Genesis 6 tells the story of Noah building a massive ship, filling it with animals and then surviving a year long, world destroying flood. When the flood ended, Noah, his family and all the animals left the ark. The world was repopulated by these refugees who were saved from the flood. All people and land animals alive today trace their lineage back to the flood’s ark borne survivors.

The Biblical account of the flood has prompted some to wonder about dinosaurs. Were dinosaurs on the ark? If dinosaurs survived the flood, why are none left alive today? If Noah did take dinosaurs on the ark, how did he fit all those massive animals on one ship?

The Bible gives a clear answer to the first question. Yes, dinosaurs were on the ark. In Genesis 6:19-20 God said, “And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female . . . two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.” Then Genesis 7:13-15 says, “Noah … entered the ark . . . and every beast after its kind . . . went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life.” The Bible says two of every kind of air breathing, land animals went onto the ark with Noah. This means dinosaurs were on the ark with Noah.

Which raises the question of how Noah was able to fit all the animals on the ark. Some dinosaurs were massive and only one pair would have filled a large portion of the space available on the ark. However, not all the dinosaurs were huge. Most animals, including dinosaurs, are fairly small. The size of the average dinosaur was closer to that of a sheep than of a school bus.

Furthermore, Noah had no reason to bring fully grown animals onto the ark. He could have filled the ship with adolescents. Younger animals would have taken up less room than full grown adult and would have been able to bear more children after the flood. Extremely large animals require several years to reach full size. For example, an elephant requires at least 15 years to reach full size. Even fast growing animals like cows usually require a couple years to reach full size. Noah could have taken on board juvenile animals that were large enough to be independent of their parents, but were not yet fully grown. This simple solution would have provided ample room for all the animals to fit on the ark.

If Noah took dinosaurs on the ark, then why are none left today? That question is best answered by asking another question. Why aren’t there any giant sloths, wooly mammoths or short faced bears left today? They went extinct. The causes of dinosaur extinction are unknown. Various ideas have been suggested by creation scientists, including a dramatic change of the environment after the flood or over hunting by humans. Whatever happened to the dinosaurs after the flood, the Biblical account of the flood is a reliable record. Noah brought dinosaurs onto the ark.