Hominidae Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Hominids Temporal range: Miocene to Recent

The eight living hominidae species
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Superfamily:	Hominoidea
Family:	Hominidae

A fossil hominid exhibit at the Museum of Osteology, Oklahoma City

The hominids are members of the biological family Hominidae (the great apes). This includes humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans. "Great ape" is a common name rather than a taxonomic label and there are differences in usage. Sometimes it seems to exclude humans ("humans and the great apes"); at other times it includes them ("humans and non-human great apes"). Homo sapiens is definitely a hominid, as judged by all modern reference works.

Hominids range in weight from 48 kg to 270 kg. Males are larger than females. Hominids are primates with no tails, robust bodies and well-developed forearms. Their thumbs (and big toes, except in humans) oppose the fingers, and form a grip. All digits have flattened nails.

At present, the Hominidae includes four genera and five species. Its nonhuman members are restricted to rain forests in equatorial Africa, Sumatra and Borneo. However, if fossil hominids are included, then all the Australopithecines and the genus Homo are included. Hominid fossils date from the Miocene. They are known from Asia, and from Europe. Neanderthals were in Europe and western Asia for a long time (at least half a million years) before the emergence of our species. Asia had a huge version of the orangutan: Gigantopithecus.

Classification
- Modern version
Related pages
Images for kids
See also

Classification

Details of the classification are not universally agreed at present.

Family Hominidae: Great apes
- Subfamily Ponginae
  - Genus Pongo – orangutans
- Subfamily Homininae
  - Genus Gorilla – gorillas
  - Genus Pan – chimpanzees
  - Australopithecus† and other extinct relatives
  - Genus Homo – humans

Modern version

A more recent classification underlines the Australopithecines and humans as distinct from the rainforest apes. It has the support of two major reference works.

Superfamily Hominoidea

Family Hylobatidae

Genus Hylobates

Family Hominidae

Subfamily Ponginae

Genus Pongo

Subfamily Gorillinae

Genus Gorilla

Subfamily Homininae

Tribe Panini

Genus Pan

Tribe Hominini