Bornean orangutan Facts for Kids
Pongo pygmaeus · PONG-goh pig-MEE-us
Orangutan means "person of the forest" in the Malay language.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 170 to 220 lb77 to 100 kg1
- 📏 size: not yet checked
- 🎂 27 years27 years1
- 🍽️ plants
- In great danger (Critically Endangered)
Orangutans are big, red-haired apes. They live up in the trees of the rainforest. They have very long arms for climbing.
Orangutans spend almost all their time in the treetops, swinging along with their long arms. Their feet grip branches almost as well as their hands do. A mother teaches her baby which fruits are good to eat and stays close to it for many years.
Orangutans are the largest animals that live mostly in trees. They spend most of the day finding fruit, and they scatter the seeds as they go, so they help new trees grow. Bornean orangutans are critically endangered because rainforest is being cleared for farms and palm-oil plantations. Protected forests and rescue centers are working to give them a safe home.
How big is a Bornean orangutan?
Bornean orangutan: no checked size yet, so there is nothing to draw. We only draw what a source says.
Bornean orangutan in numbers
| Length | no checked number yet |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 170 to 220 lb77 to 100 kg1wild adult males |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | 27 years27 years1no data for female Bornean) |
| What it eats | fruit, leaves, bark and shoots |
| Where it lives | the rainforests of the island of Borneo |
| What kind | Mammals |
| Is it in danger? | In great danger (Critically Endangered)2 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- Orangutans spread seeds, so they help plant the forest.
- Each evening an orangutan bends branches into a fresh nest.
- A baby orangutan holds on tight while its mother climbs.
Compare the Bornean orangutan
Friends and neighbours
Western gorilla
Chimpanzee
Asian elephantThree questions
Books about the Bornean orangutan, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the Bornean orangutan for free.
Where these numbers come from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Orangutan, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, Bornean orangutan (Q599672), checked 30 October 2026.