What was the main creature that both apes and humans evolved from?

The common ancestor of apes and humans is not a single creature, but rather a hypothetical population of extinct anthropoid primates that lived in Africa several million years ago. These primates were likely small, arboreal, and lived in tropical rainforests. Over time, they evolved and diversified into the different species of apes and humans that we see today.

The genetic evidence suggests that the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of humans and chimpanzees lived between 5 and 7 million years ago. This MRCA was likely a small, arboreal ape that lived in the forests of central Africa. Over time, the population of this MRCA diverged and evolved into two distinct lineages: the chimpanzee lineage and the human lineage.

The human lineage continued to evolve and eventually gave rise to the species Homo sapiens, which is the only extant species of the genus Homo. Homo sapiens first appeared in Africa around 200,000 years ago and quickly spread to other parts of the world. Over time, Homo sapiens evolved and diversified into the different races and ethnic groups that we see today.