Dinosaurs and Creation: Questions and Answers by DeYoung Donald B

Author:DeYoung, Donald B. [DeYoung, Donald B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781441243140
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2000-08-01T00:00:00+00:00

26. Why aren’t human or modern animal fossils found with dinosaur fossils?

Dinosaur bone beds are indeed lacking in mammal fossils. No large mammals are found, for example, at Dinosaur National Monument. To understand why, one must keep in mind the conditions of fossilization. When groups of dinosaurs died and were buried, perhaps in the initial stages of the great flood, it is doubtful that creatures such as bears or lions would have been in their midst. That is, the observed distinct fossil layers may well show ecological sorting based on animal locations. This explanation contrasts with the evolutionary view that mammals arrived much later in history than dinosaurs.

As a further example, consider the La Brea tar pits, located in Los Angeles. These are acre-size pools of black tar, also called pitch, asphalt, or bitumen. The pits contain tens of thousands of animals that became mired in the tar, including saber-toothed tigers, dire wolves, camels, mammoths, and birds, but no dinosaurs. The tar pits are post-flood formations, meaning they existed during a time in which dinosaurs were already scarce.

It must also be realized that some animal types simply were not fossilized. Consider two examples from recent history. A century ago, North American bison or buffalo numbered in the millions. They were largely eliminated by hunting and loss of habitat. However, no fossils of modern bison are found. Their bones simply disintegrated out in the open with no burial. Likewise, during the early 1800s the passenger pigeon was the most common bird in the Midwest. It far outnumbered all other bird species combined. However, hunting, disease, and habitat loss drove the passenger pigeon to extinction. The last survivor, a female named Martha, died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914. No known passenger pigeon fossils exist today.

In the evolutionary view the mammals arose millions of years after the dinosaurs. The mammal definition includes a warm-blooded nature and maternal suckling of the young. Mammals include, for example, bears, deer, whales, and also mankind. Note that this does not imply that mankind is in the animal category. According to Genesis 1–2 we are a distinct part of creation, with management responsibility over the animal world. In the creation view, all creatures originally lived together on the earth.

Many biologists now date modern mammals to 100 million years ago, well into the dinosaur era. Thus it can no longer be said—even by evolutionists—that dinosaurs and modern animals lived during entirely different periods of earth history.

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