How Many Animals Were on Noah’s Ark?

Genesis describes the ark as a real vessel that was actually built by a real, historical person named Noah.

Genesis describes the ark as a real vessel that was actually built by a real, historical person named Noah. So, it shouldn’t surprise us that the dimensions given in the Bible in cubits—about 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 50 feet high—are realistic dimensions for a massive cargo ship. A ship this size would have the same storage capacity of about 483 standard semi-trailers, capable of hauling at least 120,000 sheep. Noah’s ark was a huge ship!

Of course, Noah didn’t need to take 120,000 sheep onto the ark! He was commanded to take (by the way, God sent the animals to the Ark—Noah did not have to collect them) two of every kind of land-dwelling, air-breathing animal and seven (possibly pairs) of some (such as the kind sheep belong to—so that’s only at most 14 representatives of the sheep kind).

What does kind mean? You might think it’s the same as species (e.g., tigers, lions, cougars, and bobcats), but it’s not. “Kind” is at about the level of “family” in our modern classification system (e.g., the family Felidae, which includes all the aforementioned cats and then some).

That means if creatures belong to the same family, they probably belong to the same kind.

There was plenty of room on the ark for a few thousand animals, Noah and his family, and the supplies they would need to survive the year-long voyage.

While there are many land-dwelling, air-breathing animal species, there are only about 1,398 (the true number could even be a thousand or so) such kinds, including extinct ones. This means Noah only needed to bring around 6,744 animals onto the ark. While some animals are quite large, many of these are very small, with the average creature being about the size of a sheep. So, there was plenty of room on the ark for a few thousand animals, Noah and his family, and the supplies they would need to survive the year-long voyage.

Our life-size Noah’s ark constructed at the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky, is a testimony to the truth of God’s Word. There really was a man named Noah, an ark, and a global flood. With three decks of exhibits, this massive reconstruction of the ark answers many of the skeptical questions surrounding the historicity of the flood. And you can discover these answers—and experience the wonder of the ark—for yourself by visiting or by taking a journey through the Ark Encounter with a new program on our streaming platform, Answers TV.

Host Peter Schriemer (a wildlife filmmaker) takes you on a tour through the world’s largest timber frame structure in Journey Through the Ark Encounter, now streaming on Answers TV. You’ll discover the massive size of the ark and practical answers to the question of how Noah could fit the animals onto the ark.

I encourage you to try a seven-day trial for free and enjoy Journey Through the Ark Encounter, and 5,000 other programs, at Answers.tv. Answers TV is a family-friendly Christian streaming platform for all ages.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.