How did Noah get all of those animals on the Ark?

Question

Okay so according to the Bible there is 33,750 sq. ft, if the ark was made as a cube (which it probably wasn't, but that's the biggest we can make it). Now the lowest estimate of species on earth is 1.5 million*, half of which are insects, so let's not count them, we're left with 2 x 750,000, so we're at 1.5 million animals on board. So 1.5 million divided by 33,750 equals 0.0225 sq ft. per animal. To put that into perspective that's a quarter of an inch squared per animal.

Can we move on with our lives now?

* the highest estimate was 50 million, and the average was 10 million, but only 1.5 million have been classified.

"EVERY THING is possible with GOD. just like it rained for 40 days and nights!!."

You know what we call it when it rains 40 days and 40 nights in Vancouver......winter.

And anything is possible with God? Cure cancer Billy.

"Science has estimated about 35,000 species of animals were alive at the time of Noahs flood (7000 years ago)"

Okay so let's assume that's true, and that would give them each a square foot, minus the insects, the food, and any other than 2 humans, and sleeping quarters, kitchen, bathroom, storage, steering, sails, etc. Oh and assuming it's still a cube, and has no rounding.

Still tough to swallow, especially knowing how much an elephant eats....let alone how big two elephants would be. And yet the best answer so far....sad.

Answer 1

How big was Noah's Ark?
"And God said unto Noah… Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt though make in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of… the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make in the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side therof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it." (Gen. 6:14-16)

Most Hebrew scholars believe the cubit to have been no less than 18 inches long [45.72 centimeters]. This means that the ark would have been at least 450 feet long [137.16 meters], 75 feet wide [22.86 meters] and 45 feet high [13.716000000000001 meters]. Noah's Ark was said to have been the largest sea-going vessel ever built until the late nineteenth century when giant metal ships were first constructed. Its length to width ratio of six to one provided excellent stability on the high seas. In fact, modern shipbuilders say it would have been almost impossible to turn over. In every way, it was admirably suited for riding out the tremendous storms in the year of the flood.

These dimensions are especially interesting when compared to those given in the mythical, Babylonian account of the Ark. Here the ark is described as a perfect cube, extending 120 cubits in all directions and with nine decks. Such a vessel would spin slowly round and round in the water and from the standpoint of stability, would be a disaster.

The total available floor space on the ark would have been over 100,000 square feet, which would be more floor space than in 20 standard-sized basketball courts.

The total cubic volume would have been 1,518,000 cubic feet [462,686.4 cubic meters] --that would be equal to the capacity of 569 modern railroad stock cars.

Now comes the question, how many land dwelling air breathing animals would have had to be taken aboard the ark to survive the flood?

According to Ernest Mayr, America's leading taxonomist, there are over 1 million species of animals in the world.

However, the vast majority of these are capable of surviving in water and would not need to be brought aboard the ark. Noah need make no provision for the 21,000 species of fish or the 1,700 tunicates (marine chordates like sea squirts) found throughout the seas of the world, or the 600 echinoderms including star fish and sea urchins, or the 107,000 mollusks such as mussels, clams and oysters, or the 10,000 coelenterates like corals and sea anemones, jelly fish and hydroids or the 5,000 species of sponges, or the 30,000 protozoans, the microscopic single-celled creatures.

In addition, some of the mammals are aquatic. For example, the whales, seals and porpoises. The amphibians need not all have been included, nor all the reptiles, such as sea turtles, and alligators. Moreover, a large number of the arthropods numbering 838,000 species, such as lobsters, shrimp, crabs and water fleas and barnacles are marine creatures. And the insect species among arthropoda are usually very small. Also, many of the 35,000 species of worms as well as many of the insects could have survived outside the Ark.

Doctors Morris and Whitcomb in their classic book,The Genesis Flood state that no more than 35,000 individual animals needed to go on the ark. In his well documented book, Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study, John Woodmorappe suggests that far fewer animals would have been transported upon the ark. By pointing out that the word "specie" is not equivalent to the "created kinds" of the Genesis account, Woodmorappe credibly demonstrates that as few as 2,000 animals may have been required on the ark. To pad this number for error, he continues his study by showing that the ark could easily accommodate 16,000 animals.)

But, let's be generous and add on a reasonable number to include extinct animals. Then add on some more to satisfy even the most skeptical. Let's assume 50,000 animals, far more animals than required, were on board the ark, and these need not have been the largest or even adult specimens.

Remember there are really only a few very large animals, such as the dinosaur or the elephant, and these could be represented by young ones. Assuming the average animal to be about the size of a sheep and using a railroad car for comparison, we note that the average double-deck stock car can accommodate 240 sheep. Thus, three trains hauling 69 cars each would have ample space to carry the 50,000 animals, filling only 37% of the ark. This would leave an additional 361 cars or enough to make 5 trains of 72 cars each to carry all of the food and baggage plus Noah's family of eight people. The Ark had plenty of space.

The bigger problem would have been the construction of the Ark. But the Bible indicates that Noah did this under Divine guidance and there is no reason to believe he did not hire additional workmen.

Answer 2

It wasn't every species, the bible says it was every kind. Eg. Cats, dogs, horses etc. This would reduce the total number of critters dramatically, it's estimated to about 8000. The bible also says that only creatures with the breath of air so insects and creatures that live in the water were out as well.

If you do the math you'll see that all the animals can be accommodated quite easily since common sense would tell you that the youngest of all the kinds would have been taken since their purpose was to repopulate the animal kindom. It makes sense that you'd want younger animals (also smaller than their adult counterparts) that would live longer and therefore have more time to reproduce.

As for finding them, he didn't have to. God only told him to build the ark, God said He would bring the animals to Noah. If the flood story is true and God can control the weather then it would not be unreasonable to assume that God could, using this method among other things, alter the migration patterns of animals the world over, eventually bringing them to Noah....

Answer 3

Noah is actually ancient Hebrew for Doctor Who and the ark was the Tardis. At the time the Tardis' chameleon circuit was operating correctly and it did not always appear as a police phone box. The Tardis is, of course, much larger inside than out.

Answer 4

The flood was to destroy the Nephlim and other various demonic creations brought forth by the fallen angels. So if their influence was worldwide, obviously God's destruction had to be worldwide as well. Jesus had to be the seed to be fulfilled in Genesis, the fallen angels figured if they had relations with humanity, they could forever taint human DNA. Thus there could be no Jesus from human lineage and no fulfillment of prophecy. So the flood had to be complete in it's destruction, or the demons influence would have continued indefinitely.

Answer 5

I love when the point is made,over and over again that the Ark is an impossibility,but of course that shakes no one that actually believes all that tripe,it's called faith,as in blind stupid faith. Of course those that wrote it didn't think it would be so easily exposed because they were looking at the limited number of species in their surroundings,and most likely an incomplete list at that. But of course the world is a bigger wiser place now and quite frankly one only needs to look at one continent to debunk the whole thing,as in how exactly did a kangaroo get to the middle east?Or we can use N. America and say how did a Bison go from the plains of America to the middle east? End of story lets let all the ancient stupid myths die the deaths they so richly deserve.

AD

Answer 6

lol!!! But you're forgetting a good number of those 1.5 millions species live underwater and wouldn't have been on that boat.

So, assuming that only half of those non-insect species live above water (probably wrong) that would be .045 sq. ft. per animal. Much more realistic.

Answer 7

Science has estimated about 35,000 species of animals were alive at the time of Noahs flood (7000 years ago)

Answer 8

God brought select animals to the ark (not every variety of dogs, cats, etc.). They were small & young.

The ark story happened. Jesus confirmed the books of Moses when He walked the earth.

Answer 9

the bible is a compilation of myths from different cultures. if u read Atrahasis from Mesopotamia, u'll see the first flood story. there's also a mention of a flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Answer 10

Very carefully.

Were you there? Do you know what animals were on board? It happened just as God said it. One day you can ask Him in person.