人科 Hominidae (Sub-family of Primates)

人科 (Hominidae),源自拉丁文 homō (「人類、人」),意指這些動物與人類有關.

Hominidae, from Latin homō (“human being, man”), in reference to the fact that these animals are human-related.

種的俗名 Common names of members

猩猩,大猩猩,黑猩猩,人類

Orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and humans.

分佈 Distribution

雖然人類遍佈整個地球,但大猩猩和黑猩猩只限於非洲的熱帶森林,而紅毛猩猩則限於東南亞的熱帶森林.

Although humans are found throughout the Earth, gorillas and chimpanzees are restricted to the tropical forests of Africa, and orangutans to Southeast Asian ones.

體型 Size

現存最小的品種重 30 至 40 公斤,最大的重 140 至 180 公斤.

The smallest species still extant weighing between 30 and 40 kg and the largest 140 to 180 kg.

形態描述 Morphology

這些是無尾的人類.雖然不同物種的性別二形程度差異很大,但男性通常比女性體型大且強壯.儘管牠們大多是四足行走,但都能用手來活動,例如收集食物、使用工具和與他人進行觸覺溝通.

These are tailless humanoids. Though the degree of sexual dimorphism varies widely among species, men are generally larger and stronger than females. Despite being mostly quadrupedal, all of them can use their hands to activities such as gather food, use tools and communicate tactilely with others.

生態與棲息地 Habitat & Ecology

主要是雨林,但人類居住在各種陸地環境中.

Primarily rainforests, but humans inhabit all kinds of terrestrial environments.

食性 Diet

改科每種物種都是雜食性的,雖然牠們更喜歡水果（人類除外）.

Every species is omnivorous, though they prefer fruits (except humans).

繁殖 Reproduction

妊娠期為 8-9 個月,期間會產下單胎或有時會產下雙胎.由於出生時沒有自衛能力,幼猿需要長時間的照顧.與其他哺乳類相比,巨猿的青春期特別長.牠們通常需要八到十三年的時間才能完全成熟（猩猩和人類需要更長的時間）.牠們在幾年內都不會斷奶.因此,婦女通常每隔幾年才會生育一次.繁殖沒有特定的季節.

五到十隻大猩猩和黑猩猩的家庭經常居住在一起,但偶爾也會看到更大的群體.生活在更大的群體中,黑猩猩會在水果變少時分裂成更小的群體.當雌性黑猩猩分成小群去尋找果實時,牠們就無法再被佔優勢的雄性黑猩猩控制；結果,雌性黑猩猩經常和其他較低等的雄性黑猩猩交配.另一方面,不管有什麼果實,大猩猩群體都會團結在一起.果實稀少時,牠們會轉而吃樹葉和嫩芽.

Gestation lasts 8–9 months, during which a single offspring or, very sometimes, twins are born. The young need care for extended periods of time since they are defenseless at birth. When compared to most other mammals, great apes have an exceptionally extended adolescence. They typically take eight to thirteen years to reach full maturity (orangutans and humans take longer). They are not weaned for several years. Because of this, women normally give birth just once every several years. There's no specific season for breeding.

Families of five to ten gorillas and chimpanzees often reside together, though occasionally considerably bigger groups are observed. Living in bigger groups, chimpanzees split up into smaller ones when fruit gets scarce. Female chimpanzees can no longer be controlled by dominant males when they split out in tiny groups to search for fruit; as a result, the females frequently mate with other inferior males. Gorilla groups, on the other hand, stick together no matter what fruit is available. They turn to eating leaves and shoots when fruit is scarce.