How come other animals have evolved to human life forms life apes?

Question

Lots of animals have lived on this planet longer than apes yet none of them have evolved to a human type form why not?

Answer 1

Humans are not the pinnacle of life.  If you were born into a chimps family, you would not survive.  You could not climb trees or keep up with them and no human could. You would certainly fall prey to some predator.  Tarzan is simply a fiction. Animals, including our immediate ancestors, evolved into niches for which they were suited.  Since there are lots of niches, there are lots of animal types that are suitable for those niches.

Answer 2

This is our niche. A lot of animals, including other humans didn't get a chance to be with us today, because at some time in the past our ancestors made them extinct. Seems that as a species we cannot stand other species that are too much like us (Neanderthals being the most famous example). The reason is simple. They would compete for our resourcess and thus be a threat. Sound familiar? This is why we still fight wars over resourcess like fuel and food.

So the answer is: We never gave them the chance. It was more sensible for most ape species to carry on living in the trees and the deep jungle (less humans around to eat them).

Answer 3

If 100 creatures entered a complex maze, one-by-one, most would come to dead ends, without the ability to back-track, and only a few would find their way through...

This is kinda how it works!

Answer 4

too keep people form knowing each others thoughts

Answer 5

is this a self help question---do you have opposiable thumb yet?

Answer 6

Like what a croc? or a turtle?

Answer 7

They didn’t want to pay taxes.

Answer 8

If your thinking along the lines of the aliens on star trek who look like human versions of other animals then the simple reason is the phrase is "Form follows function" A human form would be useless for a fish or a crocodile. And having two arms and legs and a hairless body are not requirements for becoming smart. Whales, Dolphins, Elephants, Octopus's, Raves/Crows and Grey parrots all have demonstrable intelligence and problem solving abilities but are definitely not "Humanoid"

Answer 9

because it was not his plan.

Answer 10

Your question is funny, but shows a complete lack of basic scientific knowledge or understanding.  You also obviously think humanity was the ultimate goal of evolution, so apparently horses, alligators and hummingbirds are somehow failed evolutionary lines because they didn't evolve into a "human type form."

So many misjudgements I can't begin to correct them.

Answer 11

Evolution is not a race and has no goal, or direction > It is merely the change over time in a species due to mutation, variation and environmental conditions.

How come humans have not evolved to breath under water and fly? Think before you commit yourself.

Answer 12

Animals adapt and then evolve into new forms because they can't compete in the niches they have. Cockroaches don't need to evolve because they reached the perfect form for them 100 million years or so ago.

Our ancestors came down from the trees because they couldn't compete with the other apes. Walking upright allowed more of the tool use that gave us more niches. Intelligence and tool use are not a universal solution, it just happened to work for us.

Answer 13

Because we are not the be-all and end-all of evolution.  What we are is the result of millions of years of specific environmental conditions acting on random mutations.  If we weren't mammals, we wouldn't be warm-blooded and we wouldn't have parents who cared for their young.  If we weren't primates, we wouldn't be nimble-fingered and social with good binocular vision.  If we weren't great apes, we'd have a tail and wouldn't have complex social structures and the ability to use tools.  Every stage of our line's evolution has contributed to what modern humans are; you simply can't take a zebra and turn it into a human, no matter how much time you have.

Maybe you're more concerned with intelligence and self-consciousness.  It has happened with other animals, although it is quite rare.  The other great apes seem to have self-awareness, as do dolphins and elephants, probably.  That's seven species, out of millions, and we're all mammals.  Intelligence is not the greatest evolutionary strategy.  Yes, it obviously works under some conditions, or it wouldn't have lasted long.  We really ran with it.  However, there are definite disadvantages.  Brains take up a huge amount of energy.  We also have to have parents who care for their young, which means fewer young in general.  That's risky; if ten babies in a tribe are killed, that means a h**l of a lot more than if ten mosquito larvae in a pond are, because mosquito can have a lot more babies at once than people can.  Intelligence has its perks, but in the end, most species do just as well or better putting their energy to other uses, like having tons of offspring.

Answer 14

Interesting question. I often hear if people evolved form apes, then why are the apes still here? I do believe in evolution. I guess  some things just evolve faster than others.