The answer is: Fish

Gen 7:21 - All that moved upon the land perished, but each land animal was preserved in the ark. There is no mention of the water living creatures so they must have been able to survive the flood waters.

Isn’t it fascinating to think about the animals on Noah's Ark? Picture this massive vessel, a wooden behemoth, filled with pairs of every creature on land, huddled close together for protection against the rising waters. However, another great mystery lies beneath those shifting floodwaters—the fish!

Fish were perfectly equipped to endure the deluge. While Noah wrangled lions and elephants, life continued below the surface where it's quiet and serene. Evokes a sense of wonder, doesn’t it? Scripture mentions animals “that moved upon the land," with no mention of those that perhaps thrived just below the waves. This highlights a vital aspect of the flood narrative: not everything faced catastrophe its representatives on land could seek safety in higher ground.

Now, imagine this scene in which traditional depictions may not show those slimy yet charming creatures swimming worry-free. Fish have been regarded in cultural symbolism to represent knowledge, wisdom, and sometimes, survival—think of their common role in folklore and religious texts.

Interestingly, the narrative here isn’t new or isolated. Ancient cultures often have similar tales. The Babylonians, Greeks, and Native American tribes all featured starts and resets involving floods and preservation. This shared storytelling may hint at an underlying human concern with renewal versus destruction, a recurring theme throughout literature and conversation. It’s the beautiful complexity of Genesis you can take with you—fishing for deeper meaning in ancient stories always leads to treasure!