One of the 3 orangutans on WAnimals
Mammals · Primates · Hominidae
Bornean Orangutan
Pongo pygmaeus
It faces an extremely high risk of imminent extinction in the wild. See full glossary
A large arboreal ape with reddish hair, it spends almost its whole life among the trees of the Bornean rainforest.
Weight
30 kg – 90 kg
Size
1 m – 1.4 m
Lifespan
40 years
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Very hard
Estimated population
104,700 animals according to the 2016 assessment, against some 230,000 a decade earlier and more than 300,000 in the 1970s; projections pointed to around 47,000 by 2025
Fun facts
- 'Orangutan' means 'person of the forest' in Malay.
- It builds a fresh nest to sleep in every night.
- It can use simple tools to get at food.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Lowland and hill tropical forest of the island of Borneo, up to 800 metres above sea level
- Birth weight
- Weight at birth not found as a precise figure
- Size at birth
- Wholly dependent, clinging to its mother from birth
- Sexual maturity
- Male: variable, 7-15 years depending on how the facial flanges develop | Female: a first birth at ~15 years
- Gestation / incubation
- ~245 days (8-9 months)
- Litter / clutch size
- 1 young (twins rare), with 6-8 years between births, among the longest intervals of any mammal
- Lifespan in captivity
- 50-60 years in captivity
Sources consulted: Dimensions.com; New England Primate Conservancy; AboutAnimals; A-Z Animals; Animal Diversity Web; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); OVAID; PMC (reproductive success study); Ancrenaz et al. 2016, IUCN Red List: recatalogado de En peligro a En peligro crítico por un declive proyectado del 86 % entre 1950 y 2025 (tres generaciones) || IUCN Red List, evaluación de Pongo pygmaeus de 2016 (Ancrenaz et al.)
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Bornean Orangutan — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Sumatran Orangutan
Pongo abelii
Tapanuli Orangutan
Pongo tapanuliensis
Sunda Pangolin
Manis javanica
Critically EndangeredHelmeted Hornbill
Rhinoplax vigil
Common Treeshrew
Tupaia glis
Lesser Treeshrew
Tupaia minor
How to help
The bornean orangutan is classified as critically endangered. Organizations such as Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS) work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 5 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about bornean orangutan.
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