Great apes that live almost entirely in trees, now found only on Borneo and Sumatra. The name comes from Malay words meaning “person of the forest”, and they are the most solitary of the great apes.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?Can be
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inAsia
HabitatRainforest
ColoursOrange
SizeLarge
HeightAbout 115 cm (females) to 137 cm (males), standing
WeightAbout 37 kg (females) and 75 kg (males)
Legs2
Covered inFur
Lives alone
Lives for35–45 years
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. During the Pleistocene they ranged across Southeast Asia and South China.
- What it eats
- Mostly fruit, plus leaves and other vegetation, bark, honey, insects and bird eggs.
- Conservation
- Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List)
Did you know
The name means 'person of the forest' in Malay.
Dominant males grow large cheek pads, called flanges, and make long calls to attract females and warn off rivals.
Often confused with
Sources
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