Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Debate Which Animal Would Reign Supreme If Humans Didn't Exist

Make us preferred on Google

Humans have had an undeniably significant impact on our environment and the other species that inhabit the planet with us.

What might happen if humans weren't here to exert that influence, though?

What if we never had?


Reddit user Mompkey asked:

"Which species do you think would be dominant if humans didn't exist?"

Caninae

"Wolves. They can, and have, successfully adapted to most of the various biomes on the planet."

"There's a reason we domesticated them and took them everywhere with us."

-CedarWolf

Giphy

Formicidae

"Ants are and would still be the dominant species."

-mpssss22

Giphy

Procyonidae

"Raccoons"

-ir88d

"2 rules in life:

  1. Everything is garbage
  2. Garbage is delicious"
Giphy

Blattodea

"Cockroaches"

-Chromebasketball

"I would agree, but now I'm wondering if our presence is the reason cockroaches have thrived as well as they have."

-Steverin0724

Giphy

Selachimorpha

"Sharks, they are the dominant species on 3/4 of the Earth's surface already, they have survived mass extinctions and would thrive even more without humans mucking up their habitat."

-Who_Wouldnt_

Giphy

Corvidae

"Corvids particularly Crows."

-Outrageous-Monk-6281

Giphy

Nobody

"Humans are the only species that seek to dominate others. Other animals just want to live in the balance of nature. They're just trying to survive, they don't have time to take over the world."

-Nisa4444

"Pinky and The Brain theme song played in my head."

-itsnick

Giphy

Primates

"Other primates."

-Dimple_From_YA

"We've killed off so many throughout history but of the ones that remains intelligence and versatility would be the key factors. Their food supply and habitat would greatly increase in our absence so with this being said.........primates."

"We are simply the superior primate therefore we are the dominant species. That opposable thumb is a mf when you have a large brain."

-LifeOutside7130

"Gorillas"

-WickedGeisha

Giphy

Brachyura et al.

"Crabs."

-coyoteb0nes

Giphy

Hominidae

"Wouldn't it be just another off shoot of humans like the Neanderthal or heidelbergensis?"

-SnooHesitations8174

Giphy

While we'll probably never know definitively which species would truly thrive without us around, it's still fun to speculate.

Do you have thoughts?

Comment below!

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshot of John Kennedy
Fox News

MAGA Senator Just Dropped Hilariously Iconic Nickname For Democratic Socialists—And We're Kind Of Obsessed

Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy handed Democratic socialists a win after giving them a nickname while criticizing former Vice President Kamala Harris for trying to "cozy up to them."

Recently, Axios reported that Harris has been speaking with prominent progressives, even having a call and exchanging messages with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the most prominent democratic socialist in the country. The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) also saw significant primary victories in New York and Michigan, earning rebukes from Republicans.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
@atrupar/X

Trump Slammed After Claiming Infants Get Vaccines The 'Size Of A Bottle Of Soda' In Unhinged Rant

In the latest move toward promoting conspiracy theories and anti-vaxxer pseudoscience over legitimate research, MAGA Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled Delivering Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations for Americans.

The signing ceremony was attended by members of his administration and other guests, including anti-vax activist and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., White House policy advisor and Project 2025 architect Stephen Miller, and health economist and controversial National Institutes of Health Director and acting Centers for Disease Control Director Jay Bhattacharya, who attended medical school but never practiced medicine.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ryan Reynolds; Janice and Jeff Ivey
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Jeff Ivey

Ryan Reynolds Has Hilarious One-Liner After Texas Couple Moves To Wrexham After Being Inspired By His Reality Show

After watching Welcome to Wrexham on Disney+ and visiting Wales seven times in the past two years, Texas couple Jeff and Janice Ivey decided to make the big move from Texas to Wrexham.

The docuseries stars Ryan Reynolds, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Rob McElhenney, and the Wrexham soccer team, and it showcased a sense of community that the couple loved. Since Jeff has UK citizenship thanks to Scottish ancestry, the Iveys decided to put it to good use to visit various places in Wales, focusing their time on Wrexham.

Keep ReadingShow less
Brooke Shields on @grier_henchy's TikTok
@grier_henchy/TikTok

Brooke Shields Offers Iconic Clapbacks After Daughter Hops On 'Bully' TikTok Trend To Jokingly Mock Her Gray Hair And Wrinkles

A lot of trends that get popular on TikTok are mean-spirited, in most people's opinion, and now there's a "bully trend" going around in which people say unkind, critical things to a friend or family member and give them a chance to clap back.

When her daughter Grier approached her with the trend, Brooke Shields was ready.

Keep ReadingShow less
KJ Jacobs reacts after witnessing a car accident unfold during a live traffic report.
WCPO 9 News

Traffic Reporter Stops Himself Mid-Curse Word After Watching Car Accident In Real Time During Live Report

Cincinnati traffic reporter and meteorologist KJ Jacobs witnessed a car accident during a live report—and nearly had an on-air accident of his own.

Last Thursday, Jacobs was standing in front of footage of Interstate 71, guiding Cincinnati viewers through the morning traffic, when the road behind him suddenly demanded his full attention.

Keep ReadingShow less