In show two 5 ancestors masters explain their artand i believe they say five ancestors is a combination of several styles and their are a few variations styles which cause a different five ancestor styles to appear
As much as I loathe to use it, Wikipedia does have a pretty ok description:
the breathing methods and iron body of Da mo (達尊拳[SUP][1][/SUP]
the posture and dynamic power of Luohan (羅漢拳[SUP][2][/SUP]
the precision and efficient movement of Emperor Taizu (太祖拳[SUP][3][/SUP]
the hand techniques and the complementary softness and hardness of Fujian White Crane (白鶴拳[SUP][4][/SUP]
the agility and footwork of Monkey (猴拳[SUP][5][/SUP]