hominid
Great ape family
Hominid refers to any member of the biological family Hominidae, which includes modern humans, our immediate ancestors, and the great apes—chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans.
In older or looser usage, hominid often means specifically human ancestors after the split from other apes: Early hominids walked upright.
The narrower term for the human lineage alone is hominin.
Tailless primate, human-adjacent
- gorillaLargest great ape
- chimpanzeeGreat ape, genus Pan
- orangutanLarge red-haired Asian ape
- bonoboCongo Basin great ape
gibbon · simian · ape · Pan · primate · hominoid · common ancestor
Extinct archaic human species
- AustralopithecusExtinct hominin genus
- ArdipithecusEarliest known upright primate genus
Science of ancestral human remains
- LucyFeminine name meaning light
- LeakeyRenowned fossil-hunting clan
- excavationAct of unearthing
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
carbon-dating · fossilization · sediment · cranium · mandible · dentition · bone fragment · skeletal remains
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- DarwinismNatural selection theory
- phylogenyEvolutionary relationships among organisms
common descent · divergence · mutation · genetics · cladistics · gene flow · genetic drift · bipedalism
Earliest archaeological era
- Stone AgeEra of knapped tools
- NeolithicFinal prehistoric stone-tool era
- hunter-gathererPre-farming subsistence lifestyle
- cavemanPrehistoric cave-dwelling human
Cro-Magnon · handaxe · flintknapping · foraging · nomadic · cave painting · toolmaking · shelter
Having two feet
- uprightVertical or morally sound
- cranial capacitySkull's internal volume
- brow ridgeBone prominence above eyes
- opposable thumbDigit that meets fingertips
pelvis · femur · dentition · brain size · skeletal · posture · gait · locomotion
Collective social practices
- kinshipState of being related
- toolmakingCreating implements for work
- artifactHuman-made historical object
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
migration · subsistence · habitation · social structure · symbolism · cognition · ethnography · dispersal
great ape
Tailless primate, human-adjacent
- gorillaLargest great ape
- chimpanzeeGreat ape, genus Pan
- orangutanLarge red-haired Asian ape
bonobo · gibbon · simian · ape · Pan · primate · hominoid · common ancestor
Neanderthal
Extinct archaic human species
- AustralopithecusExtinct hominin genus
- ArdipithecusEarliest known upright primate genus
paleoanthropology
Science of ancestral human remains
- LucyFeminine name meaning light
- LeakeyRenowned fossil-hunting clan
- excavationAct of unearthing
stratigraphy · carbon-dating · fossilization · sediment · cranium · mandible · dentition · bone fragment · skeletal remains · dating
natural selection
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- DarwinismNatural selection theory
phylogeny · common descent · divergence · mutation · genetics · cladistics · gene flow · genetic drift · bipedalism · phenotype
Paleolithic
Earliest archaeological era
- Stone AgeEra of knapped tools
- NeolithicFinal prehistoric stone-tool era
- hunter-gathererPre-farming subsistence lifestyle
caveman · Cro-Magnon · handaxe · flintknapping · foraging · nomadic · cave painting · toolmaking · shelter · Ice Age
bipedal
Having two feet
- uprightVertical or morally sound
- cranial capacitySkull's internal volume
- brow ridgeBone prominence above eyes
opposable thumb · pelvis · femur · dentition · brain size · skeletal · posture · gait · locomotion · terrestrial
culture
Collective social practices
- kinshipState of being related
- toolmakingCreating implements for work
- artifactHuman-made historical object
ritual · migration · subsistence · habitation · social structure · symbolism · cognition · ethnography · dispersal · colonization
- prehistorystone tools, Neolithic, Stone Age, caveman, cavemen
- humanoidshumanoid, elf, dwarf, goblin, orc
- two-legged creaturesbird, ostrich, emu, chicken, penguin
- anthropologyanthropology, fieldwork, ethnography, social anthropology, cultural anthropology
- Early HumansNeanderthal, Cro-Magnon, Australopithecus, caveman, Lucy
- human evolutionhominins, Neanderthal, Neanderthals, Cro-Magnon, Australopithecus
hominidprosimian
Basal primate subgroup
invertebrate · plant · monkey · microorganism · reptile
hominidnonhuman
Outside our species
invertebrate · plant · microorganism · beast · brute
- early hominidsAncient human ancestors