The missing link is a common what of apes and humans?

The missing link is a common term used to refer to hypothetical ancestral species that could bridge the evolutionary gap between apes and humans. It represents transitional forms that exhibit characteristics of both groups, helping to illustrate the evolutionary process. While the concept has been popularized in media, modern science has identified several hominid fossils that provide evidence of this evolutionary lineage, rather than a single "missing link."