Pongo is a genus of great apes, the orangutans, comprising three species, the Bornean orangutan, the Sumatran orangutan and the Tapanuli orangutan, the last identified in 2017. Orangutans are the most arboreal of the great apes, with proportionally long arms, short legs and reddish-brown hair that darkens with age, and they diverged genetically from the other great apes between 19.3 and 15.7 million years ago. Once found throughout Southeast Asia and South China, the genus survives today only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra.
Facts
Taxonomic Rank Scientific Name Member Species/Taxa Count Geographic DistributionNow only parts of Borneo and Sumatra 1 Defining CharacteristicsMost arboreal of the great apes 1 Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceProportionally long arms, short legs and reddish-brown hair 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia: Orangutan
Introduction, second paragraph, opening clause
Classified in the genus Pongo
Taxonomy and phylogeny
given the name Pongo by Lacépède in 1799
Lead, sentence on species split
a third species, the Tapanuli orangutan (P. tapanuliensis), was identified definitively in 2017
Lead, first paragraph, second sentence
They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra
Lead, sentence on arboreal life
The most arboreal of the great apes
Lead, sentence on body form
They have proportionally long arms and short legs, and have reddish-brown hair covering their bodies
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