Final answer:
Apes belong to the Hominidae, Hylobatidae, and Pongidae families. The Hominidae family includes chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and humans with a total of seven living species. Apes have distinct evolutionary features such as larger brains and the absence of tails.
Step-by-step explanation:
The three hominoid families to which apes belong are the Hominidae, Hylobatidae, and Pongidae. Members of the Hominidae family include four living genera: chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and humans. Within this family, there are only seven living species, with each genus having two species except for humans, which has only one, Homo sapiens. Hylobatidae, also known as the lesser apes, includes gibbons and siamangs. The Pongidae family traditionally included orangutans; however, they are now often placed within Hominidae. This reflects a more recent understanding of the evolutionary relationships among apes.
Apes are beings that evolved from catarrhines in Africa around 25 million years ago, and their unique features such as larger brains, lack of tails, and the ability for knuckle-walking distinguish them from monkeys and other primates. Coming to understanding the distinctions of these families and their evolutionary significance underscores our own place in the primate order.