Primate relationships and the human lineage

A compact teaching chart showing where humans sit among monkeys and apes, and a zoomed view of selected extinct hominins. The human path is emphasized, but the figure deliberately avoids implying that evolution is a ladder.

Terminology note. In current usage, hominid means a member of Hominidae — great apes, including orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans. The extinct species on the human side after the chimpanzee/human split are more precisely called hominins. Dates below are rounded teaching estimates.
Broad primate clade with the human through-line emphasized A ladderized teaching clade from primates to humans, with approximate branch dates from deep time to the present. A. Where humans sit among primates Ladderized around the human line. Branches represent common ancestors, not “lower” and “higher” living forms. 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 million years ago present ~71 Ma Strepsirrhinilemurs, lorises, galagos ~66 Ma Tarsierssister to monkeys + apes ~42 Ma New World monkeysPlatyrrhini ~25–30 Ma Old World monkeysCercopithecoidea ~17–20 Ma Gibbonslesser apes ~14–19 Ma OrangutansPonginae ~10 Ma GorillasGorilla ~6 Ma Chimpanzees + bonobosPan HumansHomo sapiens Catarrhini: Old World monkeys + apes Hominoidea: apes, including humans

Panel A is a ladderized clade centered on the human line. It is useful for students because it makes clear that humans are apes, apes are catarrhine primates, and monkeys are not ancestors of humans.

Zoomed hominin timeline with fossil ranges A time-scaled teaching chart of selected extinct hominin species and Homo sapiens, emphasizing fossil age ranges rather than direct ancestry. B. Zoom: selected hominins after the chimpanzee/human split Bars show known fossil age ranges. This is a “bushy” radiation, not a single-file march toward us. 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 million years ago present Pan lineage(chimps + bonobos; living sister lineage) ~6 Ma split Early possible hominins Sahelanthropus tchadensis 7.2–6.8 MaChad; among oldest proposed hominins Orrorin tugenensis 6.2–5.8 MaKenya; bipedal femur traits Ardipithecus kadabba 5.8–5.2 MaEthiopia; early bipedal evidence Ardipithecus ramidus 4.45–4.35 MaEthiopia; Ardi Australopithecus and relatives Australopithecus anamensis 4.2–3.8 Maearly Australopithecus Australopithecus afarensis 3.85–2.95 MaLucy’s species Kenyanthropus platyops 3.55–3.45 Maflat-faced Kenyan taxon Australopithecus africanus 3.3–2.1 Masouthern Africa Australopithecus garhi 2.55–2.45 MaEthiopia; debated placement Australopithecus sediba 2–1.95 MaSouth Africa; mosaic anatomy Robust side branch Paranthropus aethiopicus 2.7–2.3 Marobust-chewing lineage Paranthropus boisei 2.3–1.2 MaEast Africa “robust” australopith Paranthropus robustus 1.8–1.2 Masouthern Africa robust lineage Genus Homo Homo habilis 2.4–1.4 Maearly Homo; taxonomy debated Homo rudolfensis 1.9–1.8 Maearly Homo; sparse record Homo erectus 1.89–0.11 Malong-lived, wide-ranging Homo Homo heidelbergensis 0.7–0.2 MaMiddle Pleistocene Homo Homo neanderthalensis 400–40 kaNeanderthals Homo naledi 335–236 kaSouth Africa; surprisingly recent Homo floresiensis 100–50 kaFlores; small-bodied island Homo Homo sapiens ~0.30 Ma–presentour species dotted/pale = debated or sparse Australopithecus and relatives Paranthropus side branch Homo lineages

Panel B is not a complete species inventory. It emphasizes widely taught taxa and fossil ranges that help students see overlap: several hominin species coexisted, and many lineages were side branches.

Source notes for revision

This chart uses rounded branch dates and fossil ranges synthesized from major teaching and research sources: Smithsonian Human Origins species pages; NCBI taxonomy browser for the broad taxonomic nesting; recent molecular timetrees of primates; comparative ape genome papers; and recent paleoanthropological updates on early hominins and Paranthropus. Branch dates and exact species relationships should be treated as approximate, because fossil assignments, mutation-rate assumptions, and incomplete lineage sorting can shift estimates.

Representative sources: Smithsonian Human Origins (early human species); NCBI Taxonomy (Hominidae, Homininae); Roos et al. / modern primate timetree syntheses; Carbone et al. 2014 on gibbons; Scally et al. 2012 and complete ape genome work on great ape splits; Hawks 2023 on early hominins; and recent Nature work on Paranthropus in Afar.