What animals were really on Noahs Ark?

[Murrmurr]

Some estimates put the number of land vertebrate species on earth at around 36,000 to 38,000 (excluding insects and marine life). If the “seven pairs” is applied to clean animals in Genesis 7, that would suggest just over half a million animals, before considering any distinction between clean and unclean species.

According to zoological studies, most animals species living today have evolved and branched off from ancestral species. So it's likely the number taken onto the Arc was only 1% of that 36 to 38 thousand, or even less. Like, maybe only 2 species of canine, 3 species of bovine, 1 of swine, etc.

I can't help wondering how much food would be involved sheer volume of food.

In so many words, I believe the Bible says God put the animals in a state of suspended animation of sorts, like hibernation, so they wouldn't have any needs.

And then there’s the obvious but often overlooked point of, whatever goes in must come out.

If not every specie was in hibernation - for example, maybe birds of flight were exempt - I don't think it could have created a significant problem if the few awake ones used the epically massive flood waters for a toilet.

 

[Murrmurr]

You ask "what is said in the Bible", and I think that has been answered.

If you're interested in MY answer, then there was no Ark, and therefore no animals on it. The very idea is preposterous.

I think we should also give a thought to all the creatures, humans, and plant life that would have been killed and destroyed if such a flood had ever taken place. I don't know where all those bodies and carcasses washed up, but it would have been some time before beach areas were pleasant to be near.

According to interpretations of the few scant references, the Arc ran a-ground on a mountain, or high elevation, anyway. Most point to Mt. Ararat in today's Armenia. Quite a walking distance from any beaches.

 

[C50]

"What animals were really ob Nohas ark?"

I don't believe any of that nonsense but IF I were a believer the correct answer would be all of them.

And that's exactly why I don't believe.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I agree with @Warrigal, When it comes to the Bible, look for the lessons.

Did Jesus feed the 5000 with five loaves of barley bread and two little fish or did he set an example for the crowd and encourage them to share what little they had with the people around them.

“Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.” - Mark Twain

 

[Rich]

“But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 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. You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.” Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭6‬:‭18‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬
Genesis 6:18-22 (NIV) - But I will establish my covenant wi | YouVersion

Why the heck did they bring mosquitoes???

 

[Sunkist]

 

[bobcat]

An incredulous tale with endless logistical nightmares.
Nevertheless, it has provided humanity with lively debate for centuries, so it deserves some accolades for creative writing.

 

[Rakaia]

No not that predator whose name should not be mentioned.

 

[Rich]

You ask "what is said in the Bible", and I think that has been answered.

If you're interested in MY answer, then there was no Ark, and therefore no animals on it. The very idea is preposterous.

I think we should also give a thought to all the creatures, humans, and plant life that would have been killed and destroyed if such a flood had ever taken place. I don't know where all those bodies and carcasses washed up, but it would have been some time before beach areas were pleasant to be near.

Not to mention the sheer logistics of gathering two each of polar bears, penguins, elephants, lions, badgers, cobras, rattlesnakes, kangaroos, hippos, rhinos, Tasmanian devils, lemurs, pandas, mountain gorillas, and Galápagos tortoises, along with many other species that are incredibly difficult to locate or transport. The tortoises might have been the easiest pickup, but penguins and polar bears would have been a very different story. Unless Noah had the strength and patience of a legendary hero, those polar bears would not have boarded quietly.
Not to mention, How was Noah to know for sure that he had a male and a female of each species. Even today I think you might have trouble hiring someone to do that sort of inspection on some of these more belligerent animals. I suppose this is where faith enters the picture for those who interpret the account literally. No disrespect intended, I applaud those who believe, it's just that the technical side of my mind is unable to imagine a scenario in which this could have happened.
The only way I could see it happening is if God created the Ark, on boarded all of the animals and then asked Noah to take the wheel, but that's not how the story is written. I suppose this is where faith enters the picture for those who interpret the account literally.

 

[Llynn]

There was a brilliant play (and movie) in the mid-20th century called Inherit the Wind, about the famous Monkey Trial, in which a teacher in a southern state was on trial for teaching about evolution.

William Jennings Bryant, representing the religious right, insisted that the Biblical account of Noah and the Flood was correct. God's retribution against the sins of man was to drown all the animals, except for two of each species.

The opposing atheist, Clarence Darrow, asked, "Even the fishes?"

Which pretty much sums up Biblical accuracy.

It was Tennessee, It was William Jennings Bryan, and it was the Scopes Trial.

 

[Buckeye]

There were at least 2 jackasses on the Ark......

 

[Knight]

The story if believed might sound nice. But for me murdering all those people except for Noah & his family seems at odds with the narrative of a loving father. Are we to believe all those people deserved a cruel death?

We know thru fossils that natural occurrences wiped out prehistoric animal life. Yet after animals began anew the merciful GOD decided to wipe out all but a select amount.

Thinking about the story of Noah & the Ark that way I can understand the fear of not believing in a creator.

 

[Sunkist]

It was Tennessee, It was William Jennings Bryan, and it was the Scopes Trial.

It was brought in to one of my classes in high school. It comes up on streaming channels occasionally, too..

 

[Sunny]

It was Tennessee, It was William Jennings Bryan, and it was the Scopes Trial.

My misspelling of Bryan was a typo.

But calling it the Monkey Trial was not. It was lightheartedly referred to by that name. Of course, the real name of the trial was the Scopes trial. I googled it and found this:

July 10, 1925: In Dayton, Tennessee, the so-called Scopes Monkey Trial begins with John Thomas Scopes, a young high school science teacher, accused of teaching evolution in violation of a Tennessee state law.
The law, which had been passed in March, made it a misdemeanor punishable by fine to “teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.”

With local businessman George Rappleyea, Scopes had conspired to get charged with this violation, and after his arrest the pair enlisted the aid of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to organize a defense. Hearing of this coordinated attack on Christian fundamentalism, William Jennings Bryan, the three-time Democratic presidential candidate and a fundamentalist hero, volunteered to assist the prosecution. Soon after, the great attorney Clarence Darrow agreed to join the ACLU in the defense, and the stage was set for one of the most famous trials in U.S. history.

 

[Aunt Bea]

The story if believed might sound nice. But for me murdering all those people except for Noah & his family seems at odds with the narrative of a loving father. Are we to believe all those people deserved a cruel death?

We know thru fossils that natural occurrences wiped out prehistoric animal life. Yet after animals began anew the merciful GOD decided to wipe out all but a select amount.

Thinking about the story of Noah & the Ark that way I can understand the fear of not believing in a creator.

For me that’s the Old Testament message of God’s law which was swift, harsh, and pretty much black and white.

The New Testament goes beyond the cold unwavering application of God’s law and introduces the *New Covenant where Jesus honors and fulfills those laws but shifts the focus from harsh obedience to inner transformation, grace, love, etc…

The Bible is well worth reading, believer or not really doesn’t matter.

*The New Covenant is the promise that God will forgive sin and restore fellowship with those whose hearts are turned toward Him. Jesus Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant, and His death on the cross is the basis of the promise.