why are there still apes in the world?
2006-08-13 07:48:54 · 20 answers · asked by weeksteachschool 1 in Social Science ➔ Anthropology
By the way, I didn't post the question a few days ago as the last responder has suggested. I am also not a creationist as he also suggested. It came up on the Tom Lykess Show.
2006-08-13 09:05:23 · update #1
I think you are misunderstanding the term apes and misunderstanding evolution.
We are apes. We evolved from an extinct ape, from which chimpanzees and bonobos also evolved separately.
The common ape ancestor of chimps, bonobos and humans evolved from another ape from which gorillas also evolved.
It's like a tree from which branches keep sprouting.
Read this excellent site: http://www.becominghuman.org/
2006-08-13 10:36:07 · answer #1 · answered by the last ninja 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Didn't someone just ask this exact same question about 2 days ago?
That old hackneyed question again. Atheists have answered that question time and time again with the same simple and obvious answer (geographical separation, different environments cause different evolution, environments can cause animals to stay the same just as they can cause animals to change), and yet you creationists KEEP ASKING IT because it is one of the only arguments that you have, extremely weak though it is. In the mean time, you are implicitely libelling atheists as if they had not already answered that question (because why would a person ask a question that was answered a million times). For the record, atheists have already answered that question countless times already; I am just one more.
You posted that question again just because you didn't want people to see answers such as mine, didn't you? You are as predictable as ever.
...If that wasn't you or an associate, then I'll assume that it is a large coincidence. I found the question that was posted 2 days ago in this category:
"here's one 4 u if man evolved from apes,then why are there still apes???:-)?" posted by the user 'blah blah oops!' ...and anthropology is one of the less-active categories.
2006-08-13 15:36:03 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Perhaps you should look at the big picture. Humans, apes, elephants, snails, pine trees, and everything else appear to have evolved from viruses and bacteria. So, shouldn't you start from the beginning and ask why there are still viruses and bacteria about? The reason is the same as given by several other respondents: species evolved to exploit niches as they became available, while the parent population continued to evolve within its own niche. The parent population may well not evolve into entirely new forms, but continue with few obvious changes to the ancestral form.
2006-08-13 18:49:07 · answer #3 · answered by Wayne D 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Just because some of a species branches off doesn't mean the rest will continue evolving, or evolve in the same manner. If there isn't pressure on a species to evolve it won't. Humans evolved as they moved in to a different habitat. Other apes evolved along different lines and with less changes as they stayed in the forest environment.
2006-08-13 15:17:50 · answer #4 · answered by Sage Bluestorm 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Humans didn't evolve from modern apes; both humans and modern apes evolved from a common ape-like ancestor millions of years ago. That common ancestor is long-extinct.
Your question reveals that you have a gross misunderstanding of evolutionary concepts.
2006-08-14 10:41:55 · answer #5 · answered by forbidden_planet 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Humans didn't evolve from apes. Humans and apes both evolved from a common ancestor or group of ancestors.
2006-08-13 14:51:23 · answer #6 · answered by Bad Kitty! 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Good question. And the answer is we didn't evolve from apes.
2006-08-15 11:08:50 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
We evolved from an earlier ape, just like the simians that exist today. There weren't chimpanzees or gibbons back then; they are evolved just like us.
2006-08-13 14:52:42 · answer #8 · answered by ThePeter 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Cousins
2006-08-14 03:44:39 · answer #9 · answered by Marakey 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This question always makes me think that people think that individual apes turned (morphed) into humans somehow.
Others have already answered your question, but I just had to add this thought.
2006-08-13 17:57:03 · answer #10 · answered by tehabwa 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋