Introduction

The Evolution of whales is important to any Old Earth creation theory. The reason is because they appear after land mammals in the evolutionary chain. Biblically, this would seem to place part of Day 5 within Day 6, when scripture is clear that the days do not overlap as such. So, did whales evolve from the land mammals of Day 6? The answer is a resounding no.

Discovery Identifies Whales' Land-based Ancestors

Whales have long been identified as mammals since before their land-based ancestors were discovered. It was a missing link that many considered proof against the Genesis or against Evolution. But, their mammalian similarities suggested that the link had to exist, and scientists persisted until one day the unexpected occurred...

"Thewissen realised Indohyus was the missing link in the whale's evolutionary path when his technician accidentally broke one of the skulls they had found while working on it. The fracture revealed an unusual bone structure around the animal's ear."

"When I saw it, I said 'Oh my God!' In most mammals the bone is a little bowl-shaped structure, but in whales the shape of the bone that makes up the ear is unique and in Indohyus it is the same. The inside of that bone is very thick, and on the outside, it's very thin, the difference is giant. No other mammal has that," said Thewissen. --

Study revealed other similarities between the whale and this member of the Artiodactyla order, and dating corresponds to the beginning of the whales' appearance in the sea.

More than One Way to Scientifically Confirm Whale Evolution

Raymond Sutera wrote an interesting article entitled "The Origin of Whales and the Power of Independent Evidence". Sutera goes through the definition of a whale, and the ability to conclude how whales evolved, using any of nine separate scientific lines of evidence:

"The evidence that whales descended from terrestrial mammals is here divided into nine independent parts: paleontological, morphological, molecular biological, vestigial, embryological, geochemical, paleoenvironmental, paleobiogeographical, and chronological. Although my summary of the evidence is not exhaustive, it shows that the current view of whale evolution is supported by scientific research in several distinct disciplines."

Whales Evolved Before the Grand Coupure

Whales appear in the fossil record beginning around 45 Ma. Well, around 33 Ma was an event called the Grand Coupure. It is a mass extinction event that impacted sea and land-based life forms alike. A study of the land mammals that evolved from the survivors lead to the rise of the mammals we have today, specifically cattle, creeping things, and beasts. This dates Creation Day 6 to 12 million years after whales first evolved, placing it securely after the appearance of whales on Day 5.

God's Command

According to scripture, Jesus is the master craftsman, obeying the commands of God the Father. The Father's commands are not to create, but to let certain things "be". In the case of Genesis 1:20, God's command was to (in part) let the seas teem with life. This included whales. Interestingly, Genesis does not mention or describe the land mammals from before the appearance of whales. It does not have to. If Evolution is true, then for the seas to teem with whales, the land and seas would first produce the mammalian forms that precede them.

The interesting thing is that God's command did not start sealife, bird, or even mammalian Evolution. Evolution of sealife started long before, around 500 Ma. Mammals first appear in the fossil record around 200 Ma, and birds appear around 150 Ma, long before they were almost wiped out by the KT Impact, after which God said to let seas teem with their survivors.

So Whales Evolved from Land Mammals Before Day 6 Began

The "creation" of whales explains why theologians and scientists cannot agree on Evolution. Old Earthers adopt Day Age theories that tell us Days 5 and 6 overlap... because whales clearly developed after land mammals first appeared; Young Earthers correctly point out that such theories contradict the plain meaning of scripture... the Creation Days do not overlap. The key is that overlaying Evolution upon a literal interpretation of scripture does not result in overlapping days.

The GeoCreationist perspective is:

1. Day 5 began with the destruction of most life on earth, 65 Ma

2. Of what survived, God let it flourish. He specifically named sealife and birds. "Sealife" includes whales

3. Whales appear around 45 Ma, and evolved from land mammals that precede those named in Day 6

4. On Day 6, God let cattle, creeping things, and beasts, evolve according to their kind... 33 Ma

Summary and Conclusions

Scripture tells us that the seas and land produced the life we have, and that God removed any encumbrances to it doing so. Before Day 5, the land and the seas were evolving increasingly complex life, but when the KT Impact occurred, the seas were not teeming. So, God (i.e., Jesus, the master craftsman) stepped in. The earth recovered from its disaster, and the seas and air flourished with life.