Orangutans are giant apes that live in the Indonesian and Malaysian jungles. They are presently exclusively found in Borneo and Sumatra, although they once roamed Southeast Asia and South China during the Pleistocene. Orangutans, which are classified in the genus Pongo, were once thought to be a single species. They were split into two species in 1996: the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus, with three subspecies) and the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus, with three subspecies) (P. abelii). The Tapanuli orangutan (P. tapanuliensis) was officially recognized as a third species in 2017. The subfamily Ponginae, which separated from the other hominids (gorillas, chimps, and humans) between 19.3 and 15.7 million years ago, has only one surviving species: orangutans.

Orangutans are the most arboreal of the great apes, spending the most of their time in trees. They have reddish-brown hair that covers their body and proportionately large arms and short legs. Males attain a weight of 75 kg (165 lb), while females reach a weight of 37 kg (82 lb). Adult males may acquire prominent cheek pads or flanges, as well as lengthy cries that attract females and frighten rivals; younger males do not, and resemble adult females more closely.

Orangutans are the most reclusive of the great apes, with social ties formed largely between mothers and their dependent young during the first two years of life. Fruit is the main source of nutrition for orangutans, although they also consume plants, bark, honey, insects, and bird eggs. Both in the wild and in captivity, they can live for over 30 years.

Orangutans are one of the most intellectual primates on the planet. They make complex sleeping nests out of twigs and leaves each night using a range of specialized techniques. The learning capacities of apes have been widely researched. Within populations, there may be various cultures. Since at least the 18th century, orangutans have been depicted in literature and art, notably in works that remark on human civilization. Primatologist Birut Galdikas pioneered field research of apes, and they have been maintained in captivity across the world since at least the early nineteenth century.

Orangutans are highly endangered in all three species. Human actions have resulted in significant population and range reductions. Poaching, habitat degradation due to palm oil farming, and the illicit pet trade are all threats to wild orangutan numbers. The survival of orangutans in the wild is the focus of several conservation and rehabilitation organizations.

The term “orangutan” (also spelled orang-utan, orangutang, and ourang-outang) comes from the Malay words orang, which means “person,” and hutan, which means “forest.” The name was initially used to refer to genuine forest-dwelling humans, but at an early period in Malay history, the word was semantically extended to encompass apes of the Pongo genus.

The term orangutan, in its earlier form urangutan, appears in a number of premodern Old Javanese texts. The Kakawin Ramayana, a ninth-century or early tenth-century Javanese adaptation of the Sanskrit Ramayana, is the earliest of them. The term urangutan exclusively refers to apes in these Old Javanese texts, not to forest-dwelling humans.

Download Orangutan Silhouette PNG vector transparent background images