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The superfamily to which all apes and humans belong. | Hominoidea (hominoids) |
The family of hominoids in which orangutans belong. |
Hominidae (hominids) |
The family of hominoids in which gibbons and siamangs belong. | Hylobatidae |
The family of hominoids in which gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos belong. |
Hominidae (hominids) |
The family of hominoids in which humans belong. | Hominidae (hominids) |
The names of the “great apes.” These are the largest apes. | orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos |
The names of the “lesser apes.” These are the smallest apes. | gibbons |
The names of the Asian ape species. | orangutans
and gibbons |
The names of the African ape species. | gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos |
The term for having only one mate at a time. This is rare among nonhuman primates in general though it is common for gibbons and siamangs. | monogamy |
The form of locomotion in which an animal travels through the trees by swinging under branches with a hand over hand motion rather than running along the top. The smaller apes and some New World monkeys do this. | brachiation
(suspensory climbing) |
The term for the type of family consisting of an adult male and female mating pair along with their children. | nuclear family |
The names of the ape species in which adults regularly defend their territory against others with piercingly loud whooping and hooting vocalizations. | gibbons |
The largest and most endangered Asian apes. | orangutans |
The largest African apes. They are also the largest primate species alive today. | gorillas |
The best brachiators among the apes. Up to 90% of their locomotion is by this means. | gibbons |
The least sexually dimorphic apes. | gibbons |
The apes that are knuckle walkers. | gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos |
The only nonhuman primate that regularly engages in sexual intercourse face to face. Both heterosexual and homosexual intercourse are also common for this species. Copulation occurs frequently as a means of reducing tension in their communities and has become recreational for them. | bonobos |
The rarest of the 3 gorilla varieties or subspecies. | mountain gorillas |
The African apes that hunt other animals for food—about 10% of their diet consists of meat. | chimpanzees |
The most biologically successful of all apes in terms of the extent of their geographic range and the size of their total population today. | chimpanzees |
The genus and species of all living humans today. | Homo sapiens |
The apes that humans are the most similar to in terms of our anatomy and the closest to in our evolutionary past. | African apes, especially the chimpanzees and bonobos |
The primate species that has the most varied and complex social organizations. They are also the only primates to create and use symbols as a means of communication. | humans |
The only primate species whose feet no longer have the ability to effectively grasp and manipulate objects. | humans |
The most biologically successful of all primates in terms of the extent of their geographic range and the size of their total population today. | humans |