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| | Ape (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21) |
 | | Its earliest meaning was a tailless (and therefore exceptionally human-like) non-human primate, but as zoological knowledge developed it became clear that taillessness occurred in a number of different and otherwise unrelated species. |
 | | Modern scientific usage includes as apes the families Hylobatidae (6 species of gibbons and the siamang), which are known as lesser apes, and the family Pongidae or great apes, consisting of Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla), Chimpanzees (common chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes and bonobos, Pan paniscus), humans (Homo sapiens), and Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus). |
 | | Some authors adopt the alternative of including the great apes in the family Hominidae, which is the grouping for humans and their extinct ape-like ancestors, while others use a subfamily to separate the hominids from the extant non-human apes. |
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