Elephants vs Humans in the Race for Advancement

Evolution included a race between elephants and primates for top spot
I see the evolutionary tree more like a fir than an oak or an apen grove
various lineages advance for long periods of time (up the main trunk),
then branch off from the advancement race horizontally. Elephants did the second best.

5 multicellular animals       echinoderms -> fish         crustaceans   molusks
                                              |             |             |
                             +----------------+----+        |             |
                             |                     |        |             |
6 land                    proto-mammals        saurians   insects   land-amonids
                             |                     |
7 large animal ecosystem  mammals              saurians
                             |                     |
                             |                 +---+--+
                             |                 |      |
8 brain adaptability      mammals            birds dinosaurs
                             |                 |
                             +---------+       |
                             |         |       |
O eyes                    primates elephants eagles
                             |         |
P hands, trunks           monkeys  elephants
                             |         |
Q size                    apes     elephants
                             |         |
R hyperadaptability       humans   elephants
                             |         |
S large brain             humans   elephants
                             |         |
T teaching/learning       humans   elephants
                             |
U using/making tools      humans
                             |
V language/killing        humans