In the evolutionary scenario, when an animal or plant has gone “extinct,” and then is found living today, unchanged from what is found in the fossil record, this shocking discovery is called a “living fossil.”¹

A recent example is a rodent that was found in Southeast Asia. It was identified as one of a group of mammals called diatonyids, which were thought by evolutionists to have gone extinct about 11 million years ago. Of course, it is now obvious that this animal never was extinct. Because Noah’s Flood occurred about 4,400 years ago, it is not a surprise among creationists that this “extinct” rodent is the same in the fossil record as what has been rediscovered today. But it is a major problem for evolutionists because this rodent has somehow “forgotten” to evolve over millions of years.

The obvious interpretation, as you look at the creature preserved in the fossil record (which creationists argue is largely the result of the Flood) and compare it to today’s animal, is that it has remained the same. This “new” rodent fits well with the creation model, certainly not the evolutionary one.²