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The first and most major reason for gaps is "stratigraphic discontinuities", meaning that fossil-bearing strata are not at all continuous. There are often large time breaks from one stratum to the next, and there are even some times for which no fossil strata have been found. For instance, the Aalenian (mid-Jurassic) has shown no known tetrapod fossils anywhere in the world, and other stratigraphic stages in the Carboniferous, Jurassic, and Cretaceous have produced only a few mangled tetrapods. Most other strata have produced at least one fossil from between 50% and 100% of the vertebrate families that we know had already arisen by then (Benton, 1989) -- so the vertebrate record at the family level is only about 75% complete, and much less complete at the genus or species level. (One study estimated that we may have fossils from as little as 3% of the species that existed in the Eocene!) This, obviously, is the major reason for a break in a general lineage. To further complicate the picture, certain types of animals tend not to get fossilized -- terrestrial animals, small animals, fragile animals, and forest-dwellers are worst. And finally, fossils from very early times just don't survive the passage of eons very well, what with all the folding, crushing, and melting that goes on. Due to these facts of life and death, there will always be some major breaks in the fossil record.
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Soooooo....what you're saying is that there is no continuous record of evolution of species, and no way to prove it?
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That people choose to ignore the evidence or disbelieve it because it goes against their personal superstitious beliefs does not make their personal opinions or beliefs regarding evolution valid or even worthy of consideration or debate.
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Versus some random guy in a white lab coat, that was taught what he knows by some other random guy in a white lab coat, who was taught what he knows...I'm sure you'll see the continuity here.
If you can come to me with an uniterrupted, indisputable record of the evolution of life on this planet, then I'll drop my argument and appluad you. Simply because you don't believe in something doesn't mean it's not true (and fairly, that goes both ways). The fact that you state other's beliefs are not even worthy of consideration is just as faith-based and egotistical as the opposite viewpoint.
If things were that simple, I could simply close my eyes and you'd go away, right?
