The Western gorilla, for example, is listed as critically endangered due to hunting and outbreaks of ebola. However, perhaps the best way to remember, like with so many things, is rote memorization. There are only a handful of ape species, while there are hundreds of species of monkeys. If the primate you’re trying to place is not a human, gibbon, chimpanzee, bonobo, orangutan, or gorilla (or a lemur, loris, or tarsier), then it’s a monkey.
Genus Hylobates
The siamang also has one of the largest ranges of all the gibbons as it’s found throughout parts of Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. One of the most visually striking gibbons, the agile gibbon (Hylobates agilis), or black-handed gibbon, is a relatively large primate that lives in Malaysia, Thailand, and on the island of Sumatra. The third and final living orangutan species, the Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) is found only on the north-central part of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Interestingly, researchers did not realize that this was a separate orangutan species until 2017 as it was believed to simply be an isolated population of the Bornean orangutan. Currently, there are only three extant (living) species of orangutan, all of which are considered to be critically endangered.
Subspecies and population status
Many species of hominoids are under threat of habitat destruction, poaching, and hunting for bushmeat and skins. The eastern gorilla is endangered and the western gorilla is critically endangered. Eleven of sixteen species of gibbons are endangered or critically endangered. Apes, also referred to as hominoids, include chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons.
What’s the Difference Between Monkeys and Apes?
Unfortunately, over the years, the species’ population has decreased dramatically from about 2,000 individuals in the 1950s to about 20 individuals as of 2014. Much of the species’ decline can be attributed to habitat loss caused by illegal pulp paper plantations and logging. Found only on Hainan Island in southeastern China, the Hainan black crested gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) is a critically endangered gibbon that is on the brink of extinction. However, as of the early 2000s, it’s believed that there are less than 40 individuals of this species left in the wild, meaning that the species’ chances of survival are exceptionally small due to ongoing habitat loss. Although it is taxonomically similar to other black crested gibbons, the eastern black crested gibbon was determined to be its own species based on genetic sequencing.
Genus Gorilla
- Apes also have larger brains than monkeys, and they are capable of using tools and learning language.
- The earliest fossils argued by some to belong to the human lineage are Sahelanthropus tchadensis (7 Ma) and Orrorin tugenensis (6 Ma), followed by Ardipithecus (5.5–4.4 Ma), with species Ar.
- Indeed, this species of gibbon is thought to have one of the most beautiful vocalizations, even though they generally don’t sign in duets like some other gibbons.
- Originally considered to be the only genus of gibbons in the world, the genus Hylobates is a collection of lesser apes that’s commonly referred to as the forest walkers.
It also overlaps very slightly in territory with the Bornean white-bearded gibbon, though the Müller’s gibbon mostly lives in the northern part of the island. The first great how to build the cheapest mining rig possible apes on our list are members of the genus Pongo, which includes all of the orangutans. Orangutans are large apes that are known for their long, orange-colored hair.
Once considered to be a subspecies of chimpanzee, the bonobo (Pan paniscus) is the second of the two ape species in the genus Pan. In fact, it’s believed that the bonobo and the chimp diverged from the same species about 1.5 million to 2 million years ago after the formation of the Congo River. The rarer of the two gorilla subspecies, the eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) is the world’s largest living primate. It lives only in the area of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, both in lowland and mountain environments.
Scientists broadly, other than paleoanthropologists, may use the term “hominin” to identify the human clade, replacing the term “hominid”. Like most gibbon species, the eastern hoolock gibbon is endangered, mostly due to habitat loss and degradation. Additionally, these gibbons have been known to be preyed upon by large monitor lizards and even large eagles, which further threatened their population. Like the great apes, the lesser apes, which are usually called gibbons, are found only in certain parts of the world, namely in eastern and southeastern Asia.
The classification of apes is somewhat complex as the term “ape” is a colloquial one, not a scientific one. In many ways, the Kloss’s gibbon resembles the siamang due to its mostly black fur. However, the Kloss’s gibbon tends to be much smaller and it doesn’t have the characteristic throat pouch that’s found on the siamang. Aptly named, the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is an orangutan species found only on the island of Borneo.
There are currently four living genera of great apes and eight living species. Although these species are closely related, the apes are generally considered to be both tailless and larger than their Old World monkey counterparts. All apes are also https://cryptolisting.org/ part of the superfamily Hominoidea while Old World monkeys are part of the superfamily Cercopithecoidea. Like its northern cousin, these gibbons exhibit sexual dimorphism where the males are all black in color and the females are mostly brown.
Before we can talk about the 26 different types of apes, we should first define what an ape is. If you’ve ever wanted to do a deep dive into the nitty-gritty details of all the different types of apes that walk our planet, you’ve come to the right place. At night they sleep in nests made from branches or foliage on the ground or in trees.
According to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, humans’ and gorillas’ bodies are so much alike, diseases can be transmitted from humans to gorillas and vice versa. They have live births after a gestation period of around eight and a half to nine months and typically give birth to only one or two babies at a time. They also breastfeed their young for an extending amount of time, like humans. Siamangs grow to 29.5 to 35.5 inches (75 to 90 centimeters) tall from head to rump, according to the San Diego Zoo. The following table lists the estimated number of great ape individuals living outside zoos.
They also produce a highly complex song that includes calls and responses between males and females. There is still some debate over how to classify the black crested gibbon, particularly because it’s believed that there are at least four subspecies of this primate. Regardless, there are fewer than about 2,000 individuals of this species left in the wild due to habitat loss and deforestation. Lar gibbons are one of the most common gibbon species to be found in captivity, however, they are considered to be endangered in the wild. They are often hunted for bushmeat and they are at threat of habitat loss due to deforestation. It’s believed that there are less than about 6,000 individuals left in the wild.