Originally Posted by margog85
The story of Noah's arc is pre-history, not intended to be taken literally, and written from the perspective of peoples with a very limited world-view (a flood that 'covered the entire earth' could simply mean it was a large flood that covered all they knew. for example, those in hurrican katrina, had they no concept of a world outside of their own, could have easily concluded the entire world was flooding... but of course, it was not.)-
Take from the story what you will, but try not to get hung up on exactly what animals may have been there, what animals could have become other animals through cross-breeding, and why certain animals are here now that may not have been on the arc- Ancient people used stories to explain things they could not understand and to pass on ideas and beliefs about their god(s)- they were not intended for the literal interpretation that you're attempting.
That's not to say it's untrue- metaphorical stories and myths could certainly be 'divinely inspired' and meant to relay a message- but the Bible is not a history or science book, and should not be treated as such.