Towards the end of the Miocene, the diversity was at its largest. It was probably at this time, in the african apes,that the evolution of the human family began. The apes have always been tree-living and associated with forests. At the beginning of the Pliocene, climatic changes led to the disappearance of large forested areas. Many forms of apes went extinct during this period.
Today there are only four genera of apes left.
The apes walk on all four legs, and their arms are longer than their legs. They have both a grasping hand and foot, and lack a tail. The jaws have a characteristic square shape, and the canines are larger than other teeth. An important common trait for all apes is their relatively large brain. Among the apes, the males are usually larger than the females.