Orangutan Facts

"Answers About Asia's Endangered Ape"

Do you know about Asia's two Great Ape species? These orangutan facts will get you started on learning about one of the most fascinating primates on the planet.

There are only two orangutan species and both are endangered.

The Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) lives only in the rainforests of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) only inhabits the island of Borneo, split among states from Indonesia and Malaysia and all of Brunei.

The orangutan not only exhibits some interesting behavior, but faces many threats to its survival. So it's important to sort out orangutan facts from fiction to understand conservation issues and determine how to support efforts to protect the remaining wild animals.

The first part covers the biology and behavior of orangutans to give insights into their lifestyles, while the second highlights conservation and orangutan habitat concerns which are paramount to protect the species.

Female Orangutan with Infant in Tree, Gunung Palung National Park, Borneo, Indonesia
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Orangutan Facts: Biology and Behavior

• As large as humans, male orangutans weigh from 70 to 90kg (150-200 lbs) and are the largest tree dwelling mammals.
• As arboreal primates, both species thrive in rainforests feeding mainly on jungle fruits, leaves, flowers, tree bark and a few insects.
• A bulky traveller, orangutans stop frequently for rests and naps and linger in the forest while travelling from one-half to one kilometer each day.
• Orangutans are active only during the day and are the only primates to build a soft nest layer out of bent branches and fresh leaves every evening for sleeping at night.
• Living their entire lives in the rainforest canopy, orangutans rarely expose themselves by coming down to the ground and move about the forest with all four limbs able to grasp.
• Female orangutans give birth to only one offspring at a time and wait usually wait five years to reproduce again; the male orang plays no part in the upbringing of its young.
• After leaving the mother at six years, orangutans prefer to live alone during their lifespan of up to 50 years and are are among the least sociable of mammamls.
• Bornean and Sumatran orangutans differ physically by hair color, the former darker orange to a reddish chocolate and the latter more orangish with softer hair.
• Orangutans communicate with a dozen different vocal calls; one call uses pursed lips to suck air in like a kissing sound when irritated by something and the long call consists of grunts and moans for up to three minutes.
• Observations show that Sumatran orangutans use tools, such as twigs to dig insects and leaves to scoop water, are more sociable than the Bornean species.

Orangutan Facts: Conservation Issues and Concerns

• According to the IUCN Red List, all orangutans are considered endangered species. However, the Sumatran orangutan is critically endangered and faces more immediate extinction threats.
• Recent studies estimate the following orangutan populations: 45,000 to 69,000 in Borneo and 7,500 in Sumatra.
• The main threats to orangutan habitat result from the loss of rainforests to fires, the expansion of plantations, and the clearing of forests for development that reduce lowland and swamp forests critical to support wild populations.
• Infant orangutans are often captured to sell as "prestige pets" in the illegal wildlife trade. From 1985 to 1990 over 1,000 baby orangutans were smuggled to Taiwan from Indonesia.
• Rehabilitation centers established in the 1960s and 1970s cater to orphan and pet orangutans to train them to re-enter the rainforest as semi-wild animals.
• The pace of logging in natural tropical forests, coupled with conversion of forests to plantations in lowland areas, lead to a 40% wild population decline in Sabah in 20 years since the 1980s.
• To help save the species, wild orangutans are captured from poor survival sites and relocated and released in areas that offer a better chance of survival due to larger populations and better quality forests.
• In Malaysia, three new trends may help protect the orangutan: the lower rate of tropical deforestation, reduced hunting pressure, and most wild populations living in protected areas .
• Conservation groups, like WWF and WCS, focus on trying to save those orangutan habitats with the best chance for success and engage industry to avoid damaging major wild population areas.

Orangutan During a Rain Shower, Gunung Palung National Park, Borneo Island
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