Bornean Orangutan

Kingdom Order Family Genus Species
Animalia Primates Hominidae Pongo Pongo pygmaeus
Bornean Orangutan
IUCN Status: Critically-Endangered
  • Common Name: Bornean Orangutan
  • Taxonomy Classification Year: 1760
  • Monkey Size: 97 to 97 cm (38.19 to 58.19 in)
  • Skin Color(s): Orange-red
  • Habitat: Rainforest
  • Diet: Herbivorous
  • Native Countries: Indonesia, China

Bornean Orangutan Distribution

Bornean Orangutan Characteristics

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean orangutan[1] is native to the Borneo Island. Along with Pongo abelii (the Sumatran orangutan) and Pongo tapanuliensis (the Tapanuli orangutan), it belongs to the only genus of great apes endemic to Asia.

  • They have thick, shaggy, orange-red hair and long arms, which are beneficial for traveling through the canopy.
  • They grasp with their hands and feet, which suits their arboreal life. Unlike most mammals, their fur does not cover their faces.
  • However, Bornean orangutans do have facial hair, including beards and whiskers.
  • Also, they have sizeable fatty cheek pads called a harness and a drooping throat pouch.

Bornean Orangutan

What Do Bornean Orangutans Eat?

What Do Bornean Orangutans Eat?

The Bornean Orangutan consumes these plant matter[¶]:

  • Clustertree (Ficus racemosa)
  • Brown-Woolly Fig (Ficus drupacea).
  • Pulasan (Nephelium lappaceum)
  • Jacareuba (Calophyllum brasiliense)
  • Oriental Trema (Trema orientalis).
  • Cowa Fruit (Garcinia cowa).
  • Ilang-Ilang (Cananga odorata)
  • Javanese Treebine (Cissus nodosa).
  • Bishopwood (Bischofia javanica)
  • Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina).
  • Fig (Ficus)
  • Council Tree (Ficus altissima).
  • Myrobalan (Terminalia bellirica)
  • Argus Pheasant Tree (Dracontomelon dao).

Bornean Orangutan Facts

Pongo Pygmaeus

  • Although orangutans are not territorial, adult males exhibit threatening behavior when encountering other males and only socialize with females for mating.
  • Like other great apes, orangutans are highly intelligent and display different tools and cultural patterns in the wild. In addition, orangutans share about 97 percent of their DNA with humans.
  • The Bornean orangutan is an endangered species whose existence is seriously threatened by deforestation, hunting, and palm oil plantations.
  • They travel more on the ground than their Sumatran counterparts despite being arboreal.
  • The Bornean orangutan exhibits nesting behavior. Nests are built to be used during the day or at night.

Suggested Reading: Kinds of Apes

Cite This Page

APA7MLA8Chicago
BioExplorer.net. (2024, March 28). Bornean Orangutan. Bio Explorer. https://www.bioexplorer.net/animals/mammals/apes/bornean-orangutan/.
BioExplorer.net. "Bornean Orangutan" Bio Explorer, 28 March 2024, https://www.bioexplorer.net/animals/mammals/apes/bornean-orangutan/.
BioExplorer.net. "Bornean Orangutan" Bio Explorer, March 28 2024. https://www.bioexplorer.net/animals/mammals/apes/bornean-orangutan/.
Key References
  • [1]“Bornean Orangutan | Pongo pygmaeus”. Accessed October 17, 2022. Link.
  • [¶] – Fricke, E.C., Svenning, J. Accelerating homogenization of the global plant-frugivore meta-network. Nature 585, 74-78 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2640-y.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here