The Lazarus Rat

1 Corinthians 8:2
“And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.”

According to evolutionists, the early family of mammals called Diatomyidae has been extinct for eleven million years. Of course, as creationists, we do not accept this dating. This Diatomyidae family included rat-like creatures with long skulls, a furry tail and rounded ears.

Then, in 1996, a wildlife-survey team bought some strange looking animals in a meat market in Laos. This led to the discovery of living Laotian rock rats. These animals were placed into a family that includes porcupines and guinea pigs. Others argued that it belonged to a new family. The debate sparked a more detailed look at its DNA and bone structure by researchers in five countries. The results ruled out any possibility that the rats were related to guinea pigs. But the rock rat’s characteristic long skull, furred tail and round ears seemed to settle the matter. The Diatomyidae are not extinct, and the Laotian rock rat is indeed a member of this family. This discovery of thought-to-be extinct families happens frequently enough that such families are called Lazarus taxon or, more popularly, “living fossils.”

So, when evolutionists proclaim that this or that creature or family has been extinct for millions of years, it takes only one living specimen to disprove it. Furthermore, many creatures do not appear in the recent fossil record, and this puts the entire interpretation into question.

Notes: Science News, 4/28/07, p. 260, S. Milius, “Living Fossil.”
Photo: Guinea pigs. The Laotian rock rat is considered to be in the same family. Courtesy of Mike Russell. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
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