Hominidae
Taxonomic family of great apes including humans and their closest relatives.
Hominidae, whose members are known as the great apes, are a taxonomic family of primates that includes eight extant species in four genera: Pongo (the Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutan); Gorilla (the eastern and western gorilla); Pan (the chimpanzee and the bonobo); and Homo, of which only modern humans (Homo sapiens) remain. The term 'hominid' has changed meaning over time: originally referring only to humans and their closest extinct relatives, by the 1990s it came to include all great apes. The earlier restrictive meaning is now largely assumed by the term 'hominin', which additionally includes Pan.
- Extant genera
- Pongo, Gorilla, Pan, Homo
- Extant species
- 8
- Earliest fossil evidence
- Early Miocene, about 22 million years ago
- Most recent common ancestor
- Roughly 14 million years ago
- Subfamilies
- Homininae (humans, chimpanzees, gorillas) and Ponginae (orangutans)
- Divergence from Hylobatidae
- 15 to 20 million years ago
- Countries with research bans
- 29
Lore & Background
The classification of the great apes has been revised several times in recent decades. Originally, Hominidae referred only to humans and their extinct relatives, with other great apes placed in a separate family, Pongidae. However, that definition made Pongidae paraphyletic because chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than to other great apes. Most taxonomists now encourage monophyletic groups, so many biologists assign Pongo as the subfamily Ponginae to Hominidae. The modern usage of 'hominid' includes all great apes, though some scientists and laypersons still use the original restrictive sense.
Reader's Guide
Hominidae is significant as the family that encompasses all great apes, including humans, highlighting the close genetic relationship among these species. Human DNA is approximately 98.4% identical to that of chimpanzees when comparing single nucleotide polymorphisms. The family's evolutionary history is documented by fossils from East Africa and other regions, with the most recent common ancestor of all Hominidae living roughly 14 million years ago. The wet equatorial belt contracted after about 8 million years ago, and the earliest fossils argued to belong to the human lineage include Sahelanthropus tchadensis (7 Ma) and Orrorin tugenensis (6 Ma). Due to the close genetic relationship, certain animal rights organizations argue that nonhuman great apes are persons and should be given basic human rights; twenty-nine countries have instituted research bans to protect great apes from scientific testing. The legacy of Hominidae is a deeper understanding of human origins and the ethical treatment of our closest living relatives.
Did You Know?
- The term 'hominid' originally referred only to humans and their closest extinct relatives, but by the 1990s it included all great apes.
- The most recent common ancestor of all Hominidae lived roughly 14 million years ago.
- Human DNA is approximately 98.4% identical to that of chimpanzees when comparing single nucleotide polymorphisms.
- Twenty-nine countries have instituted research bans to protect great apes from scientific testing.
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