Swedish and Norwegian palaeontologists have studied fossilised ichthyosaur tail bones found in Spitsbergen, a remote island north of Norway. The fossils were embedded in a limestone boulder dated as 284.8 million years old, putting them in the Lower Triassic period of the evolutionary timetable. After studying the 11 articulated tail bones the researchers concluded they were from a “fully pelagic ichthyopterygian”, i.e. a fully formed, deep sea dwelling marine reptile.
This surprised the researchers as ichthyosaurs were believed to have evolved after a mass extinction event 252 million years ago that marked the transition from the Permian era to the Triassic era left an empty ecological niche to be filled. This is in keeping with evolutionary theory that ichthyosaurs are the descendants of land-dwelling walking reptiles that moved into the sea and eventually evolved fish-like streamlined bodies with flippers and reproduction by live birth at sea, rather than laying eggs on land.
Finding fully formed ichthyosaur remains dated so close to the Permian/Triassic border is a problem for this theory as it does no allow enough time for all those changes to occur after the beginning of the Triassic era.
According to Uppsala University press release: “It now seems that at least some groups predated this landmark interval, with fossils of their most ancient ancestors still awaiting discovery in even older rocks on Spitsbergen and elsewhere in the world.”
References: Live Science 18 March 2023; Uppsala University Press Release 13 March 2023; Current Biology 13 March 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.053
Editorial Comment: This report is a good reminder there is no actual evidence land-dwelling reptiles turned into ichthyosaurs in the fossil record or in the living world. Belief that land reptiles turned int marine reptiles is based on rejection of the Creator’s word in Genesis, which tells us that God created sea creatures on the fifth creation day and land creatures on the sixth. Therefore, ichthyosaurs were swimming in the ocean before any of the creatures believed by evolutionists to be ichthyosaur ancestors walked the earth.
This is one of many flat contradictions between Genesis and the evolutionary sequence of events, and those foolish Christians who want to believe God used evolution to create.
Searching for fossils of land reptiles turning into marine reptiles is a fool’s errand, no matter what rocks they look for them, and how old they believe the rocks to be. Psalm 14:1 states “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Also see Psalm 55:1) Christians who want to add evolution to Genesis stand equally rebuked as the atheists by the Psalmist.
It is interesting that the believed transition of land mammals into whales gets regular publicity, but reptiles turning into ichthyosaurs does not, except for a few in the evolutionary community. However, the transition of land dwelling, walking, egg laying reptiles into fully swimming marine creatures requires just as many changes in body structure and function. Maybe it is because lizards and ichthyosaurs aren’t as cute or iconic as furry mammals, dolphins and whales.
Creation Research News 4 April 2023
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