What is the difference between hominidae and homininae

Humans and their extinct species belong to the tribe Hominidae. Other great apes were placed in the family Pongidae in the older classification. But later, morphological and molecular studies showed that humans are more related to chimpanzees. However, gorillas and orangutans are more distinct. Therefore, orangutans are placed in a different subfamily Ponginae. Gorilla, humans, and their extinct species are placed in the subfamily Homininae.

But, later classifications place humans and their extinct species in the tribe Hominini. The classification of Hominoidae is shown in figure 1. Figure 1: Hominoidea Classification. Panini is a proposed tribe in which chimpanzees and bonobos are going to be placed.

However, since they are genetically more distinct from gorillas, they can be also placed in the same tribe with humans as well. The ancestors of chimpanzees and humans separated about 5 million years ago. Hominin refers to a group of primates, consisting of modern humans , extinct human species, and all their immediate ancestors.

This includes Neanderthals , Homo erectus , and the species of Australopithecus. All hominins are placed in the tribe Hominini. Hominins show complex cognitive attributes such as recognizing themselves in mirrors. The other characteristic features of hominins are reduced canine size, increasing brain size, and bipedalism. Different hominids are shown in figure 2. Humans are included in these two families, but the term ape does not include humans in common parlance. The main difference between the two is the species included within each one.

The hominid is a lesser classification while the hominoid is a larger classification. More about hominids and hominoids and their differences are discussed in the following. Hominids are any primates that belong to the family commonly known as the great apes. The scientific term is Hominidae. This is the family under which humans are more specifically classified, along with orangutans, gorillas, and chimpanzees.

The term hominid was originally the collective term for the family of humans only, including their extinct ancestors and relatives like the Neanderthal and the Australopithecus. The orangutans, gorillas, and chimpanzees used to be classified separately under the family Pongidae. However, after genetic studies showed that chimpanzees resemble humans more closely than they do orangutans, taxonomists decided to include all four under the same family Hominidae.

This group is further divided into two; Homininae, the humans, chimpanzees and gorillas, and Ponginae with only the orangutans belonging in this latter group. Currently, there are 2 surviving species of orangutans, 2 species of gorillas, 2 species of chimpanzees and the one species of humans. In the study of evolution, the hominids are said to have split from the other apes starting with the orangutans about 14 million years ago, followed by the gorillas about million years ago, with the most recent split between chimpanzees and humans around 5 million years ago.

They are called the great apes because they are generally larger than other apes. But hominids are distinct from other apes, not only for their size but also for their high intelligence, even when excluding humans from the group. Many researches have shown that orangutans, gorillas, and chimpanzees are capable of using tools and recognizing symbols, use sign language and solve puzzles.

Hominoids are any of the primates all collectively known as apes. The scientific term is Hominoidea. This is a superfamily that has two subfamilies. One is the family Hominidae which has already been discussed. The other is Hylobatidae, the hylobatids, also known as the lesser apes.

The hylobatids have a total of 16 different species although they are all commonly called as gibbons and are all native to Asia. Although mostly quadrupedal, moving on all four limbs with the exception of the humans and their extinct relatives, and the gorillas which are the biggest of the apes, hominoids are skilled tree climbers and are very agile once they are in the trees. Hominoids have a lower center of gravity, a short spine relative to their body length, a broad pelvis, and wide chest.

This general body build allows them a more upright posture than other primates and more balance when standing on two feet. Their shoulder blades lie on their back for a wider range of motion, and this along with the ball-and-socket joint of the wrists allows for brachiation, the swinging movement using only the arms.

Hominoids are omnivorous but prefer fruits, seeds, and nuts. They sometimes eat leaves and shoots when they cannot find preferred fruits and sometimes eat insects and eggs. New definitions. The most commonly used recent definitions are: Hominid — the group consisting of all modern and extinct Great Apes that is, modern humans , chimpanzees, gorillas and orang-utans plus all their immediate ancestors. Related factsheets Homo erectus , Homo habilis , Homo heidelbergensis , Homo antecessor , Homo rudolfensis , Homo floresiensis , Homo eragaster , Homo naledia , Homo neanderthalensis , Homo sapiens Australopithecus sediba , Australopithecus africanus , Australopithecus bahrelghazali , Australopithecus afarensis , Australopithecus anamensis , Australopithecus garhi Ardipithecus kadabba , Ardipithecus ramidus.

Close Modal Dialog. Stay in the know Uncover the secrets of the Australian Museum with our monthly emails. Sign up today. How do we know what they ate? Why have these changes occurred? Dental arcade of an early hominids. Toggle Caption The dental arcade is the shape made by the rows of teeth in the upper jaw.

This illustration shows the dental arcade of an early Homo sapien top and Australopithecus africanus bottom. Hominid legs. Toggle Caption Comparison between the legs of a modern human, Australopithecus afarensis and a modern chimpanzee, showing the differences in upright walking abilities.

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