Human

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Human
Fossil range: Pleistocene - Recent
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Homo
Species: H. sapiens
Subspecies: H. s. sapiens
Trinomial name
Homo sapiens sapiens
Linnaeus, 1758

The modern human (Homo sapiens sapiens, Latin: "the wise man"[1]) is the only living relative in the genus Homo. The closest relatives within the family Hominidae (the great apes) are the Chimpanzees. Humans distinguish themselves from all other primates by their erect posture and bipedal gait.

Humans are very successful and have colonized all continents of the earth, though some, such as Thomas Malthus, fear that humans are growing beyond the ability of the environment to support them. See Demography for more on human population growth.