Hylobatidae (Noun)
Meaning
Used in some classifications for the lesser apes (gibbons and siamangs); sometimes considered a subfamily of Pongidae.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- Some taxonomists consider Hylobatidae a subfamily of great apes and assign the gibbon species to it for the sake of simplifying primate classification.
- Studies focusing on gibbon and siamang communication found their patterns do resemble certain lesser characteristics attributed to Hylobatidae family behaviors.
- Early genetic classification used terms such as Pongidae but for simplicity today lesser apes belong under a larger Hominoidea and with less application to classifications in sub-families of the hylobatidae terms used formerly.
- Primatology specialists often view Hylobatidae as the taxonomical bridge between the Pongidae subfamily structure, now outdated and superseded by developments and findings in our understanding of biological relationships and organism characteristics of lesser ape classification.
- The usage of terms like Hylobatidae eventually paved way for researchers to study these primates under an understanding they are more closely connected than initially believed through DNA sampling.