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Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus Pongo, orangutans were originally considered to be one species.
The name orangutan means "man of the forest" in the Malay language. In the lowland forests in which they reside, orangutans live solitary existences. They feast on wild fruits like lychees, mangosteens, and figs, and slurp water from holes in trees.
Jun 25, 2024 · Orangutan, any of three species of Asian great apes found in rainforests on the Southeast Asian islands of Sumatra and Borneo. They are renowned for their cognitive abilities, which are comparable to those of the gorilla and the chimpanzee.
1. There are 3 species of orangutan. The Bornean, the Sumatran and the recently confirmed new species (as of 2017), the Tapanuli. These great apes are only found in the wild on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. All three orangutan species are critically endangered.
The Malay word orangutan means “person of the forest.”. These long-haired, orangish primates, found only in Sumatra and Borneo, are highly intelligent and are close relatives of humans.
The population is currently fragmented into 13 populations in 21 forest blocks. Only 6 of these populations boast more than 250 animals and are therefore regarded as viable in the long term, but even these groups are under threat due to ongoing habitat loss.
Orangutans cannot survive without trees. © Fletcher and Baylis/WWF-Indonesia. Learn more about orangutans. Orangutans live in the forests of Sumatra and Borneo. Learn a bit more about the species and what WWF is doing to help.
In recent years, these gentle red great apes have had the unfortunately honour on of becoming the public face of deforestation and the problem of palm oil. Only found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, the Orangutan is a magnificent, but critically endangered, species. Well, multiple species.
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests. The Sumatran orangutan is almost exclusively arboreal, living among the trees of tropical rainforests. Females virtually never travel on the ground and adult males do so rarely. Sumatran orangutans are reported to have closer social ties than their Bornean cousins.
A highly intelligent creature, with long, powerful arms and grasping hands and feet, the orangutan moves through the treetops of lowland forests with ease. Learn about orangutans, the threats they face and how you can help secure their future.
