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By placing animals on the endangered species list and providing them with optimal thriving living conditions?
Are we limiting the evolution process? evolution requires extreme hostility to life, should we allow intelligent animals like the great apes to endure their current situations to promote evolution?
I love the animals and would never want to allow them to become extinct.
I guess my question is this, will any animal ever evolve to human or near human intelligence if we continue to provide them with sanctuaries? being that we stop killing them?
Pelican, i understand the amount of time it takes for evolution to take place. Man has interacted with the great apes as long as we have become sapient, which has been hundreds of thousands of
years. The great apes are too evolving, they are behind humans obviously but chimps are sharpening sticks to hunt their prey. There is evidence of other tool use also.
By treating these intelligent creatures the way we do, how will we effect their future?
"Some animals get thick skin, some get claws or teeth, some get the ability to hide. Humans are mentally the most advanced because we did not develop anything else to help us"
No, Early humans had thicker skin, stronger muscles, claws, sharp teeth. As we became more intelligent we developed tools that improved our ability to live and adapt it was then we began to lose the physical characteristics that seperate us from animals
5 Answers
- Anonymous1 decade agoFavorite Answer
Most endangered species do not live in sanctuaries..they are simply protected by law and their natural habitat is preserved in most cases...this would not stop them from evolving if that is what they are doing, they are still living as they always have, and plenty are killed and habitats are destroyed despite the laws in many cases.
- ?Lv 61 decade ago
Not at all. It takes millions of years for a complete change from one species to another (I don't mean from a fish to a mammal either), but only under extreme conditions and if they cannot adapt to the change in environment they will become extinct.
Small adaptations happen all the time. Such as if you take an African lion and put it in a colder climate it will grow a thicker coat. This is an example of a quick adaption.
There is too much confusion over adaption and evolution. Chimps have always used tools, they learn (adapt). Also, they pick up ideas, and learn from their human conservationists too. Some even knowing sign language and passing it off to their offspring. (This is too complicated to get into on Y!A.)
- 1 decade ago
I do not think that we are limiting the evolution process, no. Most animals end up on the endangered species list nowadays because humans are interfering with their habitats and their population. Yes, animals have been going extinct since their first appearance on earth; however, now it is happening at an unprecedented rate. Humans are killing off the animals too quickly and indiscriminately for natural selection to be effective. Right now the object is to rebuild the species, not focus on the evolution process; we can do that once the animals' population can sustain itself.
Animals go through different adaptations and changes to survive and thrive. Some animals get thick skin, some get claws or teeth, some get the ability to hide. Humans are mentally the most advanced because we did not develop anything else to help us. Since each animal is unique, you can't expect any of them to develop human or near-human intelligence because they have other means of feeding, defending, and reproducing themselves.
Hope this helps!
- Anonymous1 decade ago
Evolution is something that typically occurs over thousands, if not millions of years. Human involvement over the next few generations is unlikely to have an impact in the long-term.
I feel like there is an assumption that humans will be around for a long time. I guess I just figured we would have caused our own extinction within the next couple thousand years.
- 1 decade ago
Good question
I think that we have to keep taking care of them because there are some people out there who will never stop killing them, because they dont listen
but i think your right, that might happen
your very smart answer mine lol haha:)