Final answer:
Hominidae, or hominoids (including great apes and humans), are distinguished from monkeys by their lack of a tail, larger brain size, and human-specific traits like bipedalism and language development.
Step-by-step explanation:
Distinguishing Hominidae from Monkeys
The family Hominidae includes both apes and humans, which are distinguished from monkeys by several characteristics. Hominidae, or hominoids, comprise the great apes—chimpanzees (Pan), gorillas (Gorilla), orangutans (Pongo), and humans (Homo), with humans represented by the single species Homo sapiens. Key differences between hominoids and monkeys include the lack of a tail in hominoids, larger brain size relative to body size, and in the case of humans, specific traits such as bipedalism, larger brain, and the ability to develop language and culture. In contrast to apes, monkeys, which are divided into New World (Platyrrhini) and Old World monkeys (Catarrhini), typically have tails and a different mode of locomotion. When walking quadrupedally, monkeys use their palms, while apes use their knuckles for support.
Human evolution traces back to a common ancestor with chimpanzees approximately six million years ago. The term hominin refers to those species that evolved after this split, including Australopithecus, Homo habilis, and Homo erectus, pinpointing species closer to humans than to chimpanzees. While there have been multiple hominin species, today Homo sapiens is the sole survivor of this branch of evolution.