Final answer:
Anthropoids include monkeys, lesser apes, and great apes, encompassing a range of species that share larger brain sizes and complex behaviors compared to prosimians. Humans belong to the 'Hominidae' family and the 'genus Homo', marked by traits like bipedalism, brain enlargement, and tool usage that define our branch of anthropoids.
Step-by-step explanation:
The classification term anthropoid describes a group within the Order Primates that includes three broad categories of species: monkeys, lesser apes, and great apes. These species all fall under the classification of anthropoids because they share common traits that differ from other primate groups like prosimians. Monkeys, represented by groups such as New World monkeys (howler monkeys and spider monkeys) and Old World monkeys (baboons, mandrills), bring diversity to the anthropoid category. Lesser apes, such as gibbons, and great apes, including chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and humans, are also part of the anthropoid group. Anthropoids generally have larger brain sizes compared to prosimians and display variations of social behavior and dexterity that distinguish them within the primate family.
Taking a closer look at the great ape section of anthropoids, humans belong to the family Hominidae, which is the biological classification that also encompasses chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. Each of these species shows high levels of DNA similarity and the capacity for complex behaviors such as language and tool use. The genus Homo, which includes modern humans (Homo sapiens), evolved from earlier bipedal hominins, distinguishing our direct lineage in terms of brain size increase, use of complex tools, and the development of culture.