Turtle Evolution or Creation?
by Owen Borville
June 23, 2019
Biology
Turtles are reptiles known for their hard shells that cover most of their body. The origin of the shell is a difficulty to explain for those who have evolutionist beliefs. Evolutionists can debate why the turtle has a shell but the most significant question is the origin of the shell. Regardless of why the turtle has a shell, the most difficult question is how it got there in the first place. Evolutionists claim that the turtle somehow evolved the shell for protection or some other reason. However, just because an animal needs a shell doesn't explain how the shell came in the first place. Gradual, random evolutionist processes over millions of years cannot explain how the turtle received its shell. Why do other reptiles not have shells and turtles do? Where is the fossil record that shows the evolution of a hard shell? Evolutionists claim that the turtle accidentally evolved a shell over millions of years because it needed one. Supposedly the shell-less turtles died and the ones that could evolve a shell lived. Of course, this attempt at an explanation does not explain how a shell actually formed onto a turtle's body. Creationists believe that the turtle shell is part of a unique design by an Intelligent Designer who had the turtle and its safety in mind. Evolutionists can't explain how a shell developed on a turtle's body. Just because it needed a shell does not explain how it formed. Turtle fossils claimed to be hundreds of millions of years old look very similar to modern turtles, therefore the evidence against evolution is strong.
Sea turtles are also immune to jellyfish venom and eat jellyfish. How could this immunity evolve over millions of years? Sea turtles would not live to reproduce. This immunity must have been part of a unique Intelligent Design.
In addition to the shell origin, the turtle possesses another feature that baffles evolutionists. Scientists have determined that sea turtles use the Earth's magnetic field to find home. Scientists have observed that after travelling thousands of miles into the sea for several years, sea turtles return to their exact birth spot in order to mate and to lay their own eggs. How does the sea turtle find its birth spot after travelling so far away for so long? Magnetic lines spread out across the Earth and the sea turtle can somehow remember the magnetic position of its birth spot so that after travelling so far and so long, it can return to its original birth spot. The sea turtle can develop is own internal compass inside its body that directs it back to its birth spot. In addition, as the Earth's magnetic field changes or shifts position over time, the sea turtle also senses this change and adjusts accordingly. This incredible feature is obviously difficult for evolutionists to explain and observers must consider the likelihood that this feature was given to the sea turtle as part of a grand intelligent design and creation by an Intelligent Designer.
The leatherback turtle is the largest turtle in the world, are the only species of sea turtle that lack scales and a hard shell, and are named for their tough, rubbery, dark skin. Leatherbacks have a lighter colored underside. Leatherbacks live and migrate in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They occupy U.S. waters in the West Pacific, East Pacific, and Northwest Atlantic.
The leatherback turtle is designed for its environment. Its top shell (or carapace) is about 1.5 inches thick and consists of leathery, oil-saturated connective tissue overlying loosely interlocking dermal bones. Their carapace has seven ridges along its length that taper to a blunt point, which helps the leatherback move more effectively in water. Their front flippers lack claws and scales and are proportionally longer than in other sea turtles. Their back flippers are paddle-shaped. Both their ridged carapace top and their large flippers make the leatherback uniquely designed for long distance foraging migrations.
Leatherbacks are highly migratory, undertaking the longest migrations between breeding and feeding areas of any sea turtle, some migrating over 10,000 miles a year between nesting and foraging grounds and some averaging 3,700 miles each way. Leatherbacks spend most of their lives in the ocean, but females leave the water to lay eggs on the beach. Leatherback turtles are also accomplished divers with the deepest recorded dive reaching nearly 4,000 feet, which is deeper than most marine mammals, and can stay down for up to 85 minutes. While in the ocean, leatherbacks feed on jellyfish and soft-bodied marine animals.
Evolutionists claim that leatherback turtles have existed in their current form since the age of the dinosaurs (252-66 million years ago in the evolutionist time scale). However, this non-evolution for so long gives strong evidence of a young origin 6,000 years ago.
by Owen Borville
June 23, 2019
Biology
Turtles are reptiles known for their hard shells that cover most of their body. The origin of the shell is a difficulty to explain for those who have evolutionist beliefs. Evolutionists can debate why the turtle has a shell but the most significant question is the origin of the shell. Regardless of why the turtle has a shell, the most difficult question is how it got there in the first place. Evolutionists claim that the turtle somehow evolved the shell for protection or some other reason. However, just because an animal needs a shell doesn't explain how the shell came in the first place. Gradual, random evolutionist processes over millions of years cannot explain how the turtle received its shell. Why do other reptiles not have shells and turtles do? Where is the fossil record that shows the evolution of a hard shell? Evolutionists claim that the turtle accidentally evolved a shell over millions of years because it needed one. Supposedly the shell-less turtles died and the ones that could evolve a shell lived. Of course, this attempt at an explanation does not explain how a shell actually formed onto a turtle's body. Creationists believe that the turtle shell is part of a unique design by an Intelligent Designer who had the turtle and its safety in mind. Evolutionists can't explain how a shell developed on a turtle's body. Just because it needed a shell does not explain how it formed. Turtle fossils claimed to be hundreds of millions of years old look very similar to modern turtles, therefore the evidence against evolution is strong.
Sea turtles are also immune to jellyfish venom and eat jellyfish. How could this immunity evolve over millions of years? Sea turtles would not live to reproduce. This immunity must have been part of a unique Intelligent Design.
In addition to the shell origin, the turtle possesses another feature that baffles evolutionists. Scientists have determined that sea turtles use the Earth's magnetic field to find home. Scientists have observed that after travelling thousands of miles into the sea for several years, sea turtles return to their exact birth spot in order to mate and to lay their own eggs. How does the sea turtle find its birth spot after travelling so far away for so long? Magnetic lines spread out across the Earth and the sea turtle can somehow remember the magnetic position of its birth spot so that after travelling so far and so long, it can return to its original birth spot. The sea turtle can develop is own internal compass inside its body that directs it back to its birth spot. In addition, as the Earth's magnetic field changes or shifts position over time, the sea turtle also senses this change and adjusts accordingly. This incredible feature is obviously difficult for evolutionists to explain and observers must consider the likelihood that this feature was given to the sea turtle as part of a grand intelligent design and creation by an Intelligent Designer.
The leatherback turtle is the largest turtle in the world, are the only species of sea turtle that lack scales and a hard shell, and are named for their tough, rubbery, dark skin. Leatherbacks have a lighter colored underside. Leatherbacks live and migrate in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They occupy U.S. waters in the West Pacific, East Pacific, and Northwest Atlantic.
The leatherback turtle is designed for its environment. Its top shell (or carapace) is about 1.5 inches thick and consists of leathery, oil-saturated connective tissue overlying loosely interlocking dermal bones. Their carapace has seven ridges along its length that taper to a blunt point, which helps the leatherback move more effectively in water. Their front flippers lack claws and scales and are proportionally longer than in other sea turtles. Their back flippers are paddle-shaped. Both their ridged carapace top and their large flippers make the leatherback uniquely designed for long distance foraging migrations.
Leatherbacks are highly migratory, undertaking the longest migrations between breeding and feeding areas of any sea turtle, some migrating over 10,000 miles a year between nesting and foraging grounds and some averaging 3,700 miles each way. Leatherbacks spend most of their lives in the ocean, but females leave the water to lay eggs on the beach. Leatherback turtles are also accomplished divers with the deepest recorded dive reaching nearly 4,000 feet, which is deeper than most marine mammals, and can stay down for up to 85 minutes. While in the ocean, leatherbacks feed on jellyfish and soft-bodied marine animals.
Evolutionists claim that leatherback turtles have existed in their current form since the age of the dinosaurs (252-66 million years ago in the evolutionist time scale). However, this non-evolution for so long gives strong evidence of a young origin 6,000 years ago.
