What if? We were not the highest order of life,not even in the top ten ,behind sea-borne mammals,for example?

Question

What if? We were not the highest order of life,not even in the top ten ,behind sea-borne mammals,for example?

Answer 1

If that was the case, they wouldn't keep on beaching themselves, and repeating that behaviour, immediately after rescue. Dolphins would have passed on the message that humans are dangerous, and to keep well away, but such is not the case. The US Navy has trained dolphins carrying explosive packs strapped to them, with proximity fuses, to approach enemy submarines - KABOOM!!! There is no evidence to support your hypothesis: quite the reverse, in fact.

Answer 2

By what criteria could you consider us inferior?

Intelligence, we're top.

Organisational structure, top.

Technologically, top.

Language, top.

Self awareness, top.

Ability to wipe out each other, and other species, top.

Population, probably down the list to rats etc.

So, all in all, I'd say we were right up there. As romantic as it might seem to think that dolphins are more intelligent, they're not, since they don't need to be very intelligent to survive, they just have to outsmart their main predators, like sharks etc. They have excelled in agility and speed.

Answer 3

When I set out to learn I was much the same as a small turtle and had to make a quick dash to the ocean before some higher life form swept me up and ate me.  Then, once in the ocean, small as I was I felt even more vulnerable to any and all forms of life since to them all I was was something to give them energy to continue on.  Oh, me giving energy... am I that high a life form that I am energy for other forms not so fortunate?  then I learned that they too pretty much are energy forms to be consumed by even more complicated forms of life.  So perhaps I'm not so high a life form after all.

     Now, an old turtle and not even able to procreate any more I will leave this form to evaporate here on the beach and wouldn't you know it, some small little itzy bits of life forms are eating away at my old shell for the energy left, they are bacteria and who knows what intelligence lies there.

Answer 4

You will now be placed in protective custody for discovering the truth.

Answer 5

why do you think the one species that can not live in Harmony with nature is the highest order of life? Just cause we build things? We are a self destructive group at the least.

Answer 6

You know little about sea borne mammals, research the mating habits of dolphins, ask why whales beach.

Answer 7

Theoretically, if we were not the highest order of life, we would be eaten.

Answer 8

so your wanting to know if we will be the hunted instead of the hunters?   We humans are the top predators for one reason.  We learn ed to adapt to change and diversity better than our lesser mammal cousins.

Otherwise if the global planet killer asteroid didn't hit Earth we might just be competing with other higher life forms that might evolved from the dinosaurs.

Answer 9

Cool.

Answer 10

Well, the theroretical "higher orders" have done little to enhance their own survival which implies a lower level of either understanding or ability to gather information about the world.