If apes evolved into humans, would it be possible for marine creatures to evolve into new humans when flooded?

Question

Like, when Global Warming floods the world, therefore wiping us out (or most of us anyways) would the surviving creatures evolve into a new, maybe even better, type of animal that will take over the world?

Right, as in something that can massively reproduce, and fast?

Answer 1

It's happened once.

It's extremely unlikely to happen the same way a second time, but if land animals are wiped out then I put my money on aquatic tetrapods as the possible ancestor of the new dominant large land animals.

Dolphins would be in with a chance here (they already have air breathing down pat), but I'd watch those crustaceans. Molluscs such as octopuses might do it if they could manage the transition to land. Any sea creature that's already amphibious would also be a front runner to evolve into the niche vacated by humans.

Answer 2

First of all we didn't evolve from apes. We and the apes evolved from a common ancestor. Which was probably very much like an ape. Secondly, apes are still evolving! Given time, millions of years, they might evolve into more intelligent beings! Some people used to think black people in Africa were evolving apes, but not as far evolved as us. (No kidding! They really did! This was a justification for slavery.) Some species have been around for tens of millions of years without changing at all. Alligators and crocodiles, for instance, have been just the same since the time of the dinosaurs. So why didn't they evolve? There is a part of evolutionary theory called 'punctuated equilibrium' that explains why part of a population evolves and part doesn't. The way it works (according to the theory) is that a population of animals evolves to match their environment. Once they do, they stop changing because they are 'perfectly' evolved for their environment. Then some group of these animals leave that environment--for instance, the valley where they live is crowded so they migrate over the hills into the next valley. The environment there is different, so those few of those animals who are better suited to the new environment have an advantage, so they they begin evolving again until they once more reach 'equilibrium' with their new environment. So now you have two species, or subspecies, where before you had only one. In fact this was what led Darwin to this theory in the first place. He visited the Galapagos Islands where each island had a slightly different variety of turtles, birds, etc., because the environments of these islands were all a little different. Meanwhile those crocodiles, who have been in equilibrium with their environment for all this time, haven't changed much in 40 million years, because their environment hasn't changed!

Answer 3

Global flooding would be unlikely to wipe humans, and most land animals, out. It would be bad, sure - millions would probably die, but we wouldn't go extinct.

However, if there was some massive exctinction event that did wipe all land life out, and sure - *something* would probably evolve into leaving the water and colonising the land. Many different types of organism have done this since the dawn of life - vertebrates, plants, arthropods, molluscs, etc.

That said - there is absolutely no reason for anything to follow in humanity's tracks and evolve intelligence. There are an estimated 10 million different species in existance currently, and it is estimated that over 90% of all species that have ever existed are now extinct. So that's 100 million species, and only one - us - has evolved intelligence as far as we can tell.
So the odds of anything else evolving intelligence (as opposed to any of the other survival traits that exist) is roughly 100 million to one. Unlikely to say the least.

Answer 4

Any time in the past that a major climatic change has occurred, it has been followed by a period of rapid evolution by the surviving species. For example, the "Turn-over pulse" at 2.5-3 million years ago, in which there was a turnover from forest-adapted species to more open environment adapted species when the forests disappeared (Vrba, 1982). That is when our genus, Homo, first appeared. So, yes, it is likely that if another climatic change were to occur, some species would change and evolve to survive. A lot of species would also go extinct. However, these newer species would not be "humans". No species in the fossil record has ever come into existence on more than one occasion (i.e., humans will not arise twice).

Answer 5

Global warming is not going to flood the whole world. The greatest prediction that I have heard is that sea levels could rise by as much as 200 feet if all of the ice in the entire world melted. I live at 800 feet above sea level and that is not in the mountains but in Wisconsin.

An actual greater danger to all air breathers is the potential release of billions of tons of methane "frozen" in the oceans. If that happens, we air-breathers are all goners. No one seems to be talking about this much except a few scientists. Maybe it is too scary for politicians to even consider.

Maybe in another billion years bacteria that live on methane could evolve into a new batch of creatures or there could be global cooling again and plants could again fill the atmosphere with oxygen.

Answer 6

Sure, though when the polar caps melt, it will release huge amounts of methane in the air, eventually resulting in probably the death of most mammals.

My personal prediction is that the next dominant species will be an insect, reptile, or some other life form that survives extreme conditions well.

Answer 7

This assumes more flooding than melting of the icecaps would yield. Anticipated flooding would only impact coastal regions. Marine creatures are unlikely to fill the niche occupied by humans as they will not be able to use fire.

Answer 8

If the entire caps melted, which would take thousands of years even in the most hysterical prediction, it would add a few hundred feet. The caps didn't even exist 3 million years ago. To answer your question, no they couldn't because we are here and we are not leaving.

Answer 9

The earth can't flood again so that is out of the question. "Evolve" that's only a theory so that's out as well. "Global Warming" isn't it called "Climate Change" now? Wasn't it "Global Cooling" back in the 60s and 70s? Did you buy your carbon credits for the month? WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE. RUN FOR THE HILLS.

Answer 10

Apes did NOT evolve into humans.
Humans and apes have a common ancestor.