Timeless recordings of animals (4)

I believe the answer is:

apes

'animals' is the definition.
(ape is a kind of animal)

I don't understand the rest of the clue.

(Other definitions for apes that I've seen before include "Parrots" , "Species of primate" , "Copies the primates?" , "Zoo animals" , "Mimics like primates" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.

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