If the human race disappeared, who would inherit the earth?

[Geoff]

In one of my random speculative moods I've been pondering about the extinction of the human race.

It's not beyond the bounds of possibility that we accidentally loose an engineered virus that selectively wipes out the human race, leaving the infrastructure and planet available for future evolution.

This has been the pattern throughout history... some event comes along and wipes out the dominant species, and leaves the planet waiting to be inherited. Geologists believe us in the throws of the Anthropecene, the human era, so we are ripe to be replaced, and we are at the average length of survival for a complex species. In any case, morbidity aside this is just for fun...

I'm thinking it will probably be a large mammal, and one that is omnivorous or carnivorous for aggression, brain size and other factors... perhaps a Bear.. or pigs (they are kind of clever). Perhaps another primate will rise to the challenge; after all, the bonobo - that's a chimp not a U2 band member - is scarily human like in its tribal outlook and aggression levels.

Cockroaches could finally get their chance, particularly if there was an environmental disaster.

Perhaps some kind of sea based society for the dolphins and whales.

What do you think? This is not too serious a thread, amusing banter welcome, but not for too long off topic, thanks!

 

[Mempy]

All our cats will rule the world.

 

[Athenian200]

Depending on how far technology has advanced, it may simply be our computers/robots that take over, maintaining themselves somehow. Barring that, I'm guessing that several insects, birds, plants, and possibly animals would simply use the remnants our cities for themselves until they eventually degraded back into a natural state. (which could take thousands if not millions of years in some cases.)

 

[Mempy]

Depending on how far technology has advanced, it may simply be our computers/robots that take over, maintaining themselves somehow. Barring that, I'm guessing that several insects, birds, plants, and possibly animals would simply use the remnants our cities for themselves until they eventually degraded back into a natural state. (which could take thousands if not millions of years in some cases.)

In seriousness, that was my first thought.

Still, it would be cool if our cats ran the world.

 

[Snowey1210]

Well do humans really own the world as it is? It seems like a lot of what we do is conducive with our own self destruction. We tend to overthink, a beautiful human activity; but also an extremely dangerous one when used in a truly chaotic world.

My bet'd be on plants, all the Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere lends itself to future glory

 

[Tigerlily]

I'll go with Athenian and say Robots. AI springs to mind.

 

[Geoff]

In seriousness, that was my first thought.

Still, it would be cool if our cats ran the world.

I'td certainly be an interesting society. Ever watched the early series of Red Dwarf? In this the cat character is descended from a kitten in statis and develops an entire society in the hold of a spaceship. Interesting idea...

It has some merit though... imagine the prey running short on the african plains, and the lions having to do more than laze around all day yawning... intelligence beckons!

 

[alcea rosea]

Rats.

 

[miss fortune]

not to sound pessimistic (and to prove that I've taken a few too many classes on global climate change ) I don't think that humans are going to leave the world useable enough for anything else to inherit it.

Who will take over when humans are gone? Rocks- that'll be about all that's left :sad:

 

[alcea rosea]

Believe me Whatever that it's rats (and mice )!

 

[mippus]

One more vote for rats for all the reasons of the other mammals plus they breed fast enough to create a race of mutants that may flourish in the mess we will have left...

 

[SolitaryPenguin]

I watched this really interesting show on History Channel called Life After People a couple weeks back. Not sure if it's available online, but it was really worth a watch.

 

[Geoff]

Darn! I forgot the option "aliens". Maybe little green men* will take over the earth when we are gone...


*extraterrestials, not small frenchmen.

 

[disregard]

This is to presume that humans have primarily inherited the earth..

 

[Geoff]

This is to presume that humans have primarily inherited the earth..

Good point! However, I am basing the premise on the fact that the geologists consider that the planet is in the era of the humans, the anthropocene. I suppose we don't have to agree with them

 

[disregard]

Alright. Given that, I am going to go with... monkeys. Their aggression and greed would do well to fill the shoes of their forebears, even though they are our forebears.. Hmmm.

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

I'm going to go with the bugs, based on sheer numbers. I think it's a reach to say that any of the other primate species will make the leap that humans did...I tend to think that we were a rather freak occurence instead of an evolutionary inevitability. I don't think that scavengers like rats will make it because we won't be around to leave our garbage.

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

ESTJs

 

[Tigerlily]

ESTJs

Hell on earth?

 

[nightning]

bacteria! The little guys have my vote... Why? Well for something to kill off all humans, it must be of significant scale to wipe out all mammals... and while we're at it... probably all birds, most reptiles and insects.

Cockroaches are tough little guys. But hey, if they can survive, so can bacteria and yeast... However there are conditions where cockroaches can't survive but bacteria and co still can. So I pick them.