How did 20,000,000,000 animals fit on the ark?

Question

How did all of the current living animals, 20 billion animals (10 billion species on earth x2 for mating), and all of the extinct ones (Dinosaurs, ???, etc.) fit on the ark? My cat, for example, is about 10 lbs in weight and about 18" long, 8" wide, and 10" tall, which is roughly 1440 cubic inches. I know there are larger and smaller animals, but if there were supposedly dinosaurs on the ark, I think using my cat as the average is a conservative estimate. So, not even accounting for "leg room" that would come out to be 200,000,000,000 pounds (100,000,000 tons) of weight and approx 2,400,000,000,000 cubic feet of space. Standing surface alone must be (using 18"x8" *20bil) 240,000,000,000 square feet, which is about 47,058,823.5 square miles, or 23% of the earths surface(196,935,000 square miles). This doesn't even approach logistics of feed and excrement. How could the ark story be possibly true? Why not simply interpret it as a metaphor? Thoughts? Comments?

Answer 1

first off there weren't that many species back then.... secondly you needn't think about the sealife - they just stayed where they were.
then the true thought -- who is to question what God can and can not do.....

Answer 2

As far as how all the animals fit - God made sure they would fit. As far as the 20 billion animals for the 10 billion species - two of each "unclean" species and about 6 or 8 for each "clean" species so there was more than you thought there was. Excrement - I believe that was used somehow, maybe for fuel for cookiing and lighting.

I believe the "Ark" story to be true because the Bible tells me so.

Answer 3

The story is a FRAUDULENT one made up by the hebrews who loved to plagerize historical events of other cultures and EXAGGERATE the "powers" of their "God." and the story of Noah is taken from the Mesopotamian, Epic of Gilgamesh. I am a scholar of ancient religions and MANY cultures tell of the Israelites being CRAZY peoples who loved to steal, kill and torture their enemies and IS "documented" in several cultures.
If you don't believe me, all you have to DO is take a hard look at WHAT it is JEWS have ever ACCOMPLISH worthy of even mentioning. EVERYTHING they proclaim has yet to be PROVEN "as" their history or EVENTS that have anything to do with REALITY............Do the MATH on the event of the ARK and this FLOOD. Where did all the WATER come from to immerse the entire planet "under" water? Where did it recede "to" AFTER the flood? How could only a few people keep up with feeding, cleaning up cages, and CONTROL so many animal species from fighting or EATING each other. The WHOLE STORY is so ridiculous only FOOLS could ever believe Noah and the flood ACTUALLY was TRUE. What is even MORE ridiculous is the many who have spent thousands and even millions of dollars actually looking at Mount Ararat in FINDING this "Ark." Talk about taking delusion to the extremes of fanatical religiious RETARDATION..........

To find out TRUTH of where the hebrews got many of the stories they plagerized and MADE into their own history, run a computer check on much of what used to be mesopotamian hsitory and cross reference those facts with hebrew stories. You might be SURPRISED to find there is alot of "connected" to the past of the hebrews which happened to ACTUALLY have been of the BABYLONIAN culture...........some was ALSO of the EGYPTIAN culture and afew others. YET you will hear it said by many that thIs is the GOOD BOOK. About the "biggest" accomplishment Hebrews have managed to acquire over the centuries is hatred from those around them who KNOW the ACTUAL truths of the PAST.

Answer 4

They didn't all make it DUH, what do you think happened to all of the unicorns and faries.

But on a more serious note. The number was much smaller than that. If you take out all of the animals that can swim. All of the animals that can fly, and Most of the animals on mountains. On top of that there are lots of animals that bury themselves into the ground and hibernate. Then many of the species have just recently evolved. Also he only took two of each. And I seriously doubt that he had time to go all over the world to collect them. He probably just got all the types that were on his continent.

Stop being so skeptical.

Answer 5

1. It happened. So, the question is: by what means?

2. There only had to be two of each KIND. so, just two dogs. Just 2 leopards. All the varieties since, have descended from those two.

3. They were all infant size for the big animals.

4. There was a hatch for refuse.

5. Noah was an engineer, so he built a waste system.

Answer 6

Perhaps you would prefer the Zoroastrian version of the story.


In that tale, Yima, (the Zoroastrian Noah), builds a large, water-proof underground shelter. Then, instead of bringing all the animals and plants into it, he brings the "seeds" of everything into it. Ahura Mazda, (the Zoroastrian God), then provides a permanent light source for the shelter so that some plants and animals can be raised in it to support Yima while he is in there, (sort of like a biosphere project I guess).

When it talks about the "seeds" of the animals, I would guess its talking about sperm and egg samples. Of course, that would imply that Yima would have some sort of multi-species gestation chamber to grow them in once it was safe to come out.

This story has always sounded to me like the vague memory of a highly advanced civilization that ended up having to store away everything that would be needed for life to begin again due to some oncoming cataclysm.

Answer 7

Easy. Noah stowed the Monkeys under M. the Elephants under E, the Tigers under T, the Anteaters under A, the panthers under P, the horses under H, the ostriches under O, and the rabbits under R.

By the way, you are about 150 years too late. Mark Twain asked a similar question in "Letters from the Earth" those years ago. It is a most amusing read.

It is my opinion that Mark Twain intended to motivate Christians to challenge some of their less logical Biblical interpretations. I don't think it was ever his intention to give non-Christians ammunition to make fun of us.

Answer 8

You are leaving out THE key element to the logistical difficulties which you describe.

"With God, all things are possible."
and
According to Genesis 6, the dimensions of the ark are 450' x 75' x 45' which equals 1,518,750 cubic feet.

Answer 9

The primitive people who wrote this story thought that the entire world was within a 500 mile radius. Obviously God had nothing to do with the story that they created which has since been proven wrong.

Answer 10

I don't think that dinosaurs were there anymore. Plus the water creatures probably survived, and you have to take into account evolution played a role in developing distinct species. and flying creatures were safe, it's a little more likely that way.

Answer 11

First there where no dinosaurs on the ark.Second the ark was like 3 football stadiums or more. I why can't you belive in the power of god.