Crocoducks
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[edit] Introduction
The "crocoduck" is a mythical animal with the head of a crocodile and the body of a duck.
[edit] Origins
The crocoduck was invented by prominent creationist clown Kirk Cameron, who likes to pretend that the existence of such a form is a prediction of the theory of evolution, that scientists have been "searching for it for hundreds of years" and that the nonexistence of crocoducks can therefore be used as an argument against evolution. One of his public performances can be seen in the first couple of minutes of the video below:
[edit] Discussion
Some creationists seek to deny evolution by claiming it demands the existence of a crocoduck.
This argument falls over on its face when extrapolated logically. If evolution demanded a crocoduck, it would also demand a dolphigiraffe, but once you have those two species you will also need a crocoduckdolphigiraffe and so on to infinity. It would not be logical or even possible for this type of reasoning to be correct. Of course evolution does not demand the existence of crocoducks, dolphigiraffes or crocoduckdolphigiraffes. The "crocoduck" argument is a rather silly strawman.
The "crocoduck" delusion appears to be derived from two more basic delusions about intermediate forms.
(1) The delusion that the theory of evolution predicts intermediate forms between species whether or not one is descended from the other.
(2) The delusion that an intermediate form between two species must consist of a chimera composed of the front end of one and the back end of another.
For information on actual intermediate forms between reptiles (but not crocodiles!) and modern birds, see our article on Archaeopteryx or the section on reptile-bird intermediates in our article on Intermediate Forms Between Classes. Note that none of them are "crocoducks".
