If they found this "thing" intact as they say, there should be both human and animal evidence onboard.
The Genesis account of Noah's Flood fails to mention that Noah made a pit stop in Australia to drop off the kangaroo, platypus, koala, etc., then paddled over to North America to drop off the bison and the rattlesnakes, and swung down to Antarctica to let off a few penguins before heading over to Ararat to disembark.
It's just a few missing verses. No biggie.