Why aren't there fossil records of the gradual transition to develop the giraffe's long neck for instance?
Evolution has been proven. A gap in fossil records means there is a gap in fossil records. Scientists are not like "well we don't know what virus causes this disease so maybe viruses are not actually real?" Of course there are parts of evolution the fossils have not been preserved? Why would that be an issue? I already asked this and you just repeated the question?
But as usual the pieces are slowly coming together:
"
They found that elongation of the giraffe neck occurred in stages, first in the front of the neck vertebrae and then after a few million years in the rear of the vertebrae. These stages of elongation happened in different species, but the modern giraffe is the only species that underwent both transformations, likely to get at progressively higher leaves on trees.
Evidently, though, the elongation started even before the giraffe family originated 16 million years ago. It continued with the extinct genus Samotherium, named after the Greek island of Samos where it was found, which seems to mark the beginning of the transition to modern giraffes. The front part of Samotherium’s vertebrae were elongated and it had long legs and a general slender stature. Sometime after Samotherium, the back portion of the vertebrae got longer.
While giraffes were once widespread over Africa and Eurasia only two members of the giraffe family (Giraffidae) exist today – the giraffe and the okapi. Giraffids are ruminant artiodactyls that share a common ancestor with the groups to which cows and deer belong. They evolved around 25 million years ago, which is quite late for mammal diversification.
The okapi is a part of a distinct group of giraffids, as their ancestors started off with longer necks and over time the necks became shorter. The okapi occupies an area of rainforest in central Africa. This environment is quite different than the grassland savannahs in which the giraffes live, where arid conditions produce tall trees with leaves high from the ground.
The extinct genera Bramatherium and Sivatherium, which may have lived as recently as 8,000 years ago, also seem to have gone down the okapi path. They had strange antler-like ornamentations (ossicones), large, stout bodies and shorter necks.
The giraffe’s long neck must have evolved from a short-necked ancestor. For the first time ever, scientists have used fossil evidence to explain this transformation.
eartharchives.org
If it's as long a period needed as you say and happens extremely slowly over time. They should have found some fossils showing that continuing change of neck length throughout the millions of years it supposedly evolved.
Well they did find that. But you still don't care because you are not looking for what is true but ways to make a myth true.
It cannot be done any more than I can make Zeus true by science denial.
Also what is it in natural selection that would have inclined it towards developing such a long neck in just one particular creature? Or you could use an ostrich as an example since it has a long neck also. (Although they are clearly not related to each other.)
As usual, science doesn't know the exact specifics of every species. Science learns new things through field research and seeing if theories hold up against evidence.
There is speculation that the neck served a different purpose. Again, it doesn't challenge the fact that genes mutate, natural selection happens, gene flow, genetic drift. We don't need EVERY answer to every possible step in any science?
We know elements up to iron are created in supernova, heavier elements like gold were a mystery. Doesn't change the knowledge of supernova creating lighter elements. We suspect neutron star collisions may form gold. But the basic idea is sound and has evidence. There will always be gaps in knowledge.
Butt there is speculation is was a breeding mechanism -
"Previously, the common assumption among scientists was that giraffes’ long necks evolved to help them reach an otherwise untouchable source of food—treetop leaves.
But in the mid-1990s, a set of researchers offered a “necks-for-sex” hypothesis based on the behavior of male giraffes, which compete for dominance by swinging their necks and delivering blows to each other with their heavy skulls, small horns, and stout ossicones on their heads.
The researchers proposed that the result of these head-bashing competitions is the evolution of ever-longer necks. The idea has been hotly debated.
Nearly 20 years since Meng’s discovery, analyses were renewed on the fossils—as well as on others found in the time since using high-resolution CT scans and other techniques. The scientists found that the peculiar morphological characteristics of
D. xiezhi show an adaptation for fierce head-butting behavior.
The researchers also studied tooth enamel isotope data from the fossils, which suggest that the species also likely filled a specific ecological niche in the ecosystem unavailable to other today’s herbivores—and that that early giraffoid evolution is more complex than previously known. In addition to competition for food, sexual combat likely played an important role in shaping the group’s unique skull and necks.
“Feeding may be an evolutionary outcome, sex may be the pathway that leads to this outcome, and, above all, each species must find its place in the ecology if it is to survive in a challenging environment,” Meng said..."
Find out about new research that sheds light on the evolution of giraffes' long necks.
www.amnh.org
These minor questions are things scientists are working on. They do not invalidate the theory. Fossils are not obliged to happen and it actually fits with the theory!
"Probably only
about 100,000 of the estimated 1,239,129 living species of animals have a good chance of fossil preservation. This means that only 8% of the living species of animals have a likelihood of being preserved in sedimentary rocks as fossils."
If it's advantageous why wouldn't the horse have developed that way also? Why just the giraffe?
For one they are separate animals from different locations. One is in Africa and one in North America.
We see a massive variety of mammals and a long neck was not needed for most. If it was a food issue it's because they ate from tall trees and horses ate from lower vegetation. But it might not be related to that. For whatever reason they evolved as they did, there is also evidence of the evolution of both animals.
"Some scientists have long presumed today's giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis, right), which includes a handful of subspecies scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, evolved from
an animal that looked like its close cousin the okapi (Okapia johnstoni, left), which lives in the tropical forests of central Africa.
Meng, both the creature's teeth and inner ear structure were reminiscent of modern giraffes. They determined that Discokeryx was one of the earliest graffids, an ancestral group of hoofed mammals that gave rise to giraffes. Discokeryx likely resembled an okapi, a forest-dwelling cousin of modern giraffes.
A Brief History of Horses
By 55 million years ago, the first members of the horse family, the dog-sized
Hyracotherium, were scampering through the forests that covered North America. For more than half their history, most horses remained small, forest browsers. But changing climate conditions allowed grasslands to expand, and about 20 million years ago, many new species rapidly evolved. Some--but not all--became larger and had the familiar hooves and grazing diets that we associate with horses today. Only these species survived to the present, but in the past, small and large species lived side by side.
However Genesis isn't even original but just another vague creation myth, as this site points out while debunking the Quran.
One of the most widespread motifs in creation myths is that of separation of heaven and earth. When we look at culture after culture we see the same idea. At this point, you should really be wondering if Muhammad spoke to Allah or was just repeating what everyone else was saying. Do you notice that the verse above actually draws attention to the fact that the disbelievers were “aware” of this concept? It’s actually saying that we are describing to you what you already know to be true (that the heavens and earth were joined).
Other ancient culture myths of heavens and earth being split
- The Bible (Genesis) that says that in the beginning there was only water, and then God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.”
- The Greeks who said in the beginning there was only water (the God Oceanus), and then Eurynome separated the sky from the sea by dancing on the waves of Oceanus[ref]Greek creation myths[/ref]
- The Dhammai of India, The Diegenos of California – Earth and heaven had to be separated because no room for growth in the darkness otherwise
- The Romans – separation of heaven and earth by a natural force – a God
- in Ancient Greece Kronos (Time) castrated his father and separated heaven and earth, similarly with the Continental Celts
- Creation myth of the Krachi of Africa the God of heaven rests firmly on Earth and human offspring are nearly smothered, and by lots of squirming father is sent up higher and higher
- Maori and other Polynesian people said that the sky father and earth mother clung so tightly that their children had no choice but to force them apart
- The Snohomish of North Western Africa – people banging their heads against the sky so heaven and earth separated
- Melenesian Solomon Island myth
- Micromesian Mariana Islands myth
- In Mongolia Udan separates heaven and earth with 99 golden columns
- Vietnam giant Khong raises the sky from the earth with his head
- Mesoamerica the Mayan feathered serpent and the god Tepeu use their immense power to separate heaven and earth
- and more… [ref]Reference: Creation Myths of the World: Parts I-II, By David Adams Leeming (Google Books): 1, 2, 3 [/ref]
The way the Quran describes the heavens and earth separating sounds very similar to the ancient creation myths. It repeats incorrect ideas, it doesn’t get the order of creation right, […]
friendlyexmuslim.com