From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids
Homininae is a subfamily of Hominidae, including Homo sapiens and some extinct relatives, as well as the gorillas and the chimpanzees. It comprises all those hominids, such as Australopithecus, that arose after the split from the other great apes (of which orangutans are the only surviving group).
As of 1980, the family Hominidae contained only humans, with the great apes in the family Pongidae. Discoveries led to a revision of classification, with the great apes (now Ponginae) and humans (Homininae) united in Hominidae. But further discoveries indicated that gorillas and chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than they are to orangutans, hence their current placement in Homininae. Hominoid taxonomy has had several changes in the classification of apes in recent years.
The subfamily Homininae can be further subdivided into the tribes Gorillini (gorillas) and Hominini (chimpanzees and humans).
A hominin is a member of the tribe Hominini, a hominine is a member of the subfamily Homininae, a hominid is a member of the family Hominidae, and a hominoid is a member of the superfamily Hominoidea.
Hominoid family tree
