The Incredible Creatures on the Ark

They escaped the flood but not eventual extinction.

When you visit the Ark Encounter for the first time, you might be surprised to find animals that you don’t recognize inside our life-size Noah’s Ark. That’s because our designers and artists put much time into researching the animals that are displayed inside the Ark. They examined fossil evidence and compared the various species within the kinds present today to determine the traits that may have been visible in the pairs onboard Noah’s ark.

Since guests encounter several now-extinct animals on the Ark, we repeatedly hear one question from guests: “What is that?” Our design team created identification signs for each pair of animals to help answer that question. Initially, these signs were not included because we wanted this part of the Ark to feel more like the original ark, and Noah probably did not have these on his cages.

But we quickly realized that our guests wanted to learn more about the animals that were included.

Introduction to Animal Kinds

The large open area on deck one offers the first glimpses of the Ark’s magnificent sculpted animals. Large cages line both sides of the hull. Cages on the port side contain familiar varieties, such as bears, sloths, deer, and pigs.

The enclosures on the starboard side contain animals that have gone extinct since the flood, such as pterosaurs and scutosaurs.

The cages feature signs with fun facts regarding their respective animal kinds. This area also contains large illustrated billboard signs to help guests understand which animals were required on the ark, including the now-extinct animals mentioned above. But the marine creatures were not onboard, and there was no need to bring large, full-grown adults of each kind.

Every animal fabricated for the Ark Encounter is a carefully crafted reconstruction based on studies of the fossil remains. While certain features of the Ark’s animals may seem unusual, most are still recognizable as members of their respective kinds.

In addition to the large billboard signs, several smaller signs address common questions about the ark. Visitors can learn how freshwater fish survived the flood, whether insects were required on the ark, if Noah brought seven or 14 animals of each flying creature and clean animal, how ark researchers determined the number of ark animals, and so much more.

Start planning your visit to the Ark Encounter today, and see which animals you might recognize and learn more about the ones you don’t!