Wildlife
Bornean orangutans live high in the tropical canopy of Borneo's forests, where they survive predominantly on fruit and sleep in nests constructed from branches. Females give birth only once every eight years, and it is this sluggish reproduction rate which makes orangutans so susceptible to population depletion. Sadly, these intelligent, iconic tree-dwellers are the victims of horrendous habitat loss: 80% has disappeared in the last 20 years, reducing the Bornean orangutan population to a mere 12,000-15,000.
Scientific name: Pongo pygmaeus
Rank: Species
In order to see this content you need to have an up-to-date version of Flash installed and Javascript turned on.
It's peanuts to an orangutan
Without a single zoo visitor completing the task, can an orangutan get to the treat?
Without a single zoo visitor completing the task, can an orangutan get to the treat?
Food for thought
An orangutan's large brain takes up a fifth of its food intake.
An orangutan's large brain takes up a fifth of its food intake.
Momentous day
After 8 months of rehab, an orangutan mother and baby are ready for release.
Although both orangutan species are in trouble, it is the Sumatran orangutan that's listed as critically endangered. Recent estimates suggest only 7,300 individuals remain - an 80% reduction in the last 75 years. Bornean orangutans are doing better, with between 45,000 and 69,000 individuals estimated, but trends indicate that numbers have dropped steeply since these figures were collected in 2000-2003. Both species are seriously threatened by illegal and even legal logging, as well as the wholesale conversion of forest to agricultural land - oil palm plantations in particular - and forest fragmentation by roads and fires. Both species continue to decline in the wild, despite the efforts of many.
Delinquent apes
Steve narrowly escapes being flattened by boisterous orangutans.
Never work with children or animals, and definitely don't combine the two. Young male orangutans have plenty to prove and after having had various items of equipment pinched the crew decided enough was enough and they wouldn't feature the troublesome teens in the series. This was the only sequence filmed and it was more than enough to remind the crew of why they'd made the decision. Film-makers hope for a little drama, but not at the expense of losing presenter and cameraman to pieces of falling forest!
Aping apes
Rescued orangutans give insight into ape development.
David Attenborough spends time with an unusual group of orangutans at Camp Leakey in a sequence that shows some fascinating animal behaviour. These orangs have spent time both in the wild and living alongside humans, and as a result they've developed all kinds of new talents and interests. Their capacity for mimicking behaviour outside their normal experience and then passing it on to their own young illuminates aspects of higher ape and therefore human development.
Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.
The Bornean orangutan can be found in a number of locations including: Asia. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Bornean orangutan distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
RainforestDiscover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Endangered
Population trend: Decreasing
Year assessed: 2008
Classified by: IUCN 3.1
The Bornean orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus, is a species of orangutan native to the island of Borneo. Together with the Sumatran orangutan, it belongs to the only genus of great apes native to Asia. Like the other great apes, orangutans are highly intelligent, displaying advanced tool use and distinct cultural patterns in the wild. Orangutans share approximately 97% of their DNA with humans.
The Bornean orangutan is an endangered species, with deforestation, palm oil plantations and hunting posing a serious threat to its continued existence.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. If you find the content in the 'About' section factually incorrect, defamatory or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia. For more information on our use of Wikipedia please read our FAQ.
Take a trip through the natural world with our themed collections of video clips from the natural history archive.
Going, going, gone
One third of known species are under threat - do they have more than a future on film? We've unearthed footage of some remarkable animals, plants and habitats that are facing an imminent threat to their survival.
What on Earth...? 2009
Watch the year's highlights from the BBC's exploration of the planet's hidden corners and rarest creatures: from the turquoise seas of the South Pacific to the Lost Land of the Volcano.
David Attenborough's favourite moments
Watch the most memorable moments from an incredible career watching wildlife, chosen by Sir David from the BBC archive.
BBC © 2013 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
Learning
Tree dweller
Adapted to climbing
Tactile sense
Acoustic communication
Herbivorous
Parental investment
Polygynous
Seed dispersal
Territorial
Tool use
Visual communication
Viviparous