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Pongidae , or the pongids is an obsolete primate taxon containing , and . By this definition pongids were also called "great ". This taxon is not used today but is of historical significance. The great apes are currently classified as Hominidae. This entry addresses the old usage of pongid.
The words "Pongidae" and "pongids" are sometimes used informally for the primate taxon containing and their extinct fossil relations. For this usage the currently most widely accepted name is Ponginae (or informally Asian or pongines), the orangutan subfamily of the Hominidae or hominids. In current hominid taxonomy there is no “pongid” taxon. The orangutan taxon is now known to be paraphyletic to other (African) hominids. The orangutans are the only surviving species of the subfamily Ponginae, which genetically diverged from the other hominids (, and ) between 19.3 and 15.7 million years ago. The subfamilies split somewhat later. The corresponding crown group for this taxon is Hominidae.
| Bipedalism |
| Under the skull |
| ovoid |
| Base of the skull(near the auditory region) |
| Parabolic |
| Slow |
| Straight |
| Arms are shorter than the legs |
| Scapula is oriented for holding the arms by the side |
| Digits are shorter and straight |
| Pelvis is shaped to support the legs and trunk in a vertical position |
| Knees lock the legs straight to minimize the expenditure of energy when standing |
| Pelvis is much shorter and bowl-shaped |
| The iliac crest is oriented more to the side and slanted |
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