Evolution ?

Question

Why are there still monkeys if we evolved from them? Surely they would no longer exist.

Answer 1

"how many times are people going to ask this question.... where is secretsauce when we need him???"

:-) I'm as tired as anybody else at answering this illogical question over and over again.

The problem with this question is that the asker almost *never* explains their logic.

Asker wrote:
>"Surely they would no longer exist."

WHY??? What is the *logic* behind that assumption??

Even if we did "evolve from monkeys" (as in the monkeys that "still exist") ... if every species simply replaced its ancestor, then LOGICALLY there would be only one species on the planet.

So this question is at the very least, evidence that the asker just hasn't thought it through very well.

So it is correct to point out that humans did NOT evolve "from monkeys" (if you mean monkeys that "still exist").

But the asker's question is rooted in a deeper misunderstanding ... that evolution is a chain (one species becoming a different species), rather than a bush (a species *either* becoming a different species *OR* branching into two species ... which can then go on to branch again and again).

Branching, branching, branching. If you don't understand branching, you don't understand evolution. If you do understand branching, questions like this are trivial to answer.

Answer 2

A key mechanism in evolution is adaptive radiation. A successful species gives rise to many related species which branch out to fill various ecological niches. The common ancestor of all living primates (including humans) lived 50-55 million years ago. Its descendant species occupy a variety of ecological niches. Some are closely competitive (i.e., spider monkeys and woolly monkeys) and others are not closely competitive (spider monkeys and gorillas). The common ancestor of all Hominoidae (humans and other great apes) lived 16-20 million years ago. Its descendants include only 5 species (humans, gorillas, orang-u-tans, bonobos, chimpanzees).

While the order primates have enjoyed some success in adaptive radiation, it is nothing compared to some other orders, such as passerine birds. A couple of thousand of different species have evolved from a common ancestor in about the same time span as primates have diversified.

I hope this answers your question. One might as well ask why are there still robins if we have cardinals.

Answer 3

Science has never said "Humans evolved from monkeys". If you read about evolution, and learn what biology actually says, you'll understand that humans and monkeys share a common ancestor. Both humans and monkeys evolved separately from an ancestral organism that wasn't monkey and wasn't human.

Answer 4

how many times are people going to ask this question.... where is secretsauce when we need him???

we didn't evolve from monkeys but an ancestor and there's no reason to believe that when one animal evolves into another that the first will no longer exist. not all members of one species will evolve.

Answer 5

So what you are saying is that your cousin is in fact your ancestor.

I'm serious..you are actually saying that...your idea that humans came from monkeys is saying that your cousin is your ancestor.

Try actually reading the Theory of Evolution...it will explain where you went all wrong in your thinking.

Answer 6

we and monkeys are not evolved from each other, but it is said that we could have shared the ancestors many million years ago...
simpler impossible to answer!

Answer 7

We never evolved from them. We're just another species of primate. Like rats, squirrels and bats are all rodents. Sharks, tuna and goldfish are all fish. Etc..

Answer 8

hey hey little monkey stop you monkeying around

Answer 9

Some of us forgot to evolve and stayed like a monkey. Like my cousin. (if u r my cousin, it was a joke)

Answer 10

If Christians came from Jews, why are there still jews?

The common ancestor answer given in most of these answers is correct.