Millions of Animals on the Ark?

Imagine the earth as it was before the flood. The forests are lush and fertile. The air is thick, warm, and fragrant. The completed ark sits quietly on a hilltop like a great wooden fortress.

Guided in pairs, thousands of creatures flood into the ark. There are perhaps millions of species worldwide, but only select representatives of every land-dependent, air-breathing kind are sent. Approximately 6,744 animals assemble inside—most are small, young, and easily kept. These chosen animals will reestablish their kinds in the new world.

Which Animals Were Brought into the Ark?

The Bible says that Noah brought representatives of every land-dependent, air-breathing animal kind. Kind is a broader category than species and usually includes many species.

Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. (Genesis 6:20)

What Is an Animal Kind?

An animal kind, or baramin (from the Hebrew word for “created” and “kind”), is a group of animals related to each other but not to any other animals. The study of created kinds is called baraminology.

How Many Kinds Were on the Ark?

Studies beginning in 2012 estimate that among land-dependent vertebrates, there are fewer than 1,400 living and extinct kinds. In a worst-case scenario, it is projected that Noah was responsible for fewer than 6,744 individual animals—most of them small and easily maintained.

To learn more about animal kinds and how Noah and his family might have cared for the animals on board the ark, start planning your visit to the Ark Encounter today!