How Did Animals Get to Places All Around the World?

Before the global flood, God told Noah to fill the ark with two of every kind of air-breathing land animal, as well as seven pairs of some kinds of flying creatures. (Kinds are animals that usually look similar and can parent baby animals.) After the flood, the ark rested in the mountains of Ararat. How did animals get from those mountains to places like North America, on the other side of the world?

Birds could have flown to the places they live now. Humans would have taken some animals with them as they moved around the world. Some animals could have crossed land bridges that no longer exist today. And other creatures could have been carried to different parts of the world on floating mats made of trees and other plants. These natural rafts could have been carried by strong ocean currents until they landed on an island or continent.

From sparrows and squirrels in your backyard to rhinos and alligators at the zoo, the many animals we see in the world all came from the kinds that Noah took on the ark. We can be grateful that God saved the animals during the flood and provided ways for them to fill the world so that we can enjoy them today.

Think About It

What wild animals live in your area? These animals all came from the kinds that Noah took on the ark.