Apes are too restricted in their habitats compared to something like a racoon, and anything which takes us out, is likely to do the same for them... even assuming they survive our influence on their environment over the next few decades. Raccoons meanwhile, have adapted to us.
Crows are amazing creatures, but they lack the advantage of hands, and I think that really matters in the long run. If something is going to take our place, they probably need to be adept tool users, so the same issue is there for Elephants, plus they lack the ability to rapidly adapt to new environments and food sources. Maybe Octopodes will make a surprise "come from underwater" victory though, who knows?
I'm glad that I'm not the only one who thinks about this kind of thing by the way.
