of animals that now eat meat.

•         Another possibility to keep in mind, is that Noah may have raised many of the animals that he took on the ark from their infancy, and thus domesticated them to a large degree.

 

How Would Plants and Fish Have Survived the Flood?

 

Illustration from Tom Dooley and Bill Looney, The True Story of Noah's Ark, Master Books, 2003

How did freshwater and saltwater fish survive the Flood?

•         If the whole earth were covered by water in the Flood, then there would have been a mixing of fresh and salt waters. 

•         Many of today’s fish species are specialized and do not survive in water of radically different saltiness.  So how did they survive the Flood?

•         The first thing we should note is that many (probably most) of fish and sea creatures did not survive the flood!

•         Note also, that only two of each kind survived on the ark and lived to repopulate the earth. Therefore small numbers of surviving fish and sea creatures could, no doubt, do the same.

•         Note also that many fish today have a wide tolerance for variations in salinity.

–       For example, salmon, striped bass and Atlantic sturgeon spawn in freshwater and mature in saltwater. 

–       Eels reproduce in saltwater and grow to maturity in freshwater streams and lakes. 

•         There is also evidence of post-Flood specialization within a kind of fish. 

•         For example, the Atlantic sturgeon is a migratory salt/freshwater species but the Siberian sturgeon (a different species of the same kind) lives only in freshwater.

•         Many families of fish contain both fresh and saltwater species.  These include the families of toadfish, garpike, bowfin, sturgeon, herring/anchovy, salmon/trout/pike, catfish, clingfish, stickleback, scorpionfish, and flatfish. 

•         Indeed, most of the families of fish alive today have both fresh and saltwater representatives. 

•         This suggests that the ability to tolerate large changes in salinity was present in most fish at the time of the Flood.  Specialization, through natural selection, may have resulted in the loss of this ability in many species since then.

•         Note also, that fish today can often adapt to a different level of salinity if the level of salinity is changed slowly enough.

•         Major public aquariums often use the ability of fish to adapt to water of different salinity from their normal habitat to exhibit freshwater and saltwater species together.

•         So, many fish species today have the capacity to adapt to both fresh and salt water within their own lifetimes.

•         There is also a possibility that during the flood stable fresh and saltwater layers developed and persisted in some parts of the ocean. 

•         Turbulence may have been sufficiently low in some places on the earth for such layering to persist and allow the survival of both freshwater and saltwater species in those areas.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/answersbook/fish14.asp

 

John Woodmorappe, Noah’s Ark: A Feasibility Study, p.149

•

 

 

How did plants survive the Flood?

•         Many terrestrial seeds can survive long periods of soaking in various concentrations of saltwater.  Indeed, saltwater impedes the germination of some species so that the seed lasts better in saltwater than freshwater. 

•         Other plants could have survived in floating vegetation masses, or on pumice from the volcanic activity.

•         Many plants could have survived as planned food stores on the ark, or accidental inclusions in such food stores. 

•         Many seeds have devices for attaching themselves to animals, and some could have survived the Flood by this means. 

•         Others could have survived in the stomachs of the bloated, floating carcasses of dead herbivores.

•         The olive leaf brought back to Noah by the dove (Gen. 8:11) shows that plants were regenerating well before Noah and company left the Ark.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/answersbook/fish14.asp

 

How Could Animals Have Gotten to Remote Places Around the World After the Flood?

Illustration from Tom Dooley and Bill Looney, The True Story of Noah's Ark, Master Books, 2003

•         Skeptics are fond of asking such things as, “How could a kangaroo have hopped such a long distance from the mountains of Ararat (where the ark landed), across the oceans, all the way to Australia?”

•         The first thing that we should note is that for the kangaroo population to reach Australia (for example) it would not have required that one kangaroo travel the entire distance from the mountains of Ararat to Australia.

•         Populations of kangaroos could have spread over long periods of time, gradually migrating.

•         One possibility is that some time after the flood the continental shelves might have been exposed, allowing animals to travel to various places throughout the world.

•         Even evolutionists acknowledge that men and animals could once freely cross the Bering Strait, which separates Asia and the Americas.

•         Before the idea of continental drift became popular, evolutionists believed that the world sea levels were lowered during an ice age and in this way the continental shelves became land bridges that allowed dry-land passage all the way from Europe to Australia.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/migration.asp

 

•   Various other theories (besides the exposure of the continental shelves) have been suggested, but nearly all of them involve the idea that the geography of the earth may have changed in some way since the flood.

 

What About Continental Drift?

•         Before the 1960s, most evolutionary geologists were adamant that the continents were stationary.

•         A handful promoted the notion that the continents had moved (continental drift), but they were accused by the majority of indulging in pseudo-scientific fantasy.

•         Today, that opinion has reversed—plate tectonics, incorporating continental drift, is the ruling theory.

•         Interestingly, it was a creationist, Antonio Snider, who in 1859 first proposed horizontal movement of continents catastrophically during the Genesis flood.

•         The Bible is silent about plate tectonics.

•         Some creationists believe the concept is helpful in explaining earth’s history. Other creationists disagree with the concept.

•         The idea is quite new and much work has yet to be done to flesh out the details.

•         Those who believe in the concept may end up making major modifications to the theory, or future discoveries could cause them to abandon the model altogether.

•         Such is the nature of scientific progress. Scientific models come and go, “But the word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 1:25).

http://www.answersingenesis.org/Home/Area/AnswersBook/continental11.asp