Introduction

Combining Genesis 1:20-23 and Genesis 1:24-25, Day 6 must meet the following conditions:

1) Some event allowed the evolution of new land mammals

2) The event occurred after the evolution of whales

3) The new mammals evolved from what already existed

4) The new mammals were cattle, creeping things, beasts

Can we scientifically determine a time in the earth’s history that is consistent with the scriptural requirements above? The answer to this is yes.

The Grand Coupure

The Grande Coupure was defined by Stehlin (1910) as a major faunal turnover affecting continental vertebrate faunas across Europe occurring close to the Eocene–Oligocene boundary. During this event, a large number of the European Eocene endemic mammals became extinct and new Asian immigrants appeared. Only a few families (among them the rodents Theridomyidae and Gliridae) crossed the faunal divide undiminished. -- "The age of the “Grande Coupure” mammal turnover"

The Eocene-Oligocene boundary is a boundary in geologic history, between 33.5 and 33.9 Ma, at which mammal populations in Europe, Asia, and the Americas experienced a mass extinction, followed by a recovery. There are several theories for what caused the extinction, which makes the event somewhat controversial. What scientists agree on is that the mass extinction happened, and that it happened within this time frame.

What Appeared?

J. J. Hooker and his team summarized the break as follows [emphasis added]:

“Pre-Grande Coupure faunas are dominated by the perissodact family Palaeotheriidae (distant horse relatives), six families of artiodactyls (cloven-hoofed mammals) (Anoplotheriidae, Xiphodontidae, Choeropotamidae, Cebochoeridae, Dichobunidae and Amphimerycidae), the rodent family Pseudosciuridae, the primate families Omomyidae and Adapidae, and the archontan family Nyctitheriidae.

“Post-Grande Coupure faunas include the true rhinoceros (family Rhinocerotidae), three artiodactyl families (Entelodontidae, Anthracotheriidae and Gelocidae) related respectively to pigs, hippos and ruminants, the rodent families Eomyidae, Cricetidae (hamsters) and Castoridae (beavers), and the lipotyphlan family Erinaceidae (hedgehogs). The speciose genus Palaeotherium plus Anoplotherium and the families Xiphodontidae and Amphimerycidae were observed to disappear completely.

“Only the marsupial family Herpetotheriidae, the artiodactyl family Cainotheriidae, and the rodent families Theridomyidae and Gliridae (dormice) crossed the faunal divide undiminished.”

Scripture and Science Confirm Each Other

Biblically speaking, it is not so important what died and what survived as it is what arose: rhinoceros, pigs, hippos, hamsters, beavers, and hedgehogs. There also evolved cows (29 Ma), deer (15-30 Ma), and other species one might classify as "cattle". Modern elephants (5 Ma), panthera (3.8 Ma), and other species one might classify as "beasts" evolved as well. For the few orders that made it across the Eocene-Oligocene boundary, they evolved according to their kinds. In other words, when matching Day 6 to the Grand Copure, the scriptural list of cattle, creeping things, and beasts -- brought forth by the earth according to their kinds -- fits the scientific record quite well.