The thing that got us to #1 was opposable thumbs and intelligence. Other animals have one or the other.
Octopi are dextrous enough without thumbs, but they are solitary animals with relatively short lifespans. If they lived longer and worked together, they would rule the oceans.
They lack human nature. The thing that got us to number 1 but that still isn’t enough.
The thing that got us to #1 was opposable thumbs and intelligence. Other animals have one or the other.
Octopi are dextrous enough without thumbs, but they are solitary animals with relatively short lifespans. If they lived longer and worked together, they would rule the oceans.
Children of Ruin paints a glorious picture of the possibilities.
I’m referring to human nature, not species anatomy. Dexterity does not have us now applying survival competition within our own species.