Ape

Hominoidea Temporal range: late Oligocene – Recent
Chimpanzees, an example of a great ape
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Order:	Primates
Parvorder:	Catarrhini
Superfamily:	Hominoidea Gray, 1825
Families
Hylobatidae Hominidae †Proconsulidae †Dryopithecidae †Oreopithecidae
Range of ape species

Apes are simians belonging to the primate family Hominoidea. Its members are called hominoids. They are native to West Africa, Central Africa, China, South Asia and Southeast Asia. Its living members are divided into two families:

• Hylobatidae, consisting of siamangs and other gibbons.
• Hominidae, consisting of humans and other great apes.

In everyday use, "ape" often refers only to hominoids that are not humans.

One clear difference between monkeys and apes is that monkeys have long tails (regardless of size), and apes however do not have tails. There are even differences in their height, size, strength, teeth and the way they move their arms. They have a wide degree of freedom at the shoulder joint, which helps them swing by their arms in the trees (brachiation).

The diets of apes are similar to those of other primates. They eat fruits, nuts, seeds, leaves and sometimes meat. They are generally omnivores, though most of their intake is primarily herbivorous.

Evolutionary tree of the superfamily Hominoidea. It highlights the subfamily Homininae. First the gibbons (Hylobatidae) split from the main line some 18 million years ago. Next, the subfamily Ponginae broke away—leading to the current orangutan. Later the Homininae split into the tribe Hominini (with subtribes Hominina and Panina), and the tribe Gorillini

Ape Media

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  PanTroglodytesSmit (white background)

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  Gorila de llanura occidental. Gorilla gorilla - Blanca Martí de Ahumada (white background)

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  Simia satyrus - 1837 - Print - Iconographia Zoologica - Special Collections University of Amsterdam - White Background

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  Le gibbon (white background)

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  From left: Comparison of size of gibbon, human, chimpanzee, gorilla and orangutan. Non-human hominoids do not stand upright as their normal posture.

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  Hominoid taxonomy

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  Hominoid taxonomy

Other websites

Media related to Ape at Wikimedia Commons