This summary examines how various animals, with their intricate biological systems, challenge the theory of evolution. The core argument is based on irreducible complexity: the idea that certain systems are so interdependent that removing even one component would render them completely non-functional. These creatures, therefore, could not have evolved through gradual, successive changes but were rather created in their complete forms by God during the six days of creation.

The Bombardier Beetle

The bombardier beetle is an organism with an extremely complex defense mechanism which involves a powerful chemical explosion. The beetle stores two separate chemicals, hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide, in its abdomen. When threatened, it sprays these into a combustion chamber with a catalyst, causing a series of tiny explosions. This system is irreducibly complex, as a partially evolved system would be self-destructive, and all the necessary components must have been present simultaneously for the mechanism to be functional. The beetle is also said to have an asbestos-like firing chamber and twin, aimable tail tubes to direct the spray at a predator, further supporting the idea of a deliberate design.The beetle stores two separate chemicals which, when combined, create a hot, explosive spray. This complex system, including a catalyst, a heat-resistant chamber, and aimable nozzles, must have all existed at once, as a partially evolved system would be fatal to the beetle.

The Giraffe

The giraffe's anatomy is strong evidence for a designer. Its powerful heart is necessary to pump blood against gravity and up to its brain several feet upwards. However, this creates a risk of a sudden, fatal rush of blood when the animal lowers its head to drink. To counteract the risk, the giraffe has a complex system of valves in its arteries and a special "sponge" at the base of its brain (the rete mirabile) to regulate blood pressure. Without all of these parts working in perfect coordination, the giraffe would not be able to survive, making gradual evolution impossible. When the giraffe raises its head quickly, the "sponge" gently releases blood, preventing it from passing out. The powerful heart pump and the regulating "sponge" must be present simultaneously for the giraffe to survive.

The Woodpecker

The woodpecker has a perfectly designed system for pecking wood without injury. Its industrial-strength beak, thick skull, and shock-absorbing cartilage act as a helmet and a buffer against the force of pecking. Its feet, with two toes in front and two in back, and its strong, spongy tail feathers, allow it to maintain a stable tripod position on a vertical tree trunk. Most impressively, the European green woodpecker's tongue is so long that it wraps around the back of its skull and exits through its nostril. The tongue is also marvelously equipped with barbs and a special glue to retrieve bugs from holes, and a solvent to release them before swallowing. These features are interdependent and could not have evolved gradually.

The Australian Incubator Bird

The Australian incubator bird, or brush turkey, possesses a complex, unlearned behavior. The male builds a large mound nest and meticulously maintains its temperature at a constant 91 degrees Fahrenheit and its humidity at 99.5% for seven months to incubate the eggs. The chicks hatch fully feathered and instinctively dig themselves out of the mound, ready to fly and feed themselves, all without parental guidance.

The Chicken

The chicken's development inside an egg illustrates the intricate timing of a designed system. 10,000 tiny pores on the shell allow the chick to breathe and expel waste. The chick develops a temporary "egg tooth" on day 19 to break into the air sac, giving it six hours to rest and prepare to peck its way out of the shell on day 21. If any of these steps were out of sync, the chick would die, indicating a perfect design.

The Beaver

The beaver is an "engineer" that builds complex dams and lodges with impressive skills. Human engineers even study beaver dams to learn about building strength and channeling water. The beaver's lodges are built in a way that allows bad gases to escape and oxygen to enter, while keeping the inside dry. The beaver's physical features are also specially designed for its life in the water. It has transparent eyelids that act as water goggles to keep dirt out of its eyes, as well as flaps that close its nose and ears to prevent water from getting in. Most uniquely, it has fur-lined flaps in the back of its mouth to protect its sensitive molars from the cold water. The beaver can also make "mathematical calculations" to compensate for current and drag while swimming with a branch, allowing it to reach its destination precisely.

The Duck-Billed Platypus

The duck-billed platypus is a fascinating animal with an incredible ability to find food. Unlike the beaver, which has transparent eyelids to see underwater, the platypus closes its eyes and nose flaps when it is in the water. It finds its prey—tiny shrimp—by detecting the electrical impulses given off by the shrimp's muscles. The platypus's bill contains a mechanism that reads these tiny currents. In one experiment, a platypus went to a flashlight battery in a tank because it was giving off an electrical current. This ability is an absolute miracle that defies evolutionary explanation.

The Black and Yellow Garden Spider

The black and yellow garden spider is another example of a creature that exhibits design. The spider can create seven different kinds of webbing for various purposes. One type of webbing is not sticky and is used by the spider to run on its web, while another kind is sticky to trap insects. The spider can shoot out sheets of webbing to wrap its prey, an action the spider can control at will. The spider lays 30 to 55 eggs in an egg sac, which she weaves from different types of webbing. This ability to produce and control different types of silk, as well as its web-making instincts, are too complex to have arisen through a random evolutionary process.

The Gecko

The gecko's ability to stick to surfaces is explained not by suction cups, but by microscopic structures on its feet. These are so small they can only be seen with a 35,000x magnification. The gecko also has a specialized "pop" mechanism in its foot that allows it to detach itself from a surface, which is another example of an intricate design.

The Chuckwalla Lizard

The Chuckwalla lizard is an example of a creature with multiple specialized survival mechanisms. The lizard can change its skin color to regulate its body temperature. When a predator approaches, it can also inflate its body to wedge itself into a rock crevice, making it impossible to pull out. It has a "desalination factory" in its nose, which allows it to remove excess salt from its blood so it can survive in the desert. The existence of these separate, yet critical, features argue for a designer. 

Whales

Evolution teaches whales evolved nearly 50 million years ago from land mammals that made their way back into the ocean. In reality, God’s unique design of these creatures defies this theory. Their hunting technique involves blowing bubbles to create a "net" for krill. Sperm whales can dive to great depths, and their bodies handle pressure changes by redirecting blood flow. Notably, the whale’s blowhole and mouth are not connected, preventing them from drowning while eating underwater. This demonstrates a complex, fully-formed system that could not have evolved slowly from a land mammal back to a sea creature.

Pacific Golden Plover

The bird's non-stop, 88-hour flight from Alaska to Hawaii is an example that defies evolutionary migration theories. The birds' fuel supply is only enough for 70 hours of flight, and they are able to complete the journey by flying in formation, a behavior that would be hard to explain through gradual, random mutations. Furthermore, the ability of young birds to navigate to the exact same location as their parents, despite never having been there before, is an innate, designed ability.

Dragonfly

The dragonfly is a fierce hunter with exceptional eyes that have up to 30,000 tiny facets. They have two sets of wings that can be used independently, allowing them to fly forward, backward, and hover. The dragonfly's ability to fly backward instantly and its two independent sets of wings for lift and propulsion are features too complex to have evolved incrementally. Their wings are paper-thin but have built-in channels for strength which is an example of intricate design that would not have been functional at a less-developed stage.

Hippopotamus 

The hippo's name means "river horse." Its half-inch-thick skin secretes a pinkish-red fluid that acts as a sunblock, insect repellent, and infection fighter. They can hold their breath for about six minutes and can even sleep underwater, instinctively raising their heads to breathe. Evolution cannot explain how such a chemical skin secretion or breathing instinct could evolve gradually.

Fireflies and Glow Worms 

These creatures produce "cold light" with 100% energy efficiency, a feat that scientists have been unable to replicate. The complex enzyme luciferase, with about 1,000 amino acids, is an example of an intricate biological machine that could not have developed gradually. The synchronized flashing of an entire tree of fireflies is also a mystery that defies an evolutionary explanation for communication.

Bears

During hibernation, mother bears are able to nurse their cubs for up to five months without drinking water, as their fat breaks down to produce water. This is a unique, designed process. Furthermore, the fact that bears only lose 20% of their muscle strength during five months of inactivity in contrast to the 90% loss a human would experience. This ability is attributed to a "built-in" mechanism that allows them to tense their muscles like an isometric exercise.

Earthworms

Earthworms have the incredible ability to regenerate their head and other body parts if cut off. This regenerative capacity, along with other features like their ability to move in reverse and their specialized "anchors" that help them burrow, are examples of complex, fully-formed systems that could not have evolved incrementally.

Elephants

The porous bone in their skulls, which makes their tusks weigh less, and the unique design of their feet, which muffle sound and make it easier for them to walk silently, are examples of intricate design. The elephant's trunk, with its about 100,000 muscle units, and their large ears, which act as an air conditioning system are also highly versatile and complex appendages.

Sparrows

The sparrow's ability to adjust its feathers by a single degree for flight navigation and the lack of a clear evolutionary link between feathers and reptile scales refutes evolutionary theory. Also the "brooding spot" on a bird's breast, a specialized bare-skin area with a high concentration of blood vessels, is an example of a complex, essential feature that could not have evolved gradually because an incomplete version would not have been useful for regulating egg temperature.

*Summary based on Dr. Jobe Martin's "Incredible Creatures That Defy Evolution: Part I and II" drafted with help of Google Gemini