Humans evolved from apes. What were our ape ancestors' ancestors', millions of years ago, before apes existed?

Question

Intelligent life has existed on Earth for hundreds of millions of years. For most of that, apes did not yet exist, as they had not evolved. So what were the ancestors of the apes?

Answer 1

Chimpanzees, Orangutans.....

I know that the first life on  earth were unicellular organisms.

Answer 2

My guess: the reverse order goes humans, then apes (even though humans are apes,.... but oh well), monkeys then haplorhines then strepsirhines then misc. mammals then lizards then amphibians then fish, then amoebas.

Answer 3

Some other mammal, and their ancestors were other mammals, and their ancestors were amphibious mammals, and their ancestors were aquatic mammals...etc.

Answer 4

No we didn't... that's a myth from one man's mind... there'd be no apes to day if we did!

God created life!

Answer 5

Well I don't believe in evolution.

I believe God created Everything out of Nothing.

You (probably) believe Nothing created Everything out of Nothing.

Answer 6

The humans and apes of today evolved from a common primate ancestor. The apes of today didn't exist then. Those early primate ancestors evolved from small mammals similar to tree shrews with a diet consisting largely of fruit. That was about 65 million years ago.

When  you say "intelligent life" how are you defining "intelligent"? Intelligence of human standards hasn't existed for hundreds of millions of years. However, intelligence can also be attirbuted to many non-human animals in so far as they have the ability to learn. This sort of intelligence has perhaps existed for more than 100 million years.

Answer 7

Humans did not evolve from apes.   God created all people for his glory.

Answer 8

The TRUTH is that 'NOBODY' REALLY KNOWS.  The abundance of fossil 'evidence' available so far, does NOT support 'the theory of evolution'.  There is NO 'real' 'human' mediatory (missing link) evidence, and all the 'common ancestors' that evolutionists constantly refer to, because that's the best (non-evidence) they can offer, are NON-EXISTENT (they can't even name one, or state what 'kind' of creature it was, let alone produce the tiniest scrap of evidence of it).

Evolution, as an explanation of human origin, is rapidly dying as a feasible 'theory', as evolutionists become more and more desperately and 'religiously' defencive of it.  

Another nail was hammered into it's coffin two days ago when news revealed that new fossils had been discovered in Kenya that totally 'disproved' another, 'crucially important', part of the 'theory of evolution'.

I AM NOT A CREATIONIST, nor an IDist, nor any religionist of any description  This is all totally and 'unbiasedly' TRUE.

There is no, 'unequivocal' evidence available, to show that we had non-human ancestors on this planet.  We are now the same 'modern humans' that we 'suddenly' started out as.  The same as all the other, now extinct, species of humans, that the fossil evidence shows, have inhabited this planet.  

Which indicates, not that we were 'created' by a (perfect) 'god' (there are far too many human-like imperfect errors), but by some other form of 'Intelligent Intervention'.

Answer 9

Erm, sorry, but 'Intelligent life has existed on Earth for hundreds of millions of years' - where the heck did you get that idea from? Where is your evidence? Intelligence of human level began with the rise of hominids (by definition, really!) and that was a few million years ago!

To answer the later part of your question, I recommend you read 'The ancestors tale' by Richard Dawkins.

Answer 10

The level of ignorance in this chain of so-called answers is truly pathetic. And where were you when your biology class was studying evolution?

I would have said it was common knowledge that humans did NOT evolve from apes - until I read this topic. Jeez. We all had a common ancestor. Early hominids split off from the great apes about 8 milion years ago. They evolved in different directions and we humans, Homo sapiens, were the only successful species.

Oh yeah...there are a number of "missing links," the most recent being that fish with legs that was discovered  in the last 6 months or so. And that old saw about evolution being "only" a theory? Scientists use the word "theory" differently than laymen do. Evolution is as solid as gravity and almost as easy to demonstrate. Just look at that TB superbug for the latest example of evolution at work!

Answer 11

Humans didn't evolve from apes. Apes, chimpanzees, monkeys (etc) and humans all evolved from earlier mammals. At several points in the evolutionary chain there were splits in the chain – so a single species in different areas of the world, under different conditions, evolved separately into two different species with a common ancestor.

Read up on the topic on the internet or a library.

Answer 12

amoeba

Answer 13

if human evolved from apes, why are there still apes today ??

Answer 14

We came from Mars not evolved from Apes. This whole evolution thing is a nonsense. If we evolved from the apes then the apes would now be men. They are not men so as yet they have not evolved to become men. So therefore we must be from Mars.

Answer 15

the volvox?

Answer 16

They were a type of monkey not living today.  These monkeys grew larger and lost the tail, and thus became apes.   These apes later evolved into hominids.  Those who suggest that we didn't evolve from apes, but from the common ancestor are only half right.  We evolved from the common ancestor of modern apes which was also an ape.  Orangs are very intelligent and are 15 million years removed from humans so I would say intelligence at that level probably existed for at least that long.  Greater intelligence was present till hominids really developed their brain.

Answer 17

human beings should preserve records of the present apes for our coming generations (n number of generations) to watch and see the change/evolution if man was an ape !!!

Answer 18

This was a squirrel like critter known as a prosimian that 1st appeared about 60 million yrs ago. The monkey & eventually the ape & hominoids (basically bipedal apes)  evolved from these 1st primates.

Answer 19

No one has ever said mankind came from apes. It was said that we have something in common, opposable thums. They can pick up a beer can too, now will you people so read a book and find a question that hasn't been 200 times??

Answer 20

they were monkeys and shrews

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0...

Answer 21

Politicians!

Answer 22

strange sperms......very strange sperms indeed

Answer 23

My question, I think. My gran's ancestors were mentioned in the Domesday Book. 'Those monkey bas tards down the lane' (Extract)   There is a school of thought that monkeys haven't descended from anything; especially trees.

Answer 24

It's one of those questions that never seems to be dealt with on nature programs. I favour the aliens from outer space came and colonised us theory.

Answer 25

You are traveling back in time to the beginning of life which would be the single cell life forms from which all life forms evolved.  

As far as your statement that intelligent live has lived here for hundreds of millions of years is highly debatable.

Answer 26

All life on this planet originated from primordial soup.

Answer 27

We all started in the water.

Answer 28

The theory of evolution is just that, a theory. Maybe we didn't evolve from apes.

Answer 29

Why argue where we came from or how we got here?

Probably better at this stage in the game to ask 'where are we headed?'

Answer 30

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Answer 31

Humans did not evolve from apes.  Humans and apes share a common ancestor, which must have been a primate of some kid.  

Intelligent life (depending on how you define it) has not existed for as long as you think it has, and apes are not as young as you think they are.