Humans might go extinct one day, just like the dinosaurs, woolly mammoths and others. Who will take over the world after us? The answer? Octopus. According to one scientist, when the day comes that humans no longer exist on Earth, the eight-legged creature will rule the planet, Daily Mail reported.
With ongoing wars and climate change, humans are on the verge of destroying their own world. An expert zoologist and biologist says that in such a scenario, octopuses will evolve and build the next civilisation as they possess the “physical and mental attributes” for it.
Professor Tim Coulson of the University of Oxford said that the marine creatures will colonise the world and build an underwater colony resembling Atlantis using complex tools that they will create themselves.
Coulson told The European magazine that octopuses are “supremely intelligent” and have the “dexterity, curiosity and ability to communicate with each other” to do so if humans are wiped off the face of Earth. Their special abilities put them in a “pole position” to take over the world one day.
“Octopuses are among the most intelligent, adaptable, and resourceful creatures on Earth,” he said.
They can “solve complex problems, manipulate objects, and even camouflage themselves with stunning precision”, which means that in “the right environmental conditions, they could evolve into a civilisation-building species following the extinction of humans.”
His theory defies the belief that primates will be the next species to rule the world, as Coulson says they would also go extinct because of the same reasons as humans.
Octopus can develop tools
However, they might never evolve into land animals fully, but have spent some time out of the water which can help them develop new methods of hunting, he claimed.
He believes that octopuses can still develop a system of hunting on the land similar to how humans have devised hunting methods in the sea. The marine animals can spend 30 minutes out of water and over millions of years can evolve into becoming expert hunters on land.
Coulson even believes that octopuses can one day become so adept at developing tools that they can create SCUBA-like breathing gear to stay out of the water for longer.
“Their advanced neural structure, decentralized nervous system, and remarkable problem-solving skills make octopuses uniquely suited for an unpredictable world,” he said.
Professor Coulson was previously Professor of Population Biology at Imperial College London. He has also been in prominent roles at Cambridge University and the Institute of Zoology London.