ShinBits #fundie

ShinBits #fundie christianforums.com

The Amazon is possibly the most diverse ecosystem on earth, with animals ranging from snakes to apes, from all varieties of insects to birds and spiders.

How can all these have a common ancestor?

I would make sense if there were simply diverse arrays of birds and such, and perhaps diverse insects, but if these creatures evolved, then they really shouldn't share the same niche.

Unless we're to believe birds and spiders have a common ancestor, or snakes and monkeys in the Amazon branched from the same ancestors.

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old comment by Papabear

"The Amazon is possibly the most diverse ecosystem on earth, with animals ranging from snakes to apes, from all varieties of insects to birds and spiders."
Are there actually apes in South America? Monkeys, yes, but apes? Certainly not "all" varities of anything are found in any one eco-system. "How can all these have a common ancestor?" Through millions of years of evolution. Just because your below average intellect can't fathom it does not mean it is not true. "I would make sense if there were simply diverse arrays of birds and such, and perhaps diverse insects, but if these creatures evolved, then they really shouldn't share the same niche." First, YOU would not make sense under conditions. Second, assuming you mean "it," many creatures in the same eco-system fill the same or very nearly the same niches. So what? Owls eats mice, wolves eat mice, snakes eat mice. More than one species can evolve to fill the same niche as long as there are enough resources in that niche. "Unless we're to believe birds and spiders have a common ancestor, or snakes and monkeys in the Amazon branched from the same ancestors." That is true, birds, spiders, snakes and monkeys all share a common ancestry. You may have heard that humans and chimpanzees share 96%+ of their DNA. I'm sure you'll find it even more shocking to learn that you share about 50% of you DNA with the nearest tree. ALL, yes, ALL life on earth shares common ancestry if you go back far enough.

old comment by Julian

Did he just call the world's largest rainforest a 'niche'?
also snakes and apes do have a common ancestor - all vertebrates do - not to mention mammals evolved from reptiles (Synapsids). Snakes are under Lepidosauromorpha. Apes are under Mammalia. Duh! Amniota are all four legged land animals that undergo embroyonic development and are born/hatched similar to their adult form and do not undergo a massive metamorphasis (puberty is fuck all compared to what insects and amphibians have to put up with) image Casineria kiddi was one of the first amniotes. A couple of cool pages too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptiliomorpha http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcopterygii

old comment by Maronan

The Amazon is possibly the most diverse ecosystem on earth, with animals ranging from snakes to apes, from all varieties of insects to birds and spiders.

How can all these have a common ancestor?

I'm a bit shy but very loud when I actually do talk. My sister can talk on and on without noticing her surroundings. My other sister won't ever leave her room unless forced. My other other sister will talk, but hates politics. My brother loves to rant about politics. My other brother will say anything, as long as it's about himself. My siblings and I all have such very different personalities; how could we possibly share a common ancestor? _{(Maronan may not actually have aforementioned siblings. Siblings are for example purposes only.)}

I would make sense if there were simply diverse arrays of birds and such, and perhaps diverse insects...

Uh oh! He's blackmailing us! He's threatened that he refuses to make sense until we kill everyone in the Amazon except the birds and insects!

...but if these creatures evolved, then they really shouldn't share the same niche.

Define "niche." You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Unless we're to believe birds and spiders have a common ancestor, or snakes and monkeys in the Amazon branched from the same ancestors.

All life on Earth shares a common ancestor if you're willing to look back far enough.

“The Amazon is possibly the most diverse ecosystem on earth, with animals ranging from snakes to apes,”
Apes? Far as I know the only ape in North or South America is Sasquatch.
So, is this an argument from Credulity?

“from all varieties of insects to birds and spiders.”
ALL insects? Really?
Um… Sand Fleas?

“How can all these have a common ancestor?”
Evolution. It’s, like, in the introductory chapter of every textbook.

“I would make sense if there were simply diverse arrays of birds and such, and perhaps diverse insects, but if these creatures evolved, then they really shouldn't share the same niche.”
THey do not. The spiders you mention? They don’t eat the plants, they eat the insects that eat the plants. So, they chare the same geographical area, but not the same niche.

“Unless we're to believe birds and spiders have a common ancestor,”
Yes.

“ or snakes and monkeys in the Amazon branched from the same ancestors.”
If you go far enough back, yes. They all have vertebrae, so that’s a clue about when they split off from the spiders and sand fleas and rubber tree plants and jellyfish….

ShinBits #fundie christianforums.com

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