2007-01-18 03:15:24 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Social Science ➔ Anthropology
Humans are still primates, a term which taxonomically signifies the family to which humans, apes, monkeys and prosimians belong. Ask any biologist . Other ape species have evolved as well; it's not as if the hominid line broke off from apes millions of years ago and apes just remained the same. Modern ape lines and the human line both diverged from that of a common ape-like ancestor that lived in Africa millions of years ago and is now extinct. Other apes have not remained the same either. They have changed and speciated as well, and many species of ape and hominid (bipedal human ancestor species) have gone extinct.
It is a common idea though. Many people think that evolution means that human evolved from apes, but apes remained the same. People who think that often point out that that doesn't make any consistent sense. They're right in one sense-- it doesn't make any sense because it's really incorrect and not only belies a misunderstanding of basic evolutionary concepts, but also indicates a hierarchical unilinear idea about evolution, that humans are the highest so there had to be some type of human-directed evolutionary goal. It is a shame that this sort of misunderstanding about evolution is so pervasive.
2007-01-18 11:39:01 · answer #1 · answered by forbidden_planet 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Humans, apes, and monkeys evolved from a common ancestor millions of years ago. Apes and monkeys split from the evolutionary tree long ago. Humans are in a completely different branch. I don't know what gave you the idea that the primate species has ended, though. Humans are primates, just like apes and monkeys.
2007-01-18 15:09:29 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Evolution isn't linear... there are splits, and splits of those splits, etc. Get the picture? It looks more like a family tree than a straight line.
We didn't evolve from primates, persay, because we are primates. At some point there was a primate ancestor, and from that ancestor, many, many splits occured.
Evolution is like the energizer bunny... it keeps going and going.
2007-01-19 15:09:30 · answer #3 · answered by Shannon E 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Primate" is not a species. It's an order under the family Mammalia. We are primates.
About 8 million years ago, we split from an ape-like ancestor. Other branches of this tree include the common chimpanzee, the bonobo, and the gorilla. They continued to evolve, just as we have, only in different directions.
The logic of ths question implies: If I came from my grandparents, why are my cousins still around?
2007-01-18 04:47:46 · answer #4 · answered by stormsinger1 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
The 'in-between' species did die out (Australopithecus, Homo hablis, homo erectus, etc.). As they attempted to move about the world, they were unable to adapt. The other primates that are around now, certainly are adapted to their environment and doing well. However, it does seem that some species of primates are still 'adapting' or 'evolving.' There are some groups of primates, I think macacs are almost walking upright, they stand upright and almost walk-or-skip around, they rest hunched down on all fours, however.
2007-01-18 06:00:46 · answer #5 · answered by elle 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
We shared a common ancestor with all the Great Apes 8 million years ago, when the line that led to the OrangUtans first diverged, a million years later, the line that led to the Gorillas, and two million years after that, the line that led to the Chimpanzees and Pygmy Chimpanzees(Bonobos) diverged. Get some recent books on human evolution from a library and learn about fossils and the DNA evidence. We share at least 98% of our genes with the Chimpanzee, less with the other apes, and even less with monkeys.
2007-01-18 04:15:35 · answer #6 · answered by CLICKHEREx 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Once again; we did NOT evolve from primates. We are a member OF the primate family. (That's why Chimps share 99% of our DNA.)
2007-01-18 05:19:46 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Other people have already pointed out to you how evolution works, so let me just add that humans ARE primates.
2007-01-18 04:35:09 · answer #8 · answered by effin drunk 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Humans, as we know them, did not evolve from primates. "Humans" were caused by interbreeding primates with alien albino looking space explorers from Neptune.
2007-01-18 05:25:33 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Why don't you ask why are there are apes when there are monkeys too. The reason is that there are certain forms that do well in certain environments and in certain niches. These forms continue to do well in these niches. Other creatures evolve into other niches and find other ways to survive and flourish. Just because there are differences is not a argument against evolution, it is evidence for evolution.
2007-01-18 04:02:04 · answer #10 · answered by JimZ 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋