Category Zoology

                            There are gaps in the fossil record, so it is not possible to prove that evolution took place. In order to do this, fossils of every single change in a species would need to be preserved. However, enough fossils exist to show the relationships of all modern animals, allowing scientists to deduce their probable ancestors from the fossil record. New fossils are constantly being found, gradually filling in gaps in our knowledge.

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                       Since life began, parts of animals have been preserved as fossils. When the animals died their remains were covered with mud and sediment that slowly turned to rock. When scientists examine layers of ancient rock, the oldest layers are at the bottom, and new rock is laid down on top of them. So unless the rocks have been disturbed by movements of the Earth’s crust, the deeper the fossil is found then the older it is.

                      By studying rocks and the fossils they contain, it is possible to decide how old fossils are, and to identify creatures that lived at the same time but in different parts of the world.

                      Usually only the hard parts of extinct animals are fossilized, but recently some fossils have been found showing internal organs, and there are even fossils of jellyfish.

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                     Baron Georges Cuvier (1769-1832) stated that an animal’s structure and function are the result of its relationship with its environment, which is more or less the same as Darwin’s view. However, Cuvier also insisted that all animals are exactly the same as they were at the time of the Creation, and that change (or evolution) is not possible. Cuvier was very skilled in identifying the bones of dinosaurs.

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                   Modern fishing methods are capable of sweeping up almost all the fish in a particular area. In addition, these methods destroy those fish that are not caught by damaging their habitat.

                  This damage has become apparent when trawlers stir up the sea-bed as they tow along huge nets. The nets destroy young fish and the shellfish on which the adults normally feed. When too many fish are caught, the young may never grow big enough to breed, and the fish population will suddenly become much depleted. This happened in recent years when herring and cod were overfished in the Atlantic Ocean.

                  Large fish such as tuna and sharks have been almost wiped out in some regions because of over-fishing. The main culprit has been giant gill-nets, sometimes many kilometres in length. These can catch literally all of the fish in a large area, and at the same time, cause the death of air- breathing dolphins by drowning them.

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                   Several animals are partly domesticated and probably no longer exist in the wild. Indian elephants live a semi-wild existence in the jungles of Asia, where they are still used as beasts of burden. They cannot be completely domesticated, however, because the males are too aggressive to be handled in the breeding season. Camels and llamas are both partly domesticated, as are the Asian water buffalo and the yak.

                 There is a long list of animals that have been domesticated by human beings.

                 The dog was probably the first animal used by humans, around 12,000 years ago. It was followed by goats, cattle and sheep about 5,000 years later. Pigs, horses, donkeys and poultry all followed later.

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