Pongo pygmaeus, more commonly known as orangutan, is a large arboreal animal that is native to the island of Borneo. Orangutan means people of the jungle. There is only one genus of great apes native and extant in Asia; this consists of the Bornean orangutan and Sumatran orangutan, Pongo abelii (WWF, 2016).
They have a long coat of dark hair on the back, a facial disk, flanges and a throat sac used for long vocalisations (Acrenaz et al., 2008). The long vocalisations are used to attract receptive females (Knott et al., 2010). In addition, these males are quite bigoted and likely to be aggressive when they encounter other adult males. In contrast, the subordinate unflanged males do not possess these secondary sexual characteristics and they are almost the same size as the adult female (Acrenaz et al., 2008).
Most orangutan inhabit peat swamp forests, but most of their habitats are outside protected areas. They are highly patchy throughout Borneo Island as large canopy gaps hinder their movement.The number of orangutan present in Sabah is only about 11000 out of a total of 54000 in Borneo and is now declining.
No | Part | Habit | |
---|---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
Arboreal — Spend the majority of their lives in trees.
|
No | Description | Suitability | Seasonality |
---|---|---|---|
1 |
Forest → Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland Forest
|
Suitable | Resident |
Year Published | Assessment | Red List Category | Version |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Pongo pygmaeus subsp. pygmaeus
Critically Endangered (CR)
Sarawak
|
3.1 |
2016 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Pongo pygmaeus subsp. morio
Critically Endangered (CR)
|
3.1 |
2016 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Critically Endangered (CR)
|
3.1 |
2008 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Endangered (EN)
|
3.1 |
2007 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Pongo pygmaeus subsp. morio
Endangered (EN)
|
N/A |
2000 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Endangered (EN)
|
N/A |
1996 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Vulnerable (VU)
|
N/A |
1994 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Endangered (EN)
|
N/A |
1990 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Endangered (EN)
|
N/A |
1988 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Endangered (EN)
|
N/A |
1986 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Endangered (EN)
|
N/A |
Collection Center | Dried | Live | Slide | Wet | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 |
Profile | |
---|---|
Amal Ghazali Nasron (Mr.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Mammals, Insects,
Biodiversity, Conservation & Forest
|
Amy Then Yee Hui (Dr.)
University of Malaya (UM)
|
Fishes (Ecology), Seahorses (Ecology), Mammals (Ecology),
Protected Areas & Marine & Coastal
|
Andrew Alek Tuen (Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
|
Mammals, Birds,
Protected Areas
|
Badrul Munir Md Zain (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
|
Mammals (Taxonomy),
|
Chong Ju Lian (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)
|
Mammals (Ecology), Vascular (Ecology),
Invasive Alien Species, Protected Areas, Digital Sequence Information (DSI), Marine & Coastal & Climate Change
|
David Magintan (Dr.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Mammals, Elephants,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Protected Areas, Biological Resource & Ecology
|
Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
|
Mammals, Bats,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Data Analysis, Evolution, Forest & Molecular
|
Farah Shafawati Mohd Taib (Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
|
Birds, Mammals, Rodents, Treeshrews, Squirrels,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Data Analysis, Ecosystems & Taxonomy
|
Jayaraj Vijaya Kumaran (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK)
|
Mammals,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Genetics & Digital Sequence Information (DSI)
|
Jeffrine Rovie Ryan Japning (Mr.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Monkeys, Fishes, Mammals,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Data Analysis, Evolution, Genetics, Molecular, Protected Areas, Science & Technology
|
Kayal Vizi Karuppannan (Mrs.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Elephants, Fishes, Mammals,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Evolution, Genetics, Molecular, Protected Areas & Digital Sequence Information (DSI)
|
Midhat Nabil Ahmad Salimi (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP)
|
Mammals,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Data Analysis, Ecosystems, Education, Environment, Genetics, History, Management, Medical, Molecular, Science, Technology, Water, Digital Sequence Information (DSI), Living Modified Organism (LMO), Synthetic Biology, Protected Areas, Marine & Coastal & Invasive Alien Species
|
Mohammad Shahfiz Azman (Mr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Amphibians, Mammals, Birds, Amphibians, Reptiles,
Awareness, Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Forest, Landscape, Law and Policy, Management, Protected Areas, Science, Systematics, Invasive Alien Species, Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries (LMMC), National Policy on Biological Diversity, Policy, Research and Development (R&D) & Zoonotic
|
Mohd Tajuddin Abdullah (Prof. Dato' Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)
|
Mammals,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecosystems, Evolution, Genetics & Protected Areas
|
Nasharuddin Bin Othman (Mr.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Mammals (Ecology),
Conservation, Management & Protected Areas
|
Rahimatsah Amat (Dr.)
Sabah Environmental Trust (SET)
|
Mammals (Ecology),
Environment, Management & Protected Areas
|
Rahmat Topani (Mr.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Mammals (Ecology),
Conservation, Protected Areas & Marine & Coastal
|
Rosli Hashim (Prof. Dr.)
University of Malaya (UM)
|
Birds (Ecology), Mammals (Ecology), Spiders, Insects,
Biodiversity & Protected Areas
|
Rosli Ramli (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
University of Malaya (UM)
|
Mammals (Ecology), Birds,
Biodiversity, Digital Sequence Information (DSI), Protected Areas & Marine & Coastal
|
Saifullah A. Jaaman @ Sharman (Assoc. Prof.)
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)
|
Mammals,
Biodiversity, Conservation & Marine & Coastal
|
Salman Hj Saaban (Mr.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Elephants, Monkeys,
Biodiversity & Conservation
|
Tan Cheng Cheng (Ms.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Mammals (Ecology),
Protected Areas, Biodiversity & Conservation
|
Tan Poai Ean (Ms.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Bats, Mammals, Rodents,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecosystems & Management
|
Acknowledgements :- Mr. Abdul Razak Mohd Nor Rasid, Ms. Aida Salihah Binti Abu Bakar, Ms. Ajla Rafidah Baharom, Mrs. Aziemah Binti Kinan, Dr. Muhammad Farhan Bin Abd Wahab, Ms. Noor Amira Aini Binti Noor Anwar, Mrs. Nur Hazwanie Binti Abd Halim, Ms. Nurfadzilah Bt Azmi, Ms. Nurfarhana Hizan Binti Hijas, Mr. Tan Kok Kiat & Mr. Yasser Mohamed Arifin
Photo credit :- Heng Pooi San & Muhammad Al Zahri
Species Citation :- Pongo pygmaeus. Malaysia Biodiversity Information System (MyBIS). Accessed via https://www.mybis.gov.my/sp/20345. [Retrieved 22 September 2023].
Feedback :- If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown on this page, please provide us with feedback.