Were there dinosaurs on Noah’s ark?

Response

This inquiry assumes a young earth scenario where dinosaurs and humanity coexisted alongside a global flood during Noah’s time. Not all Christians adhere to both or either of these perspectives, making this question irrelevant to all believers. Nevertheless, interpreting the Bible literally typically leads to young earth creationism and the belief in a worldwide flood during Noah’s era. Therefore, based on this interpretation, yes, we affirm that dinosaurs were present on the ark. They wouldn’t have been referred to as “dinosaurs” since that term was coined around 1841. Here are some reasons supporting the idea that dinosaurs were aboard Noah’s ark:

We understand that “in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them” «for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. », (Exodus 20:11). Interpreting these days as literal twenty-four-hour periods, dinosaurs would have been created on the sixth day along with other land animals (Genesis 1:24-25). Humans were also created on the same day (verses 26–27). The Bible does not indicate a separation of millions of years between the dinosaur era and the existence of mankind. Descriptions of the behemoth and leviathan in Job 40 — 41 support the notion that humans and dinosaurs coexisted.

Further supporting the plausibility of dinosaurs and humans living contemporaneously—and thus being on Noah’s ark—are ancient depictions of dinosaur-like creatures in cave drawings. Various ancient civilizations in Europe, South America, and North America have left behind petroglyphs resembling dinosaurs.

We also observe dinosaur-like creatures portrayed in the architecture of castles in Europe and pyramids in South America. There are accounts of human encounters with “dragons,” with these tales originating from Europe, China, and the Middle East. It would be peculiar for all these distinct civilizations to depict entities that no one had ever witnessed, particularly considering that the depictions closely resemble the fossilized remains that we discover today.

The story of Noah and the ark is recounted in Genesis 6 — 7. God instructs Noah to bring representatives of every living creature on board: “You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive” (Genesis 6:19-20). If dinosaurs existed on the earth at that time, then Noah brought them onto the ark.

A common objection to the notion of dinosaurs on the ark—aside from the belief that humans and dinosaurs never coexisted—is that dinosaurs were too large for the ark. The idea that all dinosaurs were three stories tall, aggressive, and voracious persists in many minds. The reality is that the average size of adult dinosaurs was similar to that of a horse.

However, most of the dinosaurs on Noah’s ark would have been even smaller than a horse. To establish a new population of animals, Noah would not have selected old animals past their prime. He would have chosen the younger (and thus smaller) animals of each kind. The massive Apatosaurus skeleton displayed in the museum could have belonged to an animal several hundred years old. A dinosaur of such magnitude and age would not have been suitable for breeding purposes for Noah. Noah would have naturally brought juvenile Apatosauruses aboard the ark. Even if the dinosaurs Noah brought on board were

When they were one year old, most dinosaurs would have been smaller than a full-grown pig. This would indicate that there was ample space for them (and for their food) on the ark.

Since the Bible does not explicitly state that the creatures we refer to as dinosaurs were on the ark, we consider the possibility that they were not. However, with a young earth interpretation of the initial chapters of Genesis, we have no basis to dismiss the notion that Noah brought dinosaurs onto the ark.