[Red Badger]

In a sequel novel it was revealed that there was another set of burgeoning intelligent creatures with its own ‘monolith’ protecting it, like the apes in the first book/movie that would eventually become civilized beings in a few million years..................

[Roccus]

....like the apes in the first book/movie that would eventually become civilized beings in a few million years.................

.....and go to war among themselves.
In all honesty, 'though I read 2010 when it first came out in paperback, it made little to no impression on me and I can't remember much of it. The new monolith does ring a bell however.