Why are the apes the only ones of have evolved?

If we define "intelligence" as "mental ability to adapt to novel situations and explore abstract concepts", then I can answer that.

You're making the mistake of using a very old and outdated version of evolution that, frankly, contains a little too much Bible in it: The Great Chain of Being. Simply put, the Chain says that there's a natural "hierarchy" of beings that are all somehow striving to become more human, and that we humans are second only to the angels. Chimpanzees are pretty close below us, cats and dogs are a little farther down, lizards and snakes are still further, and so on, all the way to bacteria.

Evolutionarily, this makes no sense. Evolution simply fills ecological gaps in the environment when and where it can. As a result, the evolutionary "tree" is more like a branching bush, with many different species filling different "roles". The terms "advanced" and "primitive" are misleading, because they are almost always weasel words for "more human" and "less human".

So why has nothing else evolved to be intelligent like us? Well, the popularity of a particular evolutionary trait can be measured roughly by how often that trait evolves independently. For example, a torpedo-shaped body is VERY good for swimming, and multiple species (fish, cetaceans, pinnipeds) have evolved it. Using broad, flat surfaces attached to your forelimbs as flight instruments is also generally a good idea, and multiple species have done that (birds, pterosaurs, bats, even some fish). Growing an energy intensive brain, the growth of which increases risk of death(s) during pregnancy and drastically increases child care length? Not that popular. Think of it this way: You can either spend your money and buy a supercomputer that requires a huge amount of electricity per month to run (thus meaning a high electric bill), or a medium computer that does exactly what you want, and use that spare money to buy some good video games. It's the same with evolution. The more complex an organ is, the more energy must go into growing it. Sharks, with their simpler brains, have been around pretty much unchanged for 500 million years or so. If that's not success, I don't know what is.

As "who" mentions, other species have been around for far longer than us.

Don't be too inclined to call your own species the pinnacle of evolution just because you belong to that species.

Your trolling about evolution is getting increasingly tiresome.

The answer, of course, is simply that we have happened upon a strategy that works for us. Every species that has ever existed has had at least one strategy that helps them, as a species, survive. Ours is intelligence. Others use flight, or camouflage, or speed, or big teeth.

You claim we have made some sort of huge leap that puts us a gigantic distance ahead of every other species. This claim is not backed up by the evidence. Genetic data indicates that there are perhaps a handful of genetic changes between us and our closest relatives that have been responsible for our intellectual capacity. We think we're amazingly intelligent, sure, but we don't have much of a basis for comparison. Dogs are as smart as our children.

Finally, the other aspect of your question - why haven't other species evolved the same way? - is equally pointless. The only possible answer to a "why not" question in evolution is this: either the necessary mutation did not arise, or if it did arise, it turned out not to be advantageous. Mutations are random. Not all species get to try out all possible genotypes, because the range of possible genotypes is massive. And just because we found intelligence to be very useful doesn't mean that other species would as well. A bird born with an unusually large brain would be hampered in flight and probably be picked off by a hunter. The vast, vast majority of life on earth has gotten by just fine with no brains at all. It works. That's all that evolution needs.

In short, you are claiming that the theory of evolution predicts that we should see something that does not exist - that if evolution were true, we should see other intelligent species. This claim is false. The theory of evolution does not predict any such thing, and there is no inconsistency between what we observe and what is predicted.

Try again.

I don't really go along with that theory - but who knows?

Everything is evolving as we go sailing through time and space.

Even germs learn how to combat and defeat our many chemical drugs though some may not connect the evolution of the other species and non species as elvolving.

They also say that we came from the oceans to land , etc. So then fish must be playing the same game - It might just be that some evolve faster or slower than other but the race is constantly adapting to their new life as time goes on.

We take over the jungles and soon the jungle comes to us. The machinery that nature throws at us is also a battle to us - The raising waters, solar radiation, changes in the ozone Etc.

So we may think that the apes are our parents but they are not the ones causing all the pollutions and problems - man may be smart but at times he is not very wise.

Don't you think that it holds the possibility just maybe the other species feel the same way - That they are the chosen ones and we are just another piece to natures plans.

we are slowly learning that other animals and things also use tools and thing to aid in their life structure.

It might be well to consider that both religion and evolution are tales from our past and such things as carbon dating and fossils are just theories that we have adopted as is Adam and Eve.

You don't think that certain animals avoid man by roaming at night or in their many hiding places as we also avoid lions and tigers?

Yes, I know science is wonderful but it doesn't explain why we are here or things that we can't see.

Sorry for the long ranting but it was a good chance to output some input.

why should there be?

I would go back and read the "dummies guide to evolution" if I were you

Cos you dont understand anything at all about it or history

"we can clearly observe the absence on earth of other species similar to human beings in mental and physical"

Can we?

Who says humans are the most intelligent?

You are judging intelligence by what humans are good at. AND assuming man type"intelligence" = an advanced creature

But I would not say a species developing the means to wipe itself from the only planet it can live on, AND polluting it until until it becomes uninhabitable, shows any signs of "intelligence"

Evolution is about survival NOT about creating the means of self destruction or implementing it

Dinosaurs lived on earth for something like 300 million years and lived quite happily thank you very much-

Sharks have been around for something like 50 million years and they lived happily

There are some insects that have been around for millions of years and can survive intense radiation,

heat, and cold

**** sapiens has existed for something like 200thousand years and can survive very little without artificial aids

When man has been around for say 10 million years THEN come back and see if he is still the most intelligent by your definition AND see if that "intelligence" has done him any good (him still being here would be a miracle)

Someone had to be first, but most species are still evolving including us. When overuse of antibiotics causes super bugs, the germs have evolved. Yet we still have evolution deniers.

Blue moths don't have big brains.

Dolphins have big brains but lack manual dexterity manipulation.