Which species will 'inherit' the Earth when humans become extinct?

If disaster happens and humanity is wiped out, which species will follow us to dominate this planet?

We often hear of the prospect of a disaster occurring that will wipe out humanity from this planet. And now the question is: if humans disappear, which species will replace us to Earth?

If humans disappear, which species will replace us to Earth?

To answer this question, we must first understand how a species "dominates" Earth . According to Luc Bussiere - a lecturer at Sterling University (UK) - we do not define this concept based on species population, because if so, then the species that dominates this planet must be a plant or . bacteria not human.

Instead, we evaluate the dominant species rather than certain influential species in the surrounding environment.

In particular, many opinions suggest that the structure of human appearance is most suitable to become dominant species.

So if humanity disappears, our closest relative is the ape (ape) like chimpanzees, orangutans . that will continue to inherit this planet.

Are the apes like chimpanzees, orangutans . going to replace humans?

However, according to experts, this is unlikely, because it is likely that primates are extinct before us.

In fact, they are the only surviving hominid (living) creatures, so no matter what crisis or disaster threatens us, there's no excuse for the remaining primates. . And not only primates, but any species that has the same basic needs as us will share the same fate.

This is unlikely, because most primates are extinct before us.

So in short, which species will dominate Earth at the time, suppose, 50 million years after we disappear?The answer is a completely new species that we cannot predict.

This conclusion is based on past mass extinction events, in which new creatures often do not carry the characteristics of their ancestors.

For example, the Permian extinction event of 250 million years ago killed up to 90% of aquatic life, and 70% of terrestrial animals. However, the lizards that survived later did not appear to resemble their descendants later.

A new species will completely replace humanity to dominate the earth.

Therefore, suppose that ants are species that dominate our planet, it will be a completely different ant species than today.

The research is published on The Conversation page.