Hominoids and hominids

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In message <Pine.3.89.9602151346.A26367-0100000@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu> Ruby
Rohrlich writes:
> Yes, my students always assumed that because I talked about hominoids, I
> must be a zoologist and know about elephants and mice. By the way, is it
> tautologous
> to talk about non-human hominoids? I was under the impression that
> "hominoids" refers to the non-human primates, and hominids strictly to

Ruby,

The way I learned it, "hominoid" is the cover term for apes and humans, both
living and extinct. It contrasts with "cercopithecoid" which refers to the old
world monkeys. "Hominid" is a subset of "hominoid" and refers to those
exhibiting bipedality, apparently beginning with the australopithecines.

This sure is fun! Ron


Ronald Kephart
Dept of Language & Literature
University of North Florida
Jacksonville, FL USA 32224-2645
Phone: (904) 646-2580
E-mail: rkephart@osprey.unf.edu

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