If we are descendants of apes or primates...who are the primates descendants?

Question

If we are descendants of apes or primates...who are the primates descendants?

Answer 1

The earliest Proto-Primates arose 60 million years ago, just after the dinosaurs disappeared (65 million years ago)...

Someone, or something, had to fill the niche that was created...

Answer 2

The first primates (which originated around 60-50mya) were called plesiadapids. They kind of resembled mongooses and had a very general body structure like modern primates do. It is believed that these plesiadapids gave rise to lemurs, while other ancient primates related to presiadapids gave rise to tarsiiformes and lorisiforms and eventually monkeys and apes.

Answer 3

We aren't "descendants of apes" there was a split millions of years ago. That's why apes and humans exist today. Both humans and apes are hominids.

The hominid classification contains the human and great apes. (chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans) Hominoids include all of the ape and human families. As one source explains:

"The word "hominid" refers to members of the family of humans, Hominidae, which consists of all species on our side of the last common ancestor of humans and living apes. (Some scientists use a broader definition of Hominidae which includes the great apes.) Hominids are included in the superfamily of all apes, the Hominoidea, the members of which are called hominoids. Although the hominid fossil record is far from complete, and the evidence is often fragmentary, there is enough to give a good outline of the evolutionary history of humans."

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/spe...

The split from the rest of the hominoids is dated to 15-20 million years ago. The first known hominid is Ardipithecus ramidus.

The basic characteristic of hominids is bipedalisim, the ability to walk on two feet. Hominoids include tree dwelling apes and monkeys. Their hands and feet differ greatly from that of humans.

All primates have opposable thumbs. This allows use to touch our fingertips and grasp objects. The human hand has a longer thumb, less curved fingers, and broader fingertips. It allows use to perform much more precise work then the other primates.

Where man also differs is in dominant handedness. About 90 percent of humans are dextral (right handed) and 10 percent sinistal (left handed). In the rest of the primates, the degree of dominate handedness is closer to 50/50 between hands. While some primates have a marked preference for using one hand over another, it does not match the human 9:1 ratio.

Tools and exhausted stone cores produced 1.9 to 1.5 million years ago show evidence of a marked preference for right handed dominance. Therefore, it's a trait that's been with humans for a long time.

Another evolutionary change shown in our development is that our earlier ancestors had more curved fingers. This would allow them to climb and swing in the trees better then our hands.

See:

"Making Silent Stones Speak" by Schick and Toth, ISBN 0-671-87538-8 and

"African Exodus" by Stringer and McKie ISBN 0-8050-5814-1

Answer 4

ancient primates

Answer 5

We descended from one branch (!) of primates.  Not the ones around today.  Primate's descendants are primates.

Answer 6

We are descended from no one. see my answer to question from josh 1 What is the oldest human race.

Answer 7

The answer to your question is of course, our decendants evovled into us as well as existing apes and primates since we share a common ancestor with all of them but generally at different times.  Our common ancestor with chimps was maybe 6 million years ago.  Our common ancestor with gorillas was more like 8 million.  Monkeys were much further back (greater than 20,000,000 years).

Answer 8

We are not descendants of apes; we are primates, the neanderthals (extinct) and apes/monkeys/gorillas/etc. are primates we share a common ancestor from an extremely long time ago. Primates are the descendant of primates. And everything on Earth is a descendant of atoms, molecules and cells.

Answer 9

and they teach this c**p in higher education camps and public schools around the world,..they are high on something,..

since we are Not descendents of primates and do Not share a common ancestry with primates this question is moot, uncritically thought processed propaganda,..

let us see what the next batch of peanutbutter evolves into,..

i e a e,..

unificationist,..

Answer 10

I thought we all come here on space ships 59 million years ago

Answer 11

This is the old tricky question that is used by those who don't want to understand Darwinism: We don't descend from apes but humans and apes descend from the same ancestor!

And from that ancestor the lineage of our gene pool can be traced back to the same living organism that is the ancestor of all forms of life on earth.

Now, if you like to wander on the edge of science, you could imagine that there are more than one common ancestor to all forms of life. What would that look like? Would it also need water to survive? Do those alien forms of life exist on earth today? Were they extinct in the past? Do they live on other planets?

All this is very well described in an excellent article of Scientific American. Sorry, I have lost the link but if you try Aliens Among Us and Scientific American in Google, you'll certainly find it.