If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why are there still monkeys and apes?

Answer 1

Evolutionary Theory says that humans did not evolve from apes.....we evolved from a common ancestor as apes. In fact, we are apes. I really hate religious people who do not believe in evolution, when they know absolutely nothing about it. The definition of evolution is adaptation over time. Evolution exists and has been proven many times over. THE THING THAT YOU "RELIGIOUS PEOPLE" DON'T BELIEVE IN IS NOT EVOLUTION, BUT THE EVOLUTION OF HUMANS FROM A COMMON ANCESTOR AS APES.

Answer 2

Boy, this old one is straight out of the fundamentalist propaganda and shows an appalling lack of intelligence and understanding. When you wrote this, didn't you see the exact same question pop up in blue beneath? Yes you did, right. So why not waste everyone's time and read them instead.

This question is a no-brainer. Read the excellent response above where she cites Dawkins. There are a dozen other authors who'd give you the same information - S J Gould, Matt Ridley etc etc.

For a start, WE ARE APES. Got it? The extant apes alive today share a common ancestor with us. Chimps and humans split from a common ancestor less than 6.3 million years ago. The ancestor probably looked something between the two. At that time there were several species of hominids in Africa and Europe and Asia, including those of our Genus Homo, as well as other genera.

The actual trigger for the human speciation event is unknown, but likely to have been an environmental factor. A recent paper in NATURE Vol 441, pg 1103 (you may find it at a library or bookstore) reveals exciting new information on DNA analysis that shows after the species diverged, they came together again, possibly 4 million years ago, and swapped more genes, especially the X chromosome. The X chromosome between present day humans and chimps is very similar

Answer 3

First off, we came from apes, not monkeys (there's a difference).
Second, there are still apes around because we evolved from a specific GROUP of apes. In other words, imagine there was one big "community" of the same type of ape. Then, this one group got split into two somehow... the two groups "went their separate ways" and one became humans while the other became some other kind of ape (probably chimps).
Essentially, only SOME of the apes became humans. The others remained apes. That's why we still have apes.

Answer 4

Evolution does not say we evolved from monkeys and apes. We do share a common anscestor with them, though.

When will this straw man be put back in the haystack?

If you really want to be in a position to criticize the theory of evolution then you should read actual evolution texts. For a start I recommend The Anscestor's Tale by Richard Dawkins.

All the creationist critiques of evolution are so easily knocked down it amazes me that anyone still buys them.

Answer 5

Because the monkeys and apes that are not human belong to different evolutionary lines than humans. They may have had the same ancestors as us way far back in time, but different factors in the environment shaped their evolution and so they are different from us in both appearance and behavior.

Answer 6

because didnt evolve from monkeys and apes, monkeys, apes and humans all shared a common ancestor that was monkey, ape or human. evolution is a continuous process and monkeys, apes, and humans all split off the path they were all already on because of favored random mutations in their genetic code. your question is a common misconception and one that is often preyed upon by creationists and their minions the "intelligent design"ists.

Answer 7

Divergent evolution. A species can evolve in two different ways. We came one way. Apes went the other.

Answer 8

Just because a beneficial genetic mutation seeds the splitting off of a new species, it doesn't mean that the other descendants of the common ancestor instantly or necessarily perish. They may eventually be out competed, and thereby extinguished, but that may not happen.

Thank god for spell checker. Oops, did I say the "g" word...

Answer 9

Yeah, that does not make sense, does it?

If we did evolve from them, why aren't we closer to them in ability, or visa versa? Why don't we have hairier arms still? Why can't we swing from tree to tree? Why do we eat meat? They are vegetarians.

Answer 10

So people who ask this question several times a day can get a date