To see the
impossibility of the evolutionist scenario on the marine mammals,
let us briefly examine some other unique features of these
animals. When the adaptations a land-dwelling mammal has to
undergo in order to evolve into a marine mammal are considered,
even the word "impossible" seems inadequate. During such a
transition, if even of one of the intermediary stages failed
to happen, the creature would be unable to survive, which
would put an end to the entire process. The adaptations that
marine mammals must undergo during the transition to water
are as follows:
1- Water-retention: Unlike other
marine animals, marine mammals cannot use sea water to meet
their water needs. They need fresh water to survive. Though
we have limited information about the freshwater resources
of marine mammals, it is believed that they feed on organisms
containing a relatively low proportion of salt (about one
third that of sea water). Thus, for marine mammals the retention
of water in their bodies is crucial. That is why they have
a water retention mechanism similar to that of camels. Like
camels, marine mammals do not sweat; however, their kidneys
are perfectly functional, producing highly concentrated urine
that enables the animal to save water. In this way, water
loss is reduced to a minimum.
Design for water retention can be seen even in
minor details. For instance, the mother whale feeds her baby
with a concentrated form of milk similar to cheese. This milk
contains ten times more fat than human milk. There are a number
of chemical reasons why this milk is so rich in fat. Water
is released as the young whale digests the milk. In this way,
the mother meets the young whale's water needs with minimum
water loss.
2- Sight and communication: The
eyes of dolphins and whales enable them to have acute eyesight
in different environments. They have perfect eyesight in water
as well as out. Yet most living things, including man, have
poor eyesight out of their natural environments.
The eyes of marine and land-dwelling mammals
are astonishingly elaborate. On land, the eyes face a number
of potential dangers. That is why the eyes of land-dwelling
animals have lids to protect them. In the ocean, the greatest
threats to the eye come from the high level of salt and the
pressure from currents. To avoid direct contact with the currents,
the eyes are located on the sides of the head. In addition
to this, a hard layer protects the eyes of creatures which
dive to great depths. The eyes of marine mammals are equipped
with elaborate features enabling them to see at depths where
there is little light. For example, their lenses are perfectly
circular in shape, while in their retinas, rods (the cells
sensitive to light) outnumber cones (the cells sensitive to
colours and details). Furthermore, the eyes of cetaceans also
contain a phosphorus layer, which also helps them see particularly
well in the dark.
Even so, however, sight is not most important
sensory modality of marine mammals. They rely more on their
sense of hearing than is typically the case with land-dwelling
mammals. Light is essential for sight, whereas hearing requires
no such assistance. Many whales and dolphins hunt at a depth
where it is completely dark, by means of a sonar mechanism
they possess. Toothed whales, in particular, "see" by means
of sound waves. Just as happens with light waves in the visual
system, sound waves are focused and then analyzed and interpreted
in the brain. This gives the cetacean accurate information
regarding the shape, size, speed and position of the object
in front of it. This sonic system is extremely sensitive-for
instance, a dolphin can sense a person jumping into the sea.
Sound waves are also used for determining direction and for
communication. For example, two whales hundreds of kilometers
apart can communicate via sound.
The question of how these animals produce the
sounds that enable them to determine direction or to communicate
is still largely unresolved. As far as we know, one particular
feature in the dolphin's body deserves particular attention:
namely, the animal's skull is insulated against sound, a feature
that protects the brain from continuous and intensive noise
bombardment.
Let us now consider the question: Is it possible
that all these astonishing features in marine mammals came
into existence by means of natural selection and mutation?
What mutation could result in the dolphin's body's coming
to possess a sonar system and a brain insulated from sound?
What kind of mutation could enable its eye to see in dark
water? What mutation could lead to the mechanism that allows
the most economic use of water?
There is no end to such questions, and evolution
has no answer to any of them. Instead, the theory of evolution
makes do with an unbelievable story. Consider all the coincidences
that this story involves in the case of marine mammals. First
of all, fish just happened to come into existence in the water.
Next, they made the transition to land by pure chance. Following
this, they evolved on the land into reptiles and mammals,
also by chance alone. Finally, it just so happened that some
of these creatures returned to the water where by chance they
acquired all the features they would need to survive there.
Can the theory of evolution prove even a single
one of these stages? Certainly not. Far from being able to
prove the claim as a whole, the theory of evolution is unable
to demonstrate how even one of these different steps could
have happened.
  
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