A Beautifully Illustrated Ape Family Tree Connecting Humans to Their Primate Descendants
David Goldenberg of MinuteEarth, who previously created a detailed illustration of the canine family tree and a subsequent feline family tree, followed up with a new family tree featuring apes and their primatial descendants.
When we made videos about the canine and feline family trees and released these accompanying beautiful posters, one follow-up request rose to the top. Apes.
He first noted the primary difference between apes and monkeys.
Apes split off from monkeys around 25 to 30 million years ago. The simplest way to tell the difference between apes and monkeys is that apes are generally bigger and don’t have tails.
Goldenberg also explored the evolutionary history of primates, distinguishing between great and lesser apes while detailing unique physical adaptations and behaviors. This includes extinct ancient species, the diverse range of current family members, and the human connection.
The ape family is a hugely diverse group of gibbons, gorillas, orangutans, chimps, and – yes – humans.
This Ape Family Tree is available for purchase as a lovely wall print.
From the ridiculously athletic agile gibbon to the Minecraft-playing bonobo, this poster is a beautifully illustrated, extensively researched dive into all our cousins, including the other human species that Homo sapiens once shared the Earth with.
Dog Family Tree
Cat Family Tree
