From my understanding, the ark supposedly held a single pair of every species of animal on the face of the earth to save them from a giant flood.
If this was so,
1) how big was it?
2) how did the plants survive?
3) why is it that animals are not suffering the severe consequences of severe in-breeding?
Perhaps my understanding of this aspect of christianity is incorrect, I only have limited knowledge.
2006-10-24 23:31:26 · 18 answers · asked by tysonian22 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
1) It must have been pretty big to fit all those dinosaurs aboard. (How did they prevent the dinosaurs from eating all the other species, or Noah, for that matter? I've always wondered that.)
2) I don't think it ever specified Noah brought plants aboard the Ark. I always thought it was animal life only. Would they have needed 'two of each plant', or would vegetation have been more resistant to flood conditions?
3) Good question. I never thought of that. For lack of a better answer, I guess it must have been "a heavenly miracle" or something. Either that, or the entire Noah's Ark account is completely made up, but we all know the latter idea is just silly. =)
2006-10-24 23:53:56 · answer #1 · answered by Lunarsight 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some have expostulated that most of the animals hibernated during year that they were on the ark. Certainly God could have decreased their metabolic rates to allow for this. That would limit the feeding and clean up of animal waste products, also any reproduction. The ark had plenty of room for all the animal species. Do some research into what a boat of that size could hold. It took 120 years to build. There were 2 of each unclean creature and 7 of each clean creature. Plants survived the flood the same way as they survive floods today. Plants even grow back after a volcano erupts. See Hawaii. They are very resiliant. Instead of looking for reasons why it couldn't happen, look for reasons why it could. Don't forget to factor in the power of God.
2006-10-25 10:02:45 · answer #2 · answered by 19jay63 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Noah's ark was never built, it was just a story. If it had been built, according to the measurements in the bible, it would have been approx. the same size as the Titanic. Being made of wood it would have collapsed under its own weight. Most of the animals that were supposed to have gone on the ark hadn't even been discovered at that time.
The story originated when a Syrian animal trader got swept out to sea during a spring flood.
2006-10-25 10:00:24 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't recall the dimensions of the Ark from memory, but I do know they're listed in the book of Genesis. All other life forms were destroyed over and above what God miraculously sustained Noah and the animals with while aboard the Ark.
Since I'm not a zoologists, I cannot accurately answer your last question, but who knows?
2006-10-25 12:04:19 · answer #4 · answered by bigvol662004 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, there are around 800,000 recognised animal species alive today, not including the unrecognised or undiscovered ones, at least another 100,000, so that's a pretty big boat...
Not to mention all the food they would need for the duration. Essentially, I reckon it would have to be about the size of a large city or even small country.
Its not really a story that deserves much close inspection, like alot of religious myths.
2006-10-25 06:41:48 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Theoretically it must have been a bloody huge boat (although from my enforced Sunday School learnings I recall the boat being about the size of a cross channel ferry), the plants survived as they had umbrellas and there was no inbreeding coz things like that just didn't happen in biblical times.
Or you can have the Simpsons answer - it was a wizard. Which, in all honestly, is only marginally less ludicrous.
2006-10-25 06:38:16 · answer #6 · answered by sarcasticquotemarks 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
450 feet long, 45 feet high
check this link for a cool illustration on the size compared to a 747... http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/bigark.htm
as to #2, I would guess that the seeds of plants survived underwater... the dove brought back a fig branch...
as to #3, God did something to stop in-breeding effects... The animals did inbreed, consider that we all stem from Noah's sons and wives.
2006-10-25 06:37:20 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Preacher has been illustrating his stupidity again. He would be better off listening than preaching, he might learn something.
The ark is part of a fairy story and would need to have been enormous. Just how did he get all the animals from all over the world into one place to get them onto his boat anyway?
2006-10-25 06:51:56 · answer #8 · answered by Nemesis 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The dimensions of the ark are given in the bible. In terms of modern ships, it would be about 12,000 tons. Quite small compared to big cruise liners but huge compared to the boats of the day.
2006-10-25 06:36:54 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
it was 3 times the size of a football field.
2006-10-25 06:43:55 · answer #10 · answered by theladylooking 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋