If humans disappear from Earth, don’t be surprised if octopuses take over next. A top scientist from the University of Oxford believes the eight-armed sea creatures could evolve into the planet’s next civilisation-builders — complete with underwater cities, advanced tools and maybe even land hunting skills.
As per reports back in 2024, Professor Tim Coulson, a zoologist at Oxford, says octopuses have the brains, adaptability and problem-solving skills needed to dominate a post-human world. Octopuses' intelligence is already extraordinary, with abilities ranging from solving puzzles and opening jars to using tools and communicating through colour flashes, the scientist was quoted as saying then.
Coulson even suggested they could one day create an underwater civilisation similar to the mythical Atlantis. “Octopuses are among the most intelligent, adaptable, and ingenious creatures on Earth,” he said, adding that their dexterity and curiosity make them strong candidates to fill the ecological void left by humans.
