Summary

Bornean Orangutans live in rainforests of the island of Borneo in the Malay Archipelago. They are an arboreal (tree-dwelling) species, climbing, walking and sometimes swinging through trees but they also move around on the ground on two or four limbs. They are the largest arboreal mammals in the world. Orangutans are semi-solitary animals, usually living alone rather than in groups like many other primates. Infants may nurse from their mothers until they are six or seven so females only produce a single baby every seven to nine years. They primarily eat fruit but are known to eat other vegetation, insects and sometimes even small mammals and bird eggs.

Estimates of Bornean Orangutans population numbers in the wild vary, but it is estimated that there may be fewer than 55,000 remaining. Populations are declining, due to climate change and human activities such as habitat destruction for oil palm cultivation. The rate of loss suggests that many populations will become extinct in the next 40 to 50 years.

There are three species of Orangutan, Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli. All three are considered Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are also included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to ensure that international trade does not threaten their survival in the wild.

Specimen Details

  • Taxon Name

    Pongo pygmaeus

  • Preferred Common name

    Bornean Orangutan

  • Identified By

    Zoos Victoria

  • Number Of Specimens

    1

  • Sex

    Female

  • Stage Or Age

    adult

  • Specimen Nature

    Nature: Mount, Form: Dry

  • Date of preparation

    4/01/2024

  • Date Visited From

    3/01/2024

  • Date Visited To

    3/01/2024

  • Category

    Natural Sciences

  • Scientific Group

    Vertebrate Zoology

  • Discipline

    Mammalogy

  • Type of Item

    Specimen

Taxonomy

Geospatial Information

  • Precise Location

    Captive