Order : PRIMATES
Family : Hominidae
Species : Pongo pygmaeus

Height, male : 140 cm
Height, female : 120 cm
Tail length, : no tail
Weight, male : 50-100 kg
Weight, female : 30-50 kg

One of Southeast Asia's most iconic species, and also one of the most endangered, the Bornean Orang Utan endears itself easily to us humans. Threatened by habitat loss and poaching this species is the most peaceful of the Great Apes.

Orang Utans feed mainly on forest fruits and young leaves. Adult males can reach a height of 1.4 metres, and their outstretched arms can measure up to 2.4 metres. Often solitary, this is the only primate which builds nests of small branches and twigs. Census studies of the Orang Utan often rely on counting these nests to gain a rough estimate of the population.

The Bornean Orang Utan is found only on the island of Borneo, where there is an estimated population of around 15,000. Two separate species occur on the island of Sumatra: the Sumatran Orang Utan (Pongo abelii), of which there are an estimated 9,000 surviving, and the Tapanuli Orang Utan (Pongo tapanuliensis), first described in 2017.

Figs 1 and 2 : Adult with dark, orange-brown fur. Semenggoh Orang Utan Sanctuary, Sarawak, Borneo.

Fig 3 : Juvenile with bright, orange fur. Semenggoh Orang Utan Sanctuary, Sarawak, Borneo.

Fig 4 : Adult in thick forest cover at Danum Valley, Sabah, Borneo.


References :

Payne, J., Francis, C.M., 1998. A Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo. The Sabah Society.