Which group diverged 30 million years ago from monkeys and includes ancestors to modern gorillas and humans?

Study for the Dantes General Anthropology Exam. Use flashcards and multiple choice questions, each question comes with hints and explanations. Prepare effectively for your assessment!

The group that diverged approximately 30 million years ago from monkeys and includes the ancestors to modern gorillas and humans is the hominoids. Hominoids are a family within the primate order that comprises apes and humans. This group includes both the lesser apes, such as gibbons, and the great apes, which encompass orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans.

This divergence marks a significant evolutionary split, leading to distinct lineages that differentiate the great apes and their relatives from other primates, including monkeys. Understanding this evolutionary timeline is vital for comprehending the biological and evolutionary relationships between species. The classification of hominoids emphasizes their unique characteristics, such as increased brain size and the ability to exhibit more complex social behaviors compared to other primates.

In contrast, the other groups mentioned in the options are broader or refer to different aspects of primate evolution, making them less specific to the question at hand. For instance, primates encompass all members of the primate order, including both prosimians and simians. Hominids refer specifically to the family that includes modern humans and their closest relatives, but it does not capture the broader group of all apes as effectively as homino

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