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What do all of these animals have in common?
All of these animals are primates, a classification category of mammals.
Humans, apes, and monkeys are all primates. They all share similar structures and behaviors. Primates have hands that contain five digits and can grasp things. They also have flexible feet for walking or climbing. The major difference between monkeys and apes is that monkeys have tails and apes do not. Apes also have a larger brain than monkeys.
A common, but controversial question arises: Did we evolve from apes? Not directly from the modern apes you see pictured above. Humans did, however, share a common ancestor. Biochemical and morphological evidence exists to support this. Recall that biochemical evidence exists in the DNA comparisons of species. There is less than a 2% difference in the DNA of humans and chimpanzees, making them our closest primate relative. Morphological evidence is seen in the physical structures of two species. Consider the larger brain size and bone structure of the hands and feet--very similar in apes and humans.
Human evolution is the study of how humans and their direct ancestors changed over time into humans like us. First, let's clarify what a human is. A human is a member of the genus, Homo. Our species and scientific name is Homo sapiens. Remember that the scientific name is made up of the genus and species of a particular organism.
In our evolutionary family tree, there existed other members in this genus who were technically "human," such as Homo erectus, but they were a different species than us. Hominids are humans and their direct ancestors. Our direct ancestors include human-like beings that belonged to a genus other than Homo, such as Australopithecus. A species known as Australopithecus afarensis is commonly believed to be the direct ancestor of humans.
Question
What is the only hominid alive today?
