Ken Ham, a creationist spokesperson, told the press a dinosaur fossil is proof humans lived alongside the ancient reptiles.
Ham manages the Creation Museum, in Petersburg, Kentucky. The Australian claims that one fossil in his collection, named Ebenezer, is proof dinosaurs and humans lived at the same time. Scientists nearly universally back the theory that the dinosaurs met their final demise after an asteroid struck the Earth 65 million years ago.
Creation Museum managers claim bones from the dinosaur were first discovered in Colorado ten years ago.
Remains of the ancient beast were in exquisite condition, including 97 percent of the skull, containing 53 teeth, each up to 4.5 inches long.
"Of the 60 Allosaurus specimens found, only a half-dozen have such a complete skull, and it may be one of the two finest Allosaur skulls in the world. It is also much larger than the famous 'Big Al' dinosaur at the Museum of the Rockies in Montana," Andrew Snelling, a geologist at the Creation Museum, said.
Snelling told the press Ebenezer likely perished during Noah's flood, 43 centuries ago. He stated his belief the dinosaur was swept away during the event, and buried under tons of debris. Based on this idea, the quick burial preserved the pristine nature of the find.
Answers in Genesis (AiG), the group that runs the Creation Museum, unveiled the fossil on 24 May, during the show Facing the Allosaurus.
The Creation Museum "has decided, without doing research, that the dinosaur fossil is evidence of Noah's flood." Daniel Phelps, head of the Kentucky Paleontological Society, told the press.
Ham debated popular scientist Bill Nye over the theory of evolution, in a faceoff that took place on 4 February. That contest drew millions of viewers, and inspired debate on the internet that lasted for weeks. The creationist is also building an ark in Kansas that will cost $80 million.
Most paleontologists estimate the age of Ebenezer at around 150 million years, during the Jurassic Period of Earth's history.
The controversial Allosaurus was donated to the Creation Museum by Elizabeth Streb Peroutka Foundation of Maryland. That group bought the fossil soon after its discovery.
The Allosaurus "is a testimony to the creative power of God in designing dinosaurs, and that it also lends evidence to the truth of a worldwide catastrophic flooding of the earth in Noah's time," Michael Peroutka, the 2004 candidate for president from the Constitution Party, told the press.
The details regarding Ebenezer and the theory that the dinosaur lived alongside human beings was published in the Answers Research Journal, owned by AiG.
