hominids
Great apes, us
Hominids are the family of primates that includes humans, great apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans), and their extinct ancestors.
The term once referred only to humans and their direct evolutionary predecessors, but modern classification has expanded it to include all great apes.
In paleoanthropology, hominid fossils often refers specifically to early human ancestors: The hominid remains were dated to three million years ago.
Tailless primate family
- chimpanzeesIntelligent African great apes
- bonobosEndangered African great apes
- gorillasLargest living primates
- orangutansGreat apes of Southeast Asia
gibbons · common ancestor · knuckle-walking · opposable thumbs · tool use · social groups · apes · simians
Finest taxonomic rank
- classificationSystematic grouping by traits
- family treeChart of ancestors
- homininsHuman evolutionary family members
- hominoidsTailless higher primates
nomenclature · clade · systematic · morphology · specimens · fossil record
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- fossilsPreserved ancient organism traces
- paleontologyStudy of ancient organisms
Darwinism · phylogeny · divergence · cladistics · mutation · genetic drift · survival of the fittest · bipedalism
Earliest archaeological era
- NeanderthalExtinct archaic human species
- AustralopithecusExtinct hominin genus
- Ice AgeExtended global freeze
- PleistoceneAncient glacial geological period
stone tools · cavemen · hunter-gatherers · handaxe · flintknapping · megafauna · archaic · cave paintings
Having two feet
- uprightVertical or morally sound
- cranial capacitySkull's internal volume
- skullHead's bone casing
- skeletonInternal supportive framework
dentition · jaw · brow ridge · pelvis · femur · opposable thumbs · brain size · posture
Collective social practices
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- kinshipState of being related
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- burial practicesCustoms for disposing of deceased
migration · subsistence · cognition · symbolism · social structure · ethnography · archaeology · cooking
great apes
Tailless primate family
- chimpanzeesIntelligent African great apes
- bonobosEndangered African great apes
- gorillasLargest living primates
orangutans · gibbons · common ancestor · knuckle-walking · opposable thumbs · tool use · social groups · apes · simians · arboreal
species
Finest taxonomic rank
- classificationSystematic grouping by traits
- family treeChart of ancestors
- homininsHuman evolutionary family members
hominoids · nomenclature · clade · systematic · morphology · specimens · fossil record
natural selection
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- fossilsPreserved ancient organism traces
paleontology · Darwinism · phylogeny · divergence · cladistics · mutation · genetic drift · survival of the fittest · bipedalism · common ancestor
Paleolithic
Earliest archaeological era
- NeanderthalExtinct archaic human species
- AustralopithecusExtinct hominin genus
- Ice AgeExtended global freeze
Pleistocene · stone tools · cavemen · hunter-gatherers · handaxe · flintknapping · megafauna · archaic · cave paintings · Homo heidelbergensis
bipedal
Having two feet
- uprightVertical or morally sound
- cranial capacitySkull's internal volume
- skullHead's bone casing
skeleton · dentition · jaw · brow ridge · pelvis · femur · opposable thumbs · brain size · posture · spinal column
culture
Collective social practices
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- kinshipState of being related
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
burial practices · migration · subsistence · cognition · symbolism · social structure · ethnography · archaeology · cooking · shelter
- evolutionevolution, natural selection, mutation, adaptation, speciation
- prehistorystone tools, Neolithic, Stone Age, caveman, cavemen
- anthropologyanthropology, fieldwork, ethnography, social anthropology, cultural anthropology
- Cladesmammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects
- human evolutionhominins, early humans, Neanderthal, Neanderthals, Cro-Magnon
- human originsearly humans, modern humans, prehistoric humans, hominins, Cro-Magnon
hominidsOld World monkeys
African and Asian primates
monkeys · New World monkeys · lemurs · lorises · tarsiers
- early hominidsAncient human ancestors