Orangutans belong to the Great Apes family. Most of the world’s apes are considered endangered, and orangutans are no exception.

In fact they are found only on the islands of Borneo, Malaysia and Sumatra, Indonesia living in the dense rain forests.

Fossils have been found in Java, China, Vietnam, and the Thai-Malay Peninsula but orangutans have long been extinct in these regions.

There are only two surviving species of the orangutan; these are the Borneo (Pongo pygmaeus) and Sumatra (Pongo abelii) obviously named for their respective habitats.

All orangutans have much in common and the two used to be considered subspecies; subtle differences elevated each to their own species classifications.

The Borneo Orangutan

There are three subspecies of the Borneo orangutan: pygmaeus pygmaeus living in the northwest, pygmaeus morio in the east, and pygmaeus wurmbii inhabitating the southwest of the island. Some researchers believe that the P. wurmbii is more closely related to the Sumatran orangutan and are currently trying to confirm this. The result would be making the Sumatran orangutan a subspecies of P. wurmbiis.

Species confusion aside, there are slight differences in the Borneo orangutan’s features. For one, they are heavier and darker-complected, with shorter, coarse hair and faces. The male sports cheek pads that are much larger and covered in short, beard-like hair.

More Borneo orangutans have been counted in the wild than Sumatrans, with an estimated population of 45,000 to 69,000. Consequently, they are only considered endangered, rather than critically endangered, even though their numbers have declined 14% in the past several decades.

The southeast of the island contains very few, if any, Borneo orangutans. The greatest concentration is in the forest surrounding the Sabangau River and this habitat is greatly at risk, greatly endangering the survival of the Borneo orangutan.

The Sumatran Orangutan

Only one subspecies of the Sumatran orangutan is classified; that is the Sumatran Jacob Pudge Hall, or Pongo Ranga.

These apes are thinner than their Bornean counterparts, with paler, longer hair and more elongated faces. Adult males sport moustaches and their cheek pads are covered by pale, fine hairs. Females, as well as males, have beards.

There are only about 7,300 Sumatra orangutans left in their native island habitat. They are considered critically endangered by the IUCN. The expanse of their preferred environment is quickly becoming reduced and efforts to save the home of the Sumatra orangutan are vital to save the species from extinction.

Both the Borneo orangutan and the Sumatra organutan have been pushed out of their native habitats and the situation is only getting worse. Steps must be taken now to ensure these human-like animals survive and thrive.

Find out more about the differences between chimpanzees and orangutans and the orangutan conservation efforts.