Hominoidea is a superfamily of primates. Members of this superfamily are called hominoids or apes, and include gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, gibbons, bonobos, and humans. Hominoidea is one of the six major groups in the order Primates. The majority are found in forests in Southeastern Asia and Equatorial Africa, with the exception of humans, which have spread worldwide to every biome. They range in size from some gibbon species in the genus Nomascus, at 40 cm (16 in), to the eastern gorilla, at 196 cm (77 in), not including limbs. Hominoids primarily eat fruit, leaves, flowers, and insects, though humans are omnivorous. Most hominoids do not have population estimates, but the ones that do range from 10 mature individuals to 47,000, in addition to over 8 billion humans. Nearly every species is categorized as endangered or critically endangered; aside from humans, the only exception is the eastern hoolock gibbon, classified as vulnerable.
The twenty-eight extant species of Hominoidea are divided into two families: Hominidae, containing five gorilla, chimpanzee, and human species divided into three genera in the subfamily Homininae, and three orangutan species in a single genus in the subfamily Ponginae; and Hylobatidae, containing twenty gibbon species divided into four genera. Dozens of extinct prehistoric hominoid species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries the exact number and categorization is not fixed.[1]
Conventions
| Conservation status | |
|---|---|
| EX | Extinct (0 species) |
| EW | Extinct in the wild (0 species) |
| CR | Critically Endangered (10 species) |
| EN | Endangered (16 species) |
| VU | Vulnerable (1 species) |
| NT | Near threatened (0 species) |
| LC | Least concern (0 species) |
| Other categories | |
| DD | Data deficient (0 species) |
| NE | Not evaluated (1 species) |
Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the hominoid's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted. All extinct genera, species, or subspecies listed alongside extant species went extinct after 1500 CE, and are indicated by a dagger symbol "†".
Classification
The superfamily Hominoidea consists of two extant families: Hominidae and Hylobatidae. Hominidae is divided into two subfamilies: Homininae, containing five species divided between three genera, and Ponginae, containing three species in a single genus. Hylobatidae contains twenty species in four genera.
Family Hominidae
Family Hylobatidae
- Genus Hoolock (hoolock gibbons): three species
- Genus Hylobates (dwarf gibbons): eight species
- Genus Nomascus (crested gibbons): seven species
- Genus Symphalangus (siamang): one species
Hominoids
The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists.[3]
Family Hominidae
Subfamily Homininae
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern gorilla
| G. beringei Matschie, 1903 Two subspecies
| Central Africa | Size: 160–196 cm (63–77 in) long[4] Habitat: Forest[5] Diet: Roots, leaves, stems, and pith, as well as bark, wood, flowers, fruit, fungi, galls, invertebrates, and gorilla dung[6] | CR
|
| Western gorilla
| G. gorilla (Savage, 1847) Two subspecies
| Western Africa | Size: 130–185 cm (51–73 in) long[7] Habitat: Forest[8] Diet: Leaves, berries, ferns, and fibrous bark[9] | CR
|
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| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human
| H. sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 | Worldwide (population density shown) | Size: 140–210 cm (55–83 in) long, including legs[10] Habitat: Varied Diet: Omnivorous | NE
|
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonobo
| P. paniscus Schwarz, 1929 | Central Africa | Size: 70–83 cm (28–33 in) long[11] Habitat: Forest[12] Diet: Fruits and seeds, as well as leaves, stems, shoots, pith, bark, flowers, truffles, fungus, and honey[12] | EN
|
| Chimpanzee
| P. troglodytes (Blumenbach, 1775) Four subspecies
| Central and western Africa | Size: 63–90 cm (25–35 in) long[13] Habitat: Forest and savanna[14] Diet: Fruit, leaves, stems, buds, bark, pith, seeds, and resins, as well as insects, small vertebrates, and eggs[15] | EN
|
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Subfamily Ponginae
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bornean orangutan
| P. pygmaeus (Linnaeus, 1760) Three subspecies
| Borneo | Size: 78–97 cm (31–38 in) long[16] Habitat: Forest[17] Diet: Fruit, leaves, shoots, as well as insects, sap, vines, spider webs, bird eggs, fungi, flowers, bark, and soil[18] | CR
|
| Sumatran orangutan
| P. abelii Lesson, 1827 | Northern island of Sumatra in Indonesia | Size: 78–97 cm (31–38 in) long[16] Habitat: Forest[19] Diet: Fruit, leaves, flowers, and bark, as well as insects and eggs[20] | CR
|
| Tapanuli orangutan
| P. tapanuliensis Nurcahyo, Meijaard, Nowak, Fredriksson, Groves, 2017 | South Tapanuli in Sumatra  | Size: 78–97 cm (31–38 in) long[16][21] Habitat: Forest[22] Diet: Fruit and leaves[23] | CR
|
Family Hylobatidae
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern hoolock gibbon
| H. leuconedys (Groves, 1967) | Southern Asia | Size: About 55 cm (22 in) long[24] Habitat: Forest[25] Diet: Fruit, as well as leaves and shoots[25] | VU
|
| Skywalker hoolock gibbon | H. tianxing Fan, 2017 | Southern Asia | Size: About 81 cm (32 in) long[26] Habitat: Forest[27] Diet: Fruit and leaves, as well as invertebrates, bird chicks, and flowers[27] | EN
|
| Western hoolock gibbon
| H. hoolock (Harlan, 1834) | Southern Asia | Size: 45–65 cm (18–26 in) long[28] Habitat: Forest[29] Diet: Fruit and leaves[29] | EN
|
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| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agile gibbon
| H. agilis F. Cuvier, 1821 | Southeastern Asia | Size: 45–65 cm (18–26 in) long[30] Habitat: Forest[31] Diet: Fruit, as well as flowers, leaves, and insects[31] | EN
|
| Bornean white-bearded gibbon
| H. albibarbis Lyon, 1911 | Southern Borneo | Size: 45–65 cm (18–26 in) long[30][32] Habitat: Forest[33] Diet: Fruit, as well as leaves, insects, and flowers[33] | EN
|
| Eastern grey gibbon
| H. funereus I. Geoffroy, 1850 | Northern Borneo (in yellow) | Size: 47–49 cm (19–19 in) long[34] Habitat: Forest[35] Diet: Fruit, as well as leaves, flowers, and insects[34] | EN
|
| Kloss's gibbon
| H. klossii (Miller, 1903) | Mentawai Islands, west of Sumatra | Size: 44–64 cm (17–25 in) long[36] Habitat: Forest[37] Diet: Fruit, as well as flowers, eggs, small vertebrates, and insects[36] | EN
|
| Lar gibbon
| H. lar (Linnaeus, 1771) Five subspecies
| Southeastern Asia | Size: 45–60 cm (18–24 in) long[30] Habitat: Forest[38] Diet: Fruit, as well as leafy plants, flowers, and insects[39] | EN
|
| Müller's gibbon
| H. muelleri Martin, 1841 | Southeastern Asia | Size: 44–64 cm (17–25 in) long[40] Habitat: Forest[41] Diet: Fruit, as well as leaves[40] | EN
|
| Pileated gibbon
| H. pileatus (Gray, 1861) | Southeastern Asia | Size: 45–64 cm (18–25 in) long[42] Habitat: Forest[43] Diet: Fruit, as well as leaves, shoots, insects, eggs, and small vertebrates[42] | EN
|
| Silvery gibbon
| H. moloch (Audebert, 1798) | Island of Java in Indonesia | Size: 42–64 cm (17–25 in) long[44] Habitat: Forest[45] Diet: Fruit and leaves, as well as flowers and insects[45] | EN
|
| Western grey gibbon | H. abbotti Kloss, 1929 | Western Borneo | Size: 42–64 cm (17–25 in) long[44] Habitat: Forest[46] Diet: Leaves, fruit, flowers, and insects[46] | EN
|
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| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black crested gibbon | N. concolor (Harlan, 1826) Four subspecies
| Southeastern Asia | Size: 43–54 cm (17–21 in) long[47] Habitat: Forest[48] Diet: Leaves and fruit, as well as buds, flowers, insects, eggs, and small vertebrates[47] | CR
|
| Eastern black crested gibbon | N. nasutus (Künckel d'Herculais, 1884) | Southeastern Asia | Size: 40–60 cm (16–24 in) long[49] Habitat: Forest[50] Diet: Fruit, leaves, and buds, as well as animals, flowers, and plant parts[50] | CR
|
| Hainan black crested gibbon
| N. hainanus (Thomas, 1892) | Island of Hainan in China | Size: 40–60 cm (16–24 in) long[49] Habitat: Forest[51] Diet: Fruit[51] | CR
|
| Northern buffed-cheeked gibbon | N. annamensis Thinh, 2010 | Southeastern Asia | Size: 40–60 cm (16–24 in) long[49] Habitat: Forest[52] Diet: Fruit, leaves, shoots, and flowers, as well as small mammals and lizards[52] | EN
|
| Northern white-cheeked gibbon
| N. leucogenys (Ogilby, 1840) | Southeastern Asia | Size: 45–63 cm (18–25 in) long[53] Habitat: Forest[54] Diet: Fruit, as well as leaves, flowers, and insects[53] | CR
|
| Southern white-cheeked gibbon
| N. siki (Delacour, 1951) | Southeastern Asia | Size: 47–64 cm (19–25 in) long[55] Habitat: Forest[56] Diet: Fruit[56] | CR
|
| Yellow-cheeked gibbon
| N. gabriellae (Thomas, 1909) | Southeastern Asia | Size: 45–50 cm (18–20 in) long[57] Habitat: Forest[58] Diet: Fruit, leaves, and flowers[58] | EN
|
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siamang
| S. syndactylus (Raffles, 1821) | Southeastern Asia | Size: 71–90 cm (28–35 in) long[59] Habitat: Forest[60] Diet: Fruit and leaves, as well as flowers and insects[60] | EN
|
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References
Sources
- Ankel-Simons, Friderun (2000). Primate Anatomy: An Introduction. Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-058670-7.
- Burnie, David; Wilson, Don E., eds. (2017). Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide. DK. ISBN 978-1-4654-7086-7.
- Francis, Charles (2019). Field Guide to the Mammals of South-east Asia (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4729-3499-4.
- Groves, Colin P. (2005). Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World. Vol. 1 (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.
- Kingdon, Jonathan (2015). The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals (Second ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4729-2531-2.
- Petter, Jean-Jacques; Desbordes, François (2013). Primates of the World: An Illustrated Guide. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-15695-8.
- Supriatna, Jatna (2022). Field Guide to the Primates of Indonesia. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-03-083206-3.