Definition
noun, plural: apes
Any of the tailless anthropoid primates of Hominoidea, which includes the great apes and the lesser apes
Supplement
The apes are a group of anthropoid primates belonging to Hominoidea. The members of Hominoidea are called hominoids. They may be grouped into two: (1) the great apes and (2) the lesser apes. The great apes or the hominids include Pongo, Gorilla, Pan, and Homo genera. They belong to the family Hominidae. The lesser apes of the family Hylobatidae is comprised by four genera of gibbons. The lesser apes differ from the great apes in having a smaller body frame and long arms they use to swing from branch to branch. The lesser apes also show low sexual dimorphisms.
The apes, together with the Old World monkeys, form the catarrhine clade. The apes are characterized by having a rather flexible shoulder joint, broad chest, long arms, and the absence of tail. Most of them are agile tree climbers and feed on fruits, nuts, seeds, leaves, etc.
Scientific classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Primates
- Suborder: Haplorhini
- Parvorder: Catarrhini
- Superfamily: Hominoidea Gray, 1825
See also:
Related term(s):
