The human, homo sapiens, one of five members of the great apes, is an upright, bipedal animal with very high intelligence. In all likelihood, you are a human! Humans are one of the most successful large animal species to inhabit Earth. There are nearly 7 billion humans alive today, found on every continent and a few in Earth's orbit.
Humans are known for their high-level use of technology and language. Humans are creative, excel at problem solving, and good at abstract reasoning.
References
Fast Facts
-
World Population
Nearly 6.8 billion in 2009
-
Range
Lives on all continents, including Antartica. Some humans are living in space, although not permanently.
-
Hands
Hands are uniquely developed to hold tools and manipulate the environment.
-
Great Apes
Humans are one of five species of the great apes, including gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and oranguatans
-
Closest Relative
Humans share approximately 98% of their genes with chimpanzees
-
History
Modern humans have been on the earth for approximately 195,000 years.
-
Homeland
The first modern humans appeared in Africa
