Orangutan Facts

Learn more about orangutans, including how and where they live.

Here are some basic facts about this wonderful animal:

• Class: Mammalia
• Order: Primates
• Super family: Hominoidea
• Family: Pongidae
• Genus: Pongo
• Species: abelii (Sumatran-north of Lake Toba), tapanuliensis (Sumatran-south of Lake Toba), and pygmaeus (Bornean)
• Number of chromosomes: 48
• Genetic similarity with humans: 97%
• Length: males - about 40 inches from top of head to rump; females - about 30 inches
• Weight: males - 110 to 300 pounds; females - 66 to 110 pounds
• Life Span: 60 years or more
• Gestation: about 8.5 months
• Number of Young at Birth: usually 1, very rarely 2 (in captivity)
• Size at Birth: 3.3 to 4.5 pounds
• Interbirth Interval: 8-9 years (in the wild)
• Age of Maturity: males - about 15 years; females - about 12 (in captivity)
• Conservation Status: All orangutans are critically endangered

More Information

For more information about orangutans, see Species Information and Orangutan Specifics.