Darwin recognised that one of the biggest problems for Evolution is that the fossil record doesn’t show a gradual change over time. Rather, it shows huge gaps between the various kinds. Darwin attributed this lack of evidence for his story to an incomplete fossil record, (1) and he believed that as time went on, the fossil record would vindicate him. Many Evolutionists in the modern day also appeal to the “incomplete” fossil record. However, the only reason to say the fossil record is incomplete is if you assume Evolution is true, and therefore there should be innumerable transitional forms.
In reality, the fossil record we have today is far from perfect, but it is certainly very healthy. We have fossil representatives of every living animal phylum and plant division. We have fossil representatives of 97% of all living orders of land vertebrates. Of living families of land vertebrates, we have 79% represented by what we currently have. That increases to 87% if you remove birds. (2)
The argument from an incomplete fossil record may have been sufficient in Darwin’s time, but today it flies about as well as a fossilised archaeopteryx. The only reason to assume the fossil record is incomplete is if we assume transitional forms remain to be discovered. Of course, this is circular reasoning. Until Evolutionists can produce their mythical transitional forms, their theory remains baseless.
References
1. Darwin, Charles - Origin of Species, 1859, chapter. 9
2. Denton, Michael - Evolution, a Theory in Crisis (Chevy Chase, MD: Adler & Adler, 1985)