In the creationist video series Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution they discuss the features of insects and animals that don’t seem as if they could’ve arisen from gradual change (I’ll explore a couple of these claims later on). Unfortunately, there’s no counter-series titled Incredible Creatures that Defy Intelligent Design. But if there were, it might feature animals like the Tasmanian Devil.
According to National Geographic, Tasmanian devil “mothers give birth after about three weeks of pregnancy to 20 or 30 very tiny young. These raisin-size babies crawl up the mother’s fur and into her pouch. However, the mother has only four nipples, so only a handful of babies survive.”
So these Tasmanian-devil-raisin-babies (or “joeys”) claw their way from their mother’s vagina up to the pouch. Once there, they attach to a nipple, which becomes engorged and clamped inside the newborn’s mouth, ensuring it does not fall off. But since the female only has four nipples, the majority of her offspring will die.
The unlucky fifth Tasmanian Devil probably arrives at the pouch and thinks to itself, “Wait a minute… one, two, three, four… f@*k! Where the hell are all the other nipples?” The other Devils arrive close behind and ask the same question, “What the hell is going on in here? Why are they only four nipples!?” “Everyone calm down,” says one religiously-minded devil, “There’s no way the designer would create all of us just to let us die here, everything will work out, you just wait and see!”
Unfortunately, these poor little devils will spend their short meaningless lives searching for nipples until they die (not unlike human males).
Design vs. Evolution
From a design perspective, it would obviously make more sense to give the Tasmanian Devil smaller litters, or more teats.
From an evolutionary prospective, nature doesn’t care about dead offspring, so long as the animal continues to reproduce. This race from womb to nipple may also help to select the most viable of the offspring.
Conclusion
God apparently dislikes all devils.
https://500questions.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/39-why-does-the-tasmanian-devil-have-20-offspring-but-only-four-nipples/
According to National Geographic, Tasmanian devil “mothers give birth after about three weeks of pregnancy to 20 or 30 very tiny young. These raisin-size babies crawl up the mother’s fur and into her pouch. However, the mother has only four nipples, so only a handful of babies survive.”
So these Tasmanian-devil-raisin-babies (or “joeys”) claw their way from their mother’s vagina up to the pouch. Once there, they attach to a nipple, which becomes engorged and clamped inside the newborn’s mouth, ensuring it does not fall off. But since the female only has four nipples, the majority of her offspring will die.
The unlucky fifth Tasmanian Devil probably arrives at the pouch and thinks to itself, “Wait a minute… one, two, three, four… f@*k! Where the hell are all the other nipples?” The other Devils arrive close behind and ask the same question, “What the hell is going on in here? Why are they only four nipples!?” “Everyone calm down,” says one religiously-minded devil, “There’s no way the designer would create all of us just to let us die here, everything will work out, you just wait and see!”
Unfortunately, these poor little devils will spend their short meaningless lives searching for nipples until they die (not unlike human males).
Design vs. Evolution
From a design perspective, it would obviously make more sense to give the Tasmanian Devil smaller litters, or more teats.
From an evolutionary prospective, nature doesn’t care about dead offspring, so long as the animal continues to reproduce. This race from womb to nipple may also help to select the most viable of the offspring.
Conclusion
God apparently dislikes all devils.
https://500questions.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/39-why-does-the-tasmanian-devil-have-20-offspring-but-only-four-nipples/