Komodo dragons can give us a clue to ancient carnivores. Many atheists and denominational creationists make incorrect assumptions, as we have heard members of both groups say the Bible claims there was no death until Adam and Eve ate the “forbidden fruit.” That is simply not true because you can’t eat anything without something dying. When talking with kids, I often use the fun statement, “When you eat a mouthful of corn, you just murdered a plant.” That is not actual murder, but the point is that death is a part of eating. Topsoil consists of minerals and organic material that came from things that died, including insects and all kinds of animals.
The Genesis statement refers to spiritual, not physical, death. We have pointed out in our materials that Genesis 1:1-3 describes Earth’s preparation for human habitation. By the end of those three verses, you have a planet with everything humans would need, including coal, oil, topsoil, and the minerals essential for life on land. God provided an ecosystem that could produce all those things. The dinosaurs produced massive amounts of organic matter buried in an anaerobic environment to produce coal. Carnivores were necessary to control the herbivores, and they had to efficiently kill multi-ton herbivores.
Recent studies of the Komodo dragon have shown that even today, we have an animal with the equipment of the ancient carnivores. Komodo dragons can grow up to 10 feet (3 m) long and kill water buffaloes weighing more than 1,000 pounds (450 kg). Studies of Komodo dragon teeth show that they have a thin iron protective coating along the cutting edges and tips to keep them sharp. Because iron oxidizes, the iron in long-dead dinosaurs is no longer detectable, but studies indicate that T. rex probably had the same tooth design.
God designed carnivores to maintain the biological balance needed on a healthy planet. Komodo dragons give us a clue about the design features of carnivorous dinosaurs.
— John N. Clayton © 2024
Reference: Komodo dragon in wikipedia.org
