Previous Year Question

Gibbons are classified as small apes or lesser apes. They belong to the family Hylobatidae and are smaller in body size than the great apes such as chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.

Gibbons are found mainly in the tropical forests of South-East Asia. One of their most characteristic features is their extremely long arms relative to their body size.

They are highly adapted for swinging from one tree branch to another. This form of locomotion is known as Brachiation. Their shoulder joints and long arms are specially adapted for this type of movement.

Gibbons do not have tails, an important ape characteristic that distinguishes them from monkeys.

Among the given options—

Gibbon → Small/Lesser Ape
Chimpanzee → Great Ape
Gorilla → Great Ape
Orangutan → Great Ape

Thus, the smallest man-like ape is the Gibbon.