Question

The family Pongidae includes _________
A. Fossils and modern man
B. Fossil forms and present-day gorillas
C. Gorilla and chimpanzee
D. Both (B) and (C)

Answer 1

Hint: The family Pongidae includes the animal’s named Gorilla, chimpanzees.
They have black hair and skin. They do not have tails.
Short muzzles, a prominent brow ridge, large nostrils, small eyes, and ears are present on their face.
Moreover, Chimpanzees have white whiskers on their chin.
Like humans, chimpanzees have flat faces.
They rely more on their eyes, sense of sight than the nose, sense of smell. They have naked skin without hair on their palms, hands, and soles of feet.

Complete answer: Pongidae is a fossil primate that contains gorillas and chimpanzees.
They are also called "great apes".
The pongid skull contains the following features:
1. Sulcus present behind the brow ridges
2. Presence of a protruding occipital region
3. Presence of large and bony eye sockets
4. Presence of large nasal opening
5. Presence of constriction behind the orbital region
6. Presence of stout facial bones
7. Presence of diastema

The difference between Pongidae with humans are as follows:

Characters	Pongidae	Humans
Arms	Arms longer than the legs	Arms are shorter than the legs
Orientation of scapula	The scapula has an orientation for supporting the body weight beneath the arms	The scapula is oriented for holding the arms by the side
Digit pattern	Digits are long and curved	Digits are shorter and straight
Function of pelvis	The pelvis is shaped to support the legs and trunk in the bent-over posture	The pelvis is shaped to support the legs and trunk in a vertical position
Position of knees	Knees do not lock the legs	Knees lock the legs straight
Size and shape of the pelvis	The pelvis is relatively large	The pelvis is much shorter and bowl-shaped
Iliac pillar shape	The iliac pillar is elongated	The iliac crest is oriented to the side and slanted

So, the correct answer is option C. Gorilla and chimpanzee.

Note: Earlier, humans alone (with their extinct forebears) were placed in Hominidae, and the great apes were positioned in a different family, Pongidae.
However, morphological and molecular investigations now indicate that humans are closely related to chimpanzees, while gorillas are more distant and orangutans more distant still.