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It's something that has stumped me since I was a kid:

  • What did the carnivores/predators eat on the Ark?

Did Noah also round up sufficient vegetation to feed all of the animals? Or did they somehow maintain the circle of life on the Ark for 40 days and 40 nights?

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5  
I get really bored seeing Ark-related questions. But the problem is worse than just keeping the animals alive for 40 days. You also have to add in the time it took for the waters to subside. – Jon Ericson Mar 9 '12 at 0:50
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Amen, and Amen. – Affable Geek Mar 9 '12 at 1:21
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@Jon on the contrary... more significantly you also need those carnivores to have something to eat when they get off, when there are no sustainable populations for the carnivores, and no unspoilt vegetation (just flood-damaged mud) for the herbivores; given that many carnivores eat many of a single type of animal a day, this is a huge problem. – Marc Gravell♦ Mar 9 '12 at 6:49
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"This is a huge problem"... unless the flood was worldwide, but not global. – Software Monkey Mar 10 '12 at 1:23

2 Answers

up vote 9 down vote accepted

Genesis 6:21 has your answer

You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”

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up vote 3 down vote

In addition to Affable's answer, there is also Genesis 9:3 which indicates that at least mankind did not eat meat before the flood:

Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.

It is arguable that animals did not prior to the release from the Ark, as well - they also were not afraid of men until after (the previous verse):

The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered.

However, regardless of whether animals were carnivorous prior to the flood or not, we know that God provided for them via Noah's efforts to lay-up stores in the 100 years before the flood.

Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

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Perhaps mankind did not eat meat. But then one must question Why Jabal raised livestock. "Gen. 4:20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock." I think the only thing you can argue definitively is that animals were not carnivorous before the Fall and man was clearly not supposed to eat meat before Gen 9:3. After that it is not clear. To be fair, Jabal was part of Cain's wicked line, so ... – fredsbend Mar 30 at 7:07

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