To those who have criticised my response for one reason or another let me just say that when I have said I believe something, it is not as though I have dreamt it up. I find it insulting that I have been accused of doing so, despite the fact that I haven't quoted a reference. As you might know there is a lot of debate out there and there are a lot of personal opinions, even among those at the forefront of investigation. For me to say "I know" instead of "I believe" over debatable issues would be ignorance and naivete at its finest. Take it for what it's worth.
My reference to H. habilis and H. erectus wasn't designed to be comprehensive. I could have included a myriad of others if that was my aim. It would have been a waste of my time and yours.
According to some responses people must believe that I have misinterpreted the meaning of the topic. I thought (and still think) it was asking why apes still exist based on an assumption that apes evolved into humans. I was questioning the validity of that assumption. "I believe" that they are too genetically diverse. For those who are having trouble understanding, an analogy would be that "I believe" that a giraffe can't evolve into an elephant.
As I have found in some other forums there is, unfortunately, a stigma attached to those who are assigned the misleading classification of "Junior member". It can bring out an unfortunate, primitive behavior pattern in others known as territorialism.
Have a nice day.