Octopuses have identified as potential rulers of Earth in the event of human extinction due to war or climate change, as per scientists. Their intelligence, dexterity, and adaptability are believe to position them as candidates for developing an advance civilisation.
Professor Tim Coulson, a zoologist at the University of Oxford, suggests that octopuses could evolve tools and technologies to build underwater cities akin to human societies should the right environmental conditions emerge.
As per a report, there are many attributes of octopuses that make them unique.
Their problem-solving capabilities, decentralise nervous system, and ability to manipulate objects enable them to adapt to challenging environments.
The report also highlights that while they are unlikely to fully transition to land due to their lack of a skeleton, it is believe they can find innovative ways to extend their time out of water, such as developing breathing apparatuses.
These marine creatures, already adept at using tools and hunting, can exploit niches left vacant in a post-human world, the report adds.
Octopuses are known to thrive in diverse environments, from deep seas to coastal waters, and possess the capacity for both solitary survival and complex behaviours.
Contrary to previous theories suggesting primates might replace humans, the report reveal that researchers argue that primates face many of the same extinction threats as humans.
Slow reproductive rates, vulnerability to predators, and dependence on specific ecosystems reduce their chances of survival in a changed world.
This report further mentions that while intelligent birds and insects demonstrate advance behaviour, they lack the dexterity need to create tools or transform their surroundings on a human scale.
Professor Tim Coulson told the publication that the rise of octopuses as dominant species is speculative.
Evolution is unpredictable, shape by countless variables, random mutations, and extinction events.
But, given the intelligence and adaptability of octopuses, they remain a strong contender for evolving into an advance civilisation in the absence of human influence, Professor Tim Coulson told the publication.
