Kingdom Animalia Order Primates Infraorder Simiiformes Scientific name Pongidae Rank Family | Phylum Chordata Suborder Haplorrhini Parvorder Catarrhini Higher classification Primate | |
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Similar Primate, Mammal, Catarrhini, Great apes, Ponginae | ||
Pongidae, or the Pongids, is an obsolete primate taxon containing the gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans. They are sometimes called "great apes". Pongidae is now known to be paraphyletic. Pongids gave rise to Hominina around seven mya. The corresponding crown group for this taxon is Hominidae. Pongidae has six extant member species. This taxon is rarely used today but is of historical significance.
Contents
Skull
The pongid skull contains the following features that are absent or less pronounced in humans:
Adaptations for locomotion
The following adaptations are for arboreal and knuckle walking locomotion and are not found in humans:
Similarity to hominins
The australopithecines show intermediate character states between pongids and humans, with Pithecanthropus intermediate between australopithecines and humans. Members of the genus Homo share many key features with anatomically modern man.
