Ape
Apes are a branch of Old World tailless anthropoid catarrhine primates native to Africa and Southeast Asia and distinguished by a wide degree of freedom at the shoulder joint indicating the influence of brachiation. There are two main branches: the gibbons, or lesser apes; and the hominids or great apes. ▪ Lesser apes include four genera and sixteen species of gibbon, including the lar gibbon, and the siamang, all native to Asia. They are highly arboreal and bipedal on the ground. They have lighter bodies and smaller social groups than great apes. ▪ The Hominidae include orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and humans. Alternatively, the family are collectively described as the great apes. There are two extant species in the orangutan genus, two species in the gorilla genus, and a single extant species
Homo sapiens in the human genus. Chimpanzees and bonobos are closely related to each other and they represent the two species in the genus
Pan. Members of the superfamily are called
hominoids. Some or all hominoids are also called "
apes". However, the term "ape" is used in several different senses.