[figetyfiggs]

This is probably what happened:

Looking around Noah takes a good look at the ark which is now empty of animals.

Noah: "Looks like we survived, praise be to God. What a muddy mess. Shem, get some of that rice stored in the ark and start planting. Japheth, you plant some wheat. Ham, you gather the sheep and goats and watch over them. The children can get eggs from the chickens and watch over the rest of the livestock, make sure those baby tyrannosauruses don't eat them all."

Mrs. Japheth: "I ain't living in that ark with Mrs. Ham. I'm sick of her!" She did nothing but moan and complain the whole 40 days and nights.

Mrs. Ham: "Well I ain't gonna live in that ark anymore with you neither, you spiteful hag!"

Mrs. Shem: "You both are getting on my nerves. Just shut up will you?"

Noah: "That is ENOUGH! Now we all know the northlands are frozen, no use going up there. Shem, take your family and 1/3 of the ark wood and go east. Ham, take your family and 1/3 of the wood go south. Japheth, you go west. Me, I'll just stay here on the mountain and keep tending these grape vines, tee-hee.

It is almost certain the ark was dismantled for firewood and building material. They just survived a disaster so that is what they would have done.

[Verginius Rufus]

Actually according to the Bible they were cooped up on the ark more than 40 days...at least 244 days if you add up the intervals, but the text has the flood start on the 17th day of the second month of the 600th year of Noah's life (Gen. 7.11) and the "earth was dry" on the 27th day of the second month of the 601st year of Noah's life (Gen. 8.14), after which they left the ark, so the whole time was a year and 10 days.

Of course by the lunar calendar that may have been a year of 354 days.

[Coyoteman]

Q. What's harder than getting a pregnant Brontosaurus into the ark?

A. Getting a Brontosaurus pregnant in the ark!

(Noah! Make them stop. I'm getting seasick!)