The Dingo—It’s Not a Dog, But It’s a “Dog”

by Ken Ham on March 11, 2019
Featured in Ken Ham Blog

A recent study has confirmed what was first proposed in 1793—that the dingo, a wild Australian canine, is a species in its own right, not simply a breed of wild dog. The dingoes’ characteristics differentiate them from domestic and feral dogs, as well as other wild canids (i.e., wolves). The research confirms that “a dingo is a dingo, and not a dog.” So, what do I mean “it’s not a dog, but it’s a dog” in my blog’s title?

Well, the dingo is its own species, Canis dingo, so it’s not a dog in the sense of what we typically think of as dogs (our domesticated breeds). But it is a dog in the sense that it’s part of the canid, or dog, kind (Family: Canidae). We know this because dingoes can reproduce with domesticated and feral dogs. This means they belong to the same created kind.

God built tremendous genetic diversity into the DNA of every kind that he made.

You see, God created organisms to reproduce according to their kinds. Cats produce cats, dogs produce dogs, and elephants produce elephants. But God built tremendous genetic diversity into the DNA of every kind that he made. This allows them to spread out and fill the earth, adapting to different ecological niches. That’s why we can have wolves that thrive in the cold arctic, coyotes that scavenge at the local city dump, and dingoes that hunt on the grasslands and deserts of Australia. They’re all dogs, but different species because of adaptation and speciation. Now, this is not evolution. It’s the opposite of molecules-to-man evolution, which requires new genetic information for characteristics, previously not possible, that are added to the genome.

You can learn more about created kinds in this chapter by Bodie Hodge and Dr. Georgia Purdom from The New Answers Book 3: “What are the ‘Kinds’ in Genesis?” You can also check out their chapter, “Is a Species the Same Thing as a Biblical Kind?” in our brand-new book, Glass House: Shattering the Myth of Evolution, available in our online store.

Get More Answers on Answers News

This item was on Answers News by cohosts Dr. Georgia Purdom, Bodie Hodge, and Avery Foley today. Answers News is our twice-weekly news program filmed live before a studio audience here at the Creation Museum and broadcast on my Facebook page and the Answers in Genesis Facebook page. We also answered the following questions:

  • Have scientists actually witnessed a single-celled alga evolving into a multi-cellular organism?
  • Did a US Senator really advocate for legalized prostitution?
  • Do right-handed and left-handed snails display evolution?
  • And more!

Watch the entire episode of Answers News for March 11, 2019.

Be sure to join us each Monday and Thursday at 2 p.m. (EST) on my Facebook page or the Answers in Genesis Facebook page for Answers News. You won’t want to miss this unique news program that gives science and culture news from a distinctly biblical and Christian perspective.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.

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