anthropoid ape
noun
any tailless ape of the families Pongidae and Hylobatidae, anatomically resembling humans, and comprising the gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, gibbons and siamangs.
Origin of anthropoid ape
First recorded in 1830–40
Words nearby anthropoid ape
Example sentences from the Web for anthropoid ape
We may assume that the precursor of man had arrived at the anthropoid-ape level by the middle of the Miocene period.
The Story of Evolution |Joseph McCabe
British Dictionary definitions for anthropoid ape
anthropoid ape
noun
any primate of the family Pongidae, having no tail, elongated arms, and a highly developed brain. The group includes gibbons, orang-utans, chimpanzees, and gorillas
Scientific definitions for anthropoid ape
anthropoid ape
[ ăn′thrə-poid′ ]
A primate belonging to the family Pongidae, which includes the chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, and orangutan. Orangutans are arboreal whereas the other three species are terrestrial or semiarboreal. Anthropoid apes move in trees mainly by arm-swinging and on the ground by quadrupedal walking in which the upper body weight is borne on the knuckles. Also called great ape pongid Compare hominid.