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A Sumatran orangutan with long orange hair sitting in tall grass.
Photo: Fiver, der Hellseher, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sumatran Orangutan

Pongo abelii

A critically endangered red-haired great ape of Sumatra's rainforests that lives mostly alone in the treetops and eats mostly fruit.

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About the Sumatran Orangutan

Sumatran Orangutans live in the rainforests of Sumatra, from 20 to 200 feet off the ground. Their arms are twice as long as their legs, and their arm span is 8 to 9 feet. They can grip with their feet as well as their hands. Orangutans spend 60 percent or more of their day finding and eating food. They eat more than 300 kinds of fruit, plus leaves, bark, shoots and flowers. Sumatran orangutans, both males and females, grow a ginger-colored beard.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Pongo abelii[1]
Size
Adult males average 54 inches tall; females about 45 inches. Arm span 8 to 9 feet.[1]
Weight
Males 200 to 250 pounds. Females about 80 to 120 pounds.[1]
Lifespan
25 to 30 years in the wild. Up to 50 to 60 years in zoos.[1]
Diet
Mostly fruit (more than 300 kinds), plus leaves, bark, shoots and flowers.[1]
Habitat
Tropical rainforests, including mountain, peat swamp and lowland forests.[1]
Where it lives
The island of Sumatra.[1]
Group life
Adults usually live alone. Mothers care for their young for years.[1]
Babies
Pregnancy lasts about 8.5 months. Newborns weigh 3 to 4 pounds.[1]
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2017).[2]

Fun facts

  • "Orangutan" comes from Malay words meaning "person of the forest."[1]
  • Orangutans build a new nest high in the trees every night.[1]
  • Orangutans have the longest childhood of any land animal except humans.[1]
  • Orangutans at Zoo Atlanta use touch-screen computers in thinking research.[1]

Vocabulary

great ape
A large primate with no tail, such as an orangutan, gorilla, chimpanzee or bonobo.
arboreal
Living mostly in trees.
frugivore
An animal that eats mostly fruit.
arm span
The distance from fingertip to fingertip when the arms are stretched out wide.
critically endangered
A conservation label meaning a species faces an extremely high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Zoo Atlanta. “Sumatran Orangutan.” https://zooatlanta.org/animal/sumatran-orangutan/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Pongo abelii (Sumatran Orangutan).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/121097935/247631244 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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