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SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:

  Order: Primates

    Suborder: Haplorrhini

      Infraorder: Simiiformes

        Parvorder: Catarrhini

          Superfamily: Hominoidea

            Family: Hominidae

              Subfamily:  Ponginae

                Genus:  Pongo

                  Species:  abelii

 

COMMON NAME:  Sumatran Orangutan

 

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION:
     The island of Sumatra, Indonesia

 

HABITAT:

  • lowland tropical rainforests

  • swamps

Sumatran Orangutan - Pongo abelii

 
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:

  • very long arms.

  • shaggy reddish coat

  • grasping arms and feet

 

DIET:  Herbivore

  • fruit

  • figs

  • leaves

  • flowers

  • insects

  • ants

  • crickets

 

LOCOMOTION TYPE:  Arboreal Quadruped

  • hand-over-hand motion in trees

  • terrestrial fist walking

  • occasional bipedalism

  • brachiation (young)/semibrachiation

 

SOCIAL GROUP ORGANIZATION: 

  • semi-solitary adolescent and adult males

  • adult females range with weaned offspring

PARENTAL CARE:  Mother is primary caregiver

  • Infants are completely dependant until 2 years of age.

  • Adolecents remain with their mother until about age 8.

 

COMMUNICATION:

  • The most important is the 'long' call. The male makes the 'long' call to aleart other males to his presence and to attract females. It can be heard for several kilometers.

 

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:  

Known to use tools:

  • Will break of a branch and feather one end and use it to dig bugs out of trees.

  • Use sticks to remove sharp fibers from fruit and to gather honey from behives.

  • Have been know to use leafs as toilet paper, flyswaters and umbrellas.

 

 
ENDANGERMENT STATUS:  Critically Endangered

  • Major Threats:  deforestation

 

To learn more about Pongo abelii, visit the following websites:

  1. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Pongo_abelii/#food_habits

  2. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/summary/39780/0

  3. http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/orangutan/behav

  4. http://whozoo.org/students/chrngu/orangs.htm

 

Information and photographs compiled by P. Lindstrom and F. Rodarte.

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