What Are Apes?
An ape is any homonoid (member of superfamily Homonoidae). This includes the “lesser apes,” 13 species of gibbon, which live in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, and the “great apes,” family Homonidae, which includes orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans, all of which are closely related. The characteristic features of apes include large brains and long limbs which are usually adapted for climbing trees. Among the apes, only humans and gorillas are poor climbers. All apes are omnivores, consuming fruit, grass seeds, and occasionally bugs or small animals. Some apes are vegetarians, like the gorilla, while others engage in hunting, like chimps and humans. Most apes are social, especially humans, which traditionally live in groups of up to about 200 members, though cities can be arbitrarily large. Apes evolved out of Old World Monkeys, which have smaller brains and bodies and less social organization. These in turn evolved from arboreal primates that resembl
