Which species is next in line to be the dominant species?

If Humanity fails, which species is next in line to be the dominant species on Earth?

I propose the pig. They're highly intelligent. Some say more intelligent than dogs, and almost as intelligent as apes. Genetically, pigs are almost as close relatives to humans as apes are. They're social animals as well. Pigs are omnivores, and can adapt to pretty much any evironment. Ever seen a feral pig? Those were domestic pigs, and didn't come with a coat and tusks. As farm animals, they're domestic everywhere on the planet - the perfect starting position for world domination. Pigs are easy breeders, and their population will exponentially grow in size, if unopposed. So yeah, if humanity fails, the post apocalyptic survivors will have to keep their eyes out for the evolution of the pig. The über-pig is bound to usurp our reign!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes? Nonsense! Rise of the Planet of the Hog, more like. What say you?

The Great White Shark. They've already conquered the ocean. Dry land is their only remaining frontier. Carcharodon Sapiens will rule the world.

Was going to go with androids, but pigs work.

I guess, but they can't manipulate tools due to the fact that they only have hoofs so I don't have a lot of confidence in them becoming anything more than populous.

Cyborgs, robots, AI, etc. or the Illuminati/Annunaki which will be a race of human/alien hybrids from Nibiru. True humans of course will be used as slaves to mine gold for Nibiru's atmosphere.

Pig's a good choice, but Brendan has a point. I'd wager octopi or cuttlefish at this point.

I recently reread "The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy" so the first two that came to mind are mice and dolphins.

None because I'm guessing that when humans go, we're taking the planet out with us.

Turtlebirds.

Bacteria. It'll be everywhere. It'll kill everything.

@mosespippy: It already is and it already does.

Monkeys or some form of ape most likely.

@itwongo: Yes, and my point is it'll still be going long after humanity is over.

Reptilians.

@mosespippy: And one could infer that it's a removed choice because the OP pins humans as the dominant species on Earth.

Ants have always been my goto. They eat anything and never stop working.

My money is on dinosaurs. I think they're due for a comeback.

Nothing, we will destroy the planet before anything else has a chance.

Definitely dolphins.

Raccoons. The next dominant species will be raccoons. Opposable thumbs? Check.

From wikipedia..."raccoons were able to open 11 of 13 complex locks in fewer than 10 tries and had no problems repeating the action when the locks were rearranged or turned upside down. Davis concluded they understood the abstract principles of the locking mechanisms and their learning speed was equivalent to that of rhesus macaques.^[67] Studies in 1963, 1973, 1975 and 1992 concentrated on raccoon memory showed they can remember the solutions to tasks for up to three years.^[7]"

@mosespippy said:

Gamer Girls

Shit. I often can't remember the solution to a problem the next day. I'm toast.

Can a species even be 'dominant?'

The furry thing that controls Trump. The fact that he's gone untreated for this long is crazy. Who knows how many he's spread it to..

Anyway, my money is on parasites.

Mine.

Fantastic series.

*streets

@oneloneclone: So, what you're saying is, Sly Cooper is the future.

This.

If you want a real answer, I'd say some sort of bacteria, or maybe ants.

Honey Badgers.

China

I don't think that humanity is disappearing without some sort of catastrophic event. It will have to be something on a massive scale, with all or most things being killed along with us. And it will have to be something that happens pretty rapidly, before we can come up with a way to cope. When and if that happens, there's no way to tell what will evolve to take our place, or if anything will be as smart and versatile as we are.

I think you got it friend

if only the octopus lived much longer and was a social animal, they would get my vote hands, er, tentacles down.

octodad is merely prescient.

Killer Whales. Because most likely the reason humans will be gone is the envelopment of the planet by water.

PC Master Race

Ants certainly have the drive. Although I can't guarantee that this is actually true (it probably isn't, but whatever), I seem to remember hearing somewhere that ants were the only creatures on the planet, other than humans, that had a sufficient combination of aggression and organization to wage full on wars. Other pack/herd animals might have territorial squabbles from time to time, but supposedly it's only ants and humans that stage full campaigns of all-out, scorched earth, nation vs nation (or colony vs colony), "subjugate and enslave the loser because fuck those guys" war.

Maaaan, now I'm thinking about how sick a Total War scale remake/reboot of SimAnt: The Electronic Ant Colony would be...

I remember an old discovery / BBC documentary saying surprisingly that squids would eventually become the dominate species.

Ravens.

Anything with opposable thumbs and/or the ability to use tools.

The Lion is probably sitting here reading this thread going "what the fuck?"

The Honey Badger...and the Honey Badger don't care if you think so or not.

I think what would happen is humans die off, then 40 million years of no dominate species. Then suddenly Cuttlefish evolve for 1 million years and when they finally reach the 'Cuttlefish Renaissance'...an asteroid hits destroying them all.

Then another 100 million years pass without a dominate species before the Vogons show up to demolish the planet.

@ripelivejam said:

Wait... what does an octopus have to do with Octodad? I mean, sure, the names are kind of similar but I don't see any other connections. Does he have eight kids or something? I thought it was just part of the wave of indie games about everyday life. He's just a regular guy, dealing with the relatively mundane struggles of trying to take care of his family in the suburbs.

I'm a huge admirer of crows. I always nod respectfully when I see one. The crows always nod back.

Once, a crow laid a chestnut to my feet, so I may crack it for it. They usually only do that with cars. I felt pretty honored. Also - they always squabble with the local hawk population. On a visit, I went on an afternoon walk with my mom, and told her of how the crows and hawks always squabble. She didn't believe me. The crows and hawks must have heard. Later, a hawk and a crow landed simultaneously on a street light, sat there for a couple of seconds next to each other, peacefully. Long enough for me to point it out to my mom. As soon as she raised her head, the two took flight and fought in the skies for us.

The only reason we have all the shit we do, is because we are so inept at life, that we need it, or at some point, began to believe that we need it. It stands to reason that birds, crows and ravens and the like, are superior beings in every way. Hell, many birds travel the world over, crossed entire continents and vast oceans, have seen more than any man. We just fail to realize it in our hubris.

I dream of one day befriending a crow, and with this companion at my side, go on a neverending pilgrimage, to find god, and caw in god's ear at last.

I think we would go back to some kind of equilibrium like before humans started socializing. Bacteria wins hands down as the dominant living organism though, I mean we are basically walking bacteria planets...

I don't think a species just becomes dominant.

you're right, i was being hasty. nothing to see here. :\

as for octopuses/pi/whatever becoming dominant, this bodes well :)