Bornean orangutan
Amazing fact
When walking on hands and feet, Bornean orangutans place their fists on the ground.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
When walking on hands and feet, Bornean orangutans place their fists on the ground.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Bornean orangutan
- Scientific name
- Pongo pygmaeus
- Japanese name
- ボルネオオランウータン
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Primates
- Family
- Hominidae
- Genus
- Pongo
This great ape, a close relative of humans, lives on the island of Borneo and spends most of its life in the trees.
Its arms are longer than its legs; it leads with its arms as it moves through the trees, so longer arms let it travel faster.
By day it alternates between eating and resting, and in the evening it makes a bed of branches and leaves to sleep in.
How the Bornean orangutan lives
Forest fruits make up most of their diet. Their movements change depending on where fruit is available. They usually live alone but also have connections with others nearby. Adult males announce their presence with calls that carry far away.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web多摩動物公園Basic data
- Weight
- males 60–90 kg, females 30–50 kg
- Diet
- Leaves and fruit
- Range
- Borneo
Where the Bornean orangutan has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ボルネオオランウータン
- 简体中文
- 婆罗洲猩猩
- 繁體中文
- 猩猩
- 한국어
- 보르네오오랑우탄
- Español
- Orangután de Borneo
- Français
- Orang-outan de Bornéo
- Deutsch
- Borneo-Orang-Utan
- Português (Brasil)
- Orangotango-de-bornéu
- Italiano
- Orango del Borneo
- العربية
- إنسان الغاب البورنيوي
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Orangutan kalimantan
- Tiếng Việt
- Đười ươi Borneo
- Русский
- Борнейский орангутан
- Türkçe
- Bornea orangutanı
- বাংলা
- বোর্নিওবাসী বনমানুষ
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 多摩動物公園 — ボルネオオランウータンChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Pongo pygmaeusChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Bornean orangutan, look for this
- Look for their orange-red hair.
- Look at the sides of an adult male’s face for large cheek pads.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web多摩動物公園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Bornean orangutan
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
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Others in Hominidae
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