Hominoidea

Hominoidea Fossil range: Late Oligocene-Recent
Scientific classification
Class	Mammalia
Order	Primates
Suborder	Haplorrhini
Parvorder	Catarrhini
Superfamily	Hominoidea Gray, 1825
Families	Hylobatidae Hominidae †Proconsulidae †Dryopithecidae †Oreopithecidae †Pliopithecidae †Khoratpithecus

An ape is any member of the Hominoidea superfamily of primates. In less scientific language, it has various meanings, although it often (but not always) excludes humans. Due to its ambiguous nature, the term 'ape' is less suitable as a means of describing taxonomic relationships.

Under the current classification system there are two families of hominoids:

• the family Hylobatidae consists of 4 genera and 14 species of gibbon, including the Lar Gibbon and the Siamang, collectively known as the lesser apes.
• the family Hominidae consisting of chimpanzees, gorillas, humans and orangutans collectively known as the great apes.

Classification and evolution

Hominoid taxonomy has undergone several changes. Genetic analysis shows that apes diverged from the Old World monkeys between 29 million and 34.5 million years ago. The lesser and greater apes split about 18 Ma, and the hominid splits happened 14 Ma (Pongo), 7 Ma (Gorilla), and 3-5 mya (Homo & Pan).