Either the current animals on this planet somehow evolved from simple creatures or they suddenly appeared—amazingly complex the first time we find them—with no evolutionary ancestors. Put another way: Are animals the result of chance, time, and natural processes—or are they the result of purpose, plan, and special creation?

Recently there has been some celebration from the Darwinian community regarding a discovery of a fossil¹ that allegedly links terrestrial animals to their future aquatic relatives: the ichthyosaurs.