[James C. Bennett]

"Your assumption that “more evolved” means larger and more complex and more intelligent is based upon a common fallacy that evolution means improvement rather than adaptation that increased survivability."

Exactly. I knew you'd catch this. The lowly cockroach, by some measures, can be termed the "most successful" evolved life form.

[allmendream]

Well thanks for not stepping on my feet!

Not just the lowly cockroach, something of a nuisance niche pest. The arthropod is, by many measures, the most successful life design, the most highly evolved. They have short reproduction times, have produced more species than you can shake a stick at!

Inordinately fond of beetles!