Ask a Baraminologist: Ancient Organisms

Our first question comes from Juliet who asks, “Did cave men really exist? If so do they still live today?”

Good question, Juliet! Cave men are a popular feature in many modern cartoons and movies, but it turns out they were real. Lots of people after the flood lived in caves, and for good reason. Caves are a natural shelter from the weather, and if you don’t have the time or tools to build a house, a cave is a great option. Even the biblical King David lived in a cave for a while when he was running from King Saul. While living in caves is not as common anymore, people still do it sometimes, particularly in the aftermath of natural disasters when homes are destroyed.

Our next question comes from Jayden who asks, “Why did the Mosasaurus die in the flood? Why did fish die in the flood?”

Awesome question, Jayden! Mosasaurs are marine reptiles and as such, do fine in the water. However, the flood was more than just a bunch of water being dumped on land. It was accompanied by massive shifts in earth’s crust. This resulted in massive underwater landslides, volcanic eruptions, and huge tsunami waves. All of these things would either bury mosasaurs alive or toss them onto land where they would be buried more easily. The same would be true of fish. It is likely, however, that at least some mosasaurs survived the flood. So why are they extinct now? The flood likely reduced the population significantly. A massively reduced population and likely much less available food in the aftermath of the flood probably doomed the mosasaurs. Humans may also have hunted them as they were dangerous to anyone fishing on the open ocean.

Plesiosaur: A long-necked giant of the deep (top image)
Ichthyosaur: A dolphin-like, large-eyed diver (middle image)
Mosasaur: A powerful, short-necked swimmer (bottom image)

Our third question comes from Kaleb who asks, “What did extinct Adzebill birds eat? And how big were they?”

The adzebill was a bird that lived in New Zealand. It survived the flood but became extinct before Europeans arrived in New Zealand. Based on the skeletons we have, it is estimated that they were about 32 inches tall and weighed approximately 40 pounds. It is believed they were flightless. Because it was extinct before scientists could observe it, we do not know exactly what it ate. It has been speculated that it was either insectivorous or omnivorous, but we just don’t know for sure.

Our final question comes from Giuliette who asks, “What did the dinosaurs eat? What did they do in the winter?”

Awesome question, Giuliette! There are lots of types of dinosaurs, but when they were created, they all ate the same thing: plants! After the fall of man in the garden of Eden, dinosaurs had widely different diets. Some ate plants like grass and ferns, some ate insects, some ate fish, and some ate other dinosaurs! It depends on the dinosaur.

We need to remember that the pre-flood world was very different than the world we see today. Dinosaurs may not have lived in climates where winter was a problem. Even if they did, there are dozens of creatures that migrate to avoid winter cold. Dinosaurs might have done the same. Alternatively, they could have hibernated like other animals do. Since we do not have records, we simply don’t know for sure. But those are a couple of possible answers.

I hope these answers help you and are a blessing to you. Please feel free to keep sending in the questions. I’ll get to them as soon as I can!