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Which species are considered great apes?

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Illustration comparing the body plans of representative anthropoids, showing a male western lowland gorilla, a male human, a male bonobo, a female Bornean orangutan, and male and female northern white-cheeked gibbons, all labeled and depicted to scale. — primate Representative apes (superfamily Hominoidea).

The term "great apes" refers to a group of large, tailless primates within the family Hominidae. These species are recognized for their comparatively large size, high intelligence, and humanlike features.123

The species considered great apes are:

Gorillas: Including the western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) and the eastern gorilla (G. beringei).43
Chimpanzees: Specifically the common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes).43
Bonobos: (Pan paniscus).43
Orangutans: Including Pongo pygmaeus, P. abelii, and P. tapanuliensis.43

While humans are also classified within the family Hominidae, the term "great apes" is typically used to distinguish these nonhuman species from humans. The African great apes (gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos) are more closely related to humans and are grouped with them in the subfamily Homininae, whereas orangutans are placed in the subfamily Ponginae. In contrast, the smaller gibbons are referred to as "lesser apes" and belong to a separate family, Hylobatidae.1234