Crocoduck
Encyclopedia
In a social context, the crocoduck denotes an hybrid animal with the head
a of crocodile
and the body
of a duck
, which became recurrent in debates involving creationists
and proponents of the theory of evolution
, being used as a symbol directed at those who do not understand the basic principles of evolution.
The term "crocoduck" was originally presented in a 2004 children's story, Guji Guji, describing a crocodile
raised in a duck
family.
The author and illustrator Chih-Yuan Chen
produced the bestselling children's story Guji Guji in 2004, a modern day twist on The Ugly Duckling
story in which a crocodile egg rolls into a duck's nest and is raised in a brood of ducklings, growing up as a "crocoduck" who thinks he is "not a bad crocodile", but "Of course, I'm not exactly a duck either".
to claim that the absence of any half-crocodile, half-duck creature disproves evolution
, an argument that quickly became a popular theme used to ridicule a common misrepresentation of the theory of evolution, namely, that the theory predicts forms intermediate between any two currently living organisms.
In 2007 creationists Kirk Cameron
and Ray Comfort
participated in a televised debate, parts of which were aired on ABC Nightline, on the existence of God
. Comfort says they produced imaginary composite pictures of what "we imagined would be genuine species-to-species transitional forms. We called one a 'crocoduck' and another was called a 'birddog.' These pictures were used to show exactly what they thought evolutionists believe, but can't back up through the fossil record." Their composite picture of the imaginary "crocoduck" showed the head of a crocodile on a duck's body.
This claim was widely publicised and ridiculed as an example of creationist misconceptions. In The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution
, the evolutionary scientist Richard Dawkins
included a section titled 'Show me your crocoduck!' in which he compared this to the question put by another creationist as to why there was no transitional fossil
"fronkey" between frogs and monkeys, and described it as a warped misunderstanding of evolution. Modern species share a common ancestor
, but are neither descended from each other nor from some crude composite chimera, and ducks are not descended from crocodiles. An illustration shows the Crocoduck Tie, designed by web designer Josh Timonen in commemoration of this misconception. Dawkins has stated that "There are only two in existence. PZ [Myers
] has one. I'm proud to say I have the other." Dawkins' tie made a prominent appearance on an episode of The Colbert Report.
In 2009, new fossils of several types of ancient crocodile were found, including one with a flat broad snout reminiscent of a duck's bill, though it has teeth and is obviously crocodilian rather than bird-like. This genus has been named Anatosuchus
or "DuckCroc", and it had an upright stance rather than the sprawled legs of modern crocodiles. Also, the extinct pelagornithids, or "bony-toothed birds" could be good candidates, being waterbirds with tooth-like structures in their beaks - making such a beak look like a crocodile's maw.
Head
In anatomy, the head of an animal is the rostral part that usually comprises the brain, eyes, ears, nose and mouth . Some very simple animals may not have a head, but many bilaterally symmetric forms do....
a of crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
and the body
Body
With regard to living things, a body is the physical body of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death...
of a duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
, which became recurrent in debates involving creationists
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
and proponents of the theory of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
, being used as a symbol directed at those who do not understand the basic principles of evolution.
The term "crocoduck" was originally presented in a 2004 children's story, Guji Guji, describing a crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
raised in a duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
family.
Origin of the term
Chih-Yuan Chen
Chih-Yuan Chen is a renowned picture book writer and illustrator from Taiwan. Several of his books have been translated into English, including Guji Guji, the story of a 'crocoduck' described in a review by The New York Times as having "vivid characters...rendered with wit and warmth".Chen is a...
produced the bestselling children's story Guji Guji in 2004, a modern day twist on The Ugly Duckling
The Ugly Duckling
"The Ugly Duckling" is a literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen . The story tells of a homely little bird born in a barnyard who suffers abuse from his neighbors until, much to his delight , he matures into a beautiful swan, the most beautiful bird of all...
story in which a crocodile egg rolls into a duck's nest and is raised in a brood of ducklings, growing up as a "crocoduck" who thinks he is "not a bad crocodile", but "Of course, I'm not exactly a duck either".
In Creationism
It was later used by creationistsCreationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
to claim that the absence of any half-crocodile, half-duck creature disproves evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
, an argument that quickly became a popular theme used to ridicule a common misrepresentation of the theory of evolution, namely, that the theory predicts forms intermediate between any two currently living organisms.
In 2007 creationists Kirk Cameron
Kirk Cameron
Kirk Thomas Cameron is an American actor best known for his role as Mike Seaver on the television situation comedy Growing Pains , as well as several other television and film appearances as a child actor...
and Ray Comfort
Ray Comfort
Ray Comfort is a New Zealand-born Christian minister and evangelist. Comfort started Living Waters Publications and The Way of the Master in Bellflower, California and has written a number of books.-Early life and career:...
participated in a televised debate, parts of which were aired on ABC Nightline, on the existence of God
Existence of God
Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers, theologians, scientists, and others. In philosophical terms, arguments for and against the existence of God involve primarily the sub-disciplines of epistemology and ontology , but also of the theory of value, since...
. Comfort says they produced imaginary composite pictures of what "we imagined would be genuine species-to-species transitional forms. We called one a 'crocoduck' and another was called a 'birddog.' These pictures were used to show exactly what they thought evolutionists believe, but can't back up through the fossil record." Their composite picture of the imaginary "crocoduck" showed the head of a crocodile on a duck's body.
This claim was widely publicised and ridiculed as an example of creationist misconceptions. In The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution
The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution
The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution is a 2009 book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, which was released on 3 September 2009 in the UK and on 22 September 2009 in the U.S...
, the evolutionary scientist Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins
Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
included a section titled 'Show me your crocoduck!' in which he compared this to the question put by another creationist as to why there was no transitional fossil
Transitional fossil
A transitional fossil is any fossilized remains of a lifeform that exhibits characteristics of two distinct taxonomic groups. A transitional fossil is the fossil of an organism near the branching point where major individual lineages diverge...
"fronkey" between frogs and monkeys, and described it as a warped misunderstanding of evolution. Modern species share a common ancestor
Common descent
In evolutionary biology, a group of organisms share common descent if they have a common ancestor. There is strong quantitative support for the theory that all living organisms on Earth are descended from a common ancestor....
, but are neither descended from each other nor from some crude composite chimera, and ducks are not descended from crocodiles. An illustration shows the Crocoduck Tie, designed by web designer Josh Timonen in commemoration of this misconception. Dawkins has stated that "There are only two in existence. PZ [Myers
PZ Myers
Paul Zachary "PZ" Myers is an American biology professor at the University of Minnesota Morris and the author of the Pharyngula science blog. He is currently an associate professor of biology at UMM, works with zebrafish in the field of evolutionary developmental biology , and also cultivates an...
] has one. I'm proud to say I have the other." Dawkins' tie made a prominent appearance on an episode of The Colbert Report.
In 2009, new fossils of several types of ancient crocodile were found, including one with a flat broad snout reminiscent of a duck's bill, though it has teeth and is obviously crocodilian rather than bird-like. This genus has been named Anatosuchus
Anatosuchus
Anatosuchus is an extinct genus of notosuchian crocodylomorph discovered in Gadoufaoua, Niger, and described by a team of palaeontologists led by the American Paul Sereno in 2003, in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology...
or "DuckCroc", and it had an upright stance rather than the sprawled legs of modern crocodiles. Also, the extinct pelagornithids, or "bony-toothed birds" could be good candidates, being waterbirds with tooth-like structures in their beaks - making such a beak look like a crocodile's maw.
See also
- Creation–evolution controversy
- CreationismCreationismCreationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
- Intelligent designIntelligent designIntelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
- Wedge strategyWedge strategyThe wedge strategy is a political and social action plan authored by the Discovery Institute, the hub of the intelligent design movement. The strategy was put forth in a Discovery Institute manifesto known as the Wedge Document, which describes a broad social, political, and academic agenda whose...
- Dover CaseKitzmiller v. Dover Area School DistrictTammy Kitzmiller, et al. v. Dover Area School District, et al. was the first direct challenge brought in the United States federal courts testing a public school district policy that required the teaching of intelligent design...
- EvolutionEvolutionEvolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
- Flying Spaghetti MonsterFlying Spaghetti MonsterThe Flying Spaghetti Monster is the deity of the parody religion the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or Pastafarianism...