Endangered Animals

Tanpuli Orangutan

The tapanuli orangutan lives on the south of tapanuli

The tapanuli orangutan is one of the three species of orangutans

The orangutan is endangered because of hunting, conflict with humans and the illegal wildfire trade

Pongo tapanuliensis is the scientific name of the orangutan and the orangutan is a mammal

In 1997, an isolated group of orangutans was discovered living deep in the rainforests of north Sumatra. They were originally thought to be a separate population of Sumatran orangutans.

Of all the great apes, orangutans spend the greatest amount of time in the trees. Despite being the second-largest primates (after the two gorilla species), orangutans are excellent climbers, and have many adaptations for life in the trees.

Male Tapanuli orangutans are significantly larger than females. Mature males develop ‘cheek flanges’. These are fleshy projections that surround the face. They are made of fatty material and signify the older orangutan’s dominance over younger males.

Sumatran orangutans split from Tapanuli orangutans around 3.4 million years ago. Bornean and Tapanuli orangutans split much later, around 674,000 years ago. This means that, despite looking more like a Sumatran orangutan, the Tapanuli orangutan is actually more closely related to the Bornean species