hominids

Hominids are primates belonging to the family Hominidae, which includes the great apes and humans. In modern usage, the family comprises orangutans (Pongo), gorillas (Gorilla), chimpanzees (Pan), and humans (Homo). The subfamily Homininae contains humans and the African great apes, while the tribe Hominini covers humans and their closest extinct relatives.

Key features associated with hominids include an enlarged brain relative to body size, changes in dentition such as reduced canines, and the evolution of habitual bipedalism. These traits are accompanied by advances in tool use, diet, and increasingly complex social structures and communication. Across lineages, there was notable diversity in body form and ecological adaptation.

Fossil evidence indicates a lineage separating from that of the chimpanzee around 6 to 7 million years ago. Early hominids such as Australopithecus afarensis date to roughly 3.9–2.9 million years ago. The genus Homo appears about 2.8 million years ago with Homo habilis, followed by Homo erectus and later archaic humans such as Homo neanderthalensis and Homo heidelbergensis. Modern Homo sapiens arose in Africa about 300,000 years ago and later dispersed globally, intermingling with other hominins such as Neanderthals and Denisovans.

Today, humans are the only surviving species of the Hominidae, with other members existing as living great apes or as fossils. The study of hominids informs understanding of human evolution, biology, and culture. Conservation concerns highlight threats to great apes in the wild, including habitat loss and disease.