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January 23, 2009
More inane evolution comments
In search of snacks, it began slowly shimmying forward. I swam with it for nearly half an hour, up and down, reaching out gently to pat its elephant-like hide (the elephant is the land mammal most closely related to the manatee). At some point, it registered with me that I was swimming with a creature whose lineage went back 50 million years.A Swim With Manatees: No Splashing, Please
I don't understand the appeal of taking special pleasure in a creature for being old. Yes, some creatures exist mostly unchanged for millions of years, but they are interesting because they are different from other creatures that are alive today, not because there is anything special about being an old species. The manatee, like every other creature alive today, is descended from animals alive 50 million years ago. But that's true for 100 million years ago and probably a billion years ago as well. Isn't the majesty of creation astounding enough that we can enjoy it for its real features and oddities rather than imagined ones?
Posted by OneEyedMan at January 23, 2009 12:05 PM
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