Common Ancestor or Common Designer?

From Holt Biology

Every biology textbook used in public schools has a picture like the one above. The artist has color-coded the bones to demonstrate that all of the organisms in the picture must have evolved from a common ancestor. Homology (shared characteristics among different species) is presented as solid evidence for biological evolution.

In this case, the alleged common ancestor was supposedly an unknown, extinct reptile. But is there another explanation for the similarities among these limbs?

From a creationist perspective, the similarity is logical; it supports the truth that God, the Designer, used the same basic skeletal plan. Sadly, students never hear this alternate explanation in secular textbooks.