A
severe problem for evolutionists is the absence of transitional forms in the
fossil record. Transitional forms are intermediate forms of life appearing in
the fossil record that are "in-between" existing types of life found
today or in the past.
If slow, gradual evolution occurred, you would expect to observe a
steady change in the fossil record. After all, if life took millions of years to
arrive at its' present state of development, the earth should be filled with
fossils that could be easily assembled into a number of series showing minor
changes as species were evolving.
The opposite is true – there is no long series of small changes! When
fossils are examined they form records of existing and extinct organisms with
clearly defined gaps, or missing transitional forms, consistent with a
creationist's view of origins. Below are some of the gaps in the fossil record.
Consider...
The Cambrian explosion - At the bottom of the so-called geological
column in the so called Cambrian rocks are found highly complex creatures:
trilobites, worms, sponges, jellyfish, etc., all without ancestors. It's
as though they “just abruptly appeared.” These are highly complex life forms
appearing on the scene without forerunners. Trilobites for example, have
compound lenses in their eyes that would have taken trillions of years for
chance to have produced.
Insects - When found in the fossil record, they are already developed
without ancestors. Dragonflies are dragonflies, mosquitoes are mosquitoes.
Instead of an evolutionary tree, we have only the leaves without the trunk or
branches. To compound this problem the question of flight arises... when did
they develop the ability to fly? There are absolutely no fossil intermediates in
the record.
Invertebrates and vertebrates - Transitional forms leading to
vertebrates are absent.
Fish to Amphibian - Fin to feet... Evolutionist smoothly cite a Fish
--> Amphibian --> Reptile --> Mammal progression in their theory,
however there is a large gap in the fossil record between fish and amphibians.
Among other differences, fish have small pelvic bones that are embedded in
muscle and not connected to the backbone unlike tetrapod amphibians which have
large pelvises that are firmly connected to the vertebral column. Without this
anatomy, the amphibian could not walk. The morphological differences in this gap
are obvious and profound.
Mammals - Mammals just appear in the fossil record, again without
transitional forms. Marine Mammals (whales, dolphins, and sea cows) also appear
abruptly. It has been suggested that the ancestors of the dolphins are cattle,
pigs, or buffaloes, but alas, with no evidence whatsoever.
Also consider the enigma of flight - supposedly, insects, birds, mammals
(bats), and reptiles, each evolved the ability to fly separately. In each of the
four cases there are no series of transitional forms to support this assertion.
The primates - lemurs, monkeys, apes and man appear fully formed in the
fossil record. The proverbial "missing link" between man and ape
remains elusive and periodically changes with the thinking of the day.
And finally, dinosaurs. Again there is the absence of transitional
series leading to these giants. The most often cited "example" of a
transitional form is the Archaeopteryx which has been touted as a reptile
to bird transition. However, this creature is controversial and enveloped in
dispute.
Sometimes evolutionists suggest that transitional forms haven't been
found because there has not been enough fossils unearthed to accurately portray
life as it existed long ago. However, since Darwin's time there has been a
hundred-fold increase in the number of fossils found and a systematic problem
still remains. There are fewer candidates for transitional forms between major
divisions of life than for minor divisions, the exact reverse of what is
expected by evolutionary theory.
In summary, instead of getting a blossoming "tree" in the
fossil record, you get abrupt appearances of life, indicative of creation, and
conflicting with the notions of gradual evolution, which clearly supports the
creationist theory of origins.