scientific name

Pongo pygmaeus abelii

size/weight/height

Weight: male 130 - 200 lbs. • female 90 - 120 lbs.
Height: male 4.5 - 5' • female 3'8"
males much larger than females (sexual dimorphism)

adaptations/coloration

Color: fur shaggy red • male face flanges dark
Feet: similar to hands • used for grasping
Arms: long
Brain: large • highly intelligent
Laryngeal Sacs: large • used for long-distance calls
Posture: erect for brachiation

behavior

diurnal • arboreal (old males mostly ground-living)
Face Flaps: male use in dominance display
Personality: alone except when mating or mother with young • solitary due to dispersion of food resources
Nests: built for sleeping

reproduction/lifespan

Lifespan: wild 35 yrs • captivity 50 yrs
Birth Interval: 7-8 yrs
Gestation: 233-265 days
Young: 1 • twins rare • nurse maximum 3 yrs

diet

Wild: eggs, fruit, insects, leaves, small invertebrates & young shoots
Zoo: Monkey Chow, fruits & vegetables

habitat/range

lowland • hilly tropical rain forest • Southeast Asia (Borneo & Sumatra)

status

U.S. Endangered • CITES App I • due to habitat destruction • SSP • studbook participant • Great Ape TAG

note

two distinct sub-species - Bornean & Sumatran; we have Sumatran • The two sub-species are genetically quite different & managed (bred) separately