The Tapanuli orangutan, Pongo tapanuliensis, is the rarest of the great apes and one of three living orangutan species. It lives only in the forests of the Batang Toru area in South Tapanuli, on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, in a range of about 1,000 square kilometres at elevations of roughly 300 to 1,300 metres. Researchers named it a distinct species in 2017 after comparing the genomes of 37 wild orangutans and the skeletons of 34 adult males, and its type specimen is a male from Batang Toru that died in 2013. It resembles the Sumatran orangutan in build and fur colour but has frizzier hair, a smaller head and a flatter, wider face. Roughly 800 individuals remain, and the species is listed as critically endangered because of hunting, conflict with people, the wildlife trade and forest loss to farming, mining and a proposed hydroelectric dam.
Facts
Classification
Population Trend System (Realm) ThreatsAgriculture and Aquaculture 3 ThreatsEnergy Production and Mining 3 ThreatsBiological Resource Use 3 Relationship to People Living or Extinct Conservation Status Population Estimate Body Size Band Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Hominidae (Wikipedia)
Pongo, Taxa Source Tapanuli orangutan (Wikipedia)
In Biome
Source Tapanuli orangutan (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Tapanuli orangutan (Wikipedia)Lead, countryQuote, Lead, country
restricted to South Tapanuli in the island of Sumatra in Indonesia
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Tapanuli orangutan (Wikipedia)Lead, rangeQuote, Lead, range
restricted to South Tapanuli in the island of Sumatra in Indonesia
Sources
1. Paleobiology Database: Paleobiology Database taxa of Hominidae, species list
Paleobiology DatabaseRow for Pongo tapanuliensisQuote, Row for Pongo tapanuliensis
"species","Pongo tapanuliensis","40897","Pongo","71027","extant","0","terrestrial","actively mobile","arboreal","","frugivore, folivore
2. Wikipedia: Orangutan
Conservation
are listed under Appendix I by CITES, which prohibits their unlicensed trade under international law
Conservation, population trend
Human activities have caused severe declines in populations and ranges
View the Source3. Tapanuli orangutan (Wikipedia)
Lead, conservation status
it is currently on the critically endangered species list.
Lead, population
there are roughly 800 individuals of this species
Lead, living species
It is one of three known living species of orangutan
Habitat and distribution
Tapanuli orangutans live in tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests located south of Lake Toba in Sumatra.
Conservation, hunting
hunting, conflict with humans, the illegal wildlife trade
Conservation, farming
rampant habitat destruction for small scale agriculture
Conservation, mining and dam
mining and a proposed hydroelectric dam
Conservation, hunting and conflict
hunting, conflict with humans
Lead, range
restricted to South Tapanuli in the island of Sumatra in Indonesia
Lead, country
restricted to South Tapanuli in the island of Sumatra in Indonesia
Size
males are 137 cm (54 in) in height and 70-90 kg (150-200 lb) in weight
In Group: Primate Species, Lead, kind of animal
The Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) is a species of orangutan
In Biome: Tropical Rainforest, Habitat and distribution, forest type
live in tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests located south of Lake Toba in Sumatra
Child Taxon Of: Pongo, Lead, scientific name
The Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) is a species of orangutan
View the SourceHominidae (Wikipedia)
Child Taxon Of: Hominidae, Phylogeny, classification listQuote, Child Taxon Of: Hominidae, Phylogeny, classification list
includes eight extant species in four genera: Pongo (the Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutan); Gorilla (the eastern and western gorilla); Pan (the chimpanzee and the bonobo); and Homo, of which only modern humans (Homo sapiens) remain.
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