Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii).
Image: Calistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
At a glance
- IUCN category
- CR · Critically Endangered
- Animal group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
Conservation overview
The Sumatran orangutan is one of three orangutan species and lives only in the forests of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. It is assessed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Orangutans are slow-reproducing great apes with unusually long intervals between births, so populations recover slowly once they decline.
Range & habitat
Restricted to fragmented rainforest in the north of Sumatra, Indonesia.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Deforestation for agriculture and palm oil
- Habitat fragmentation
- Illegal capture for the pet trade
Why it matters
As large, fruit-eating apes, orangutans disperse the seeds of many rainforest trees, giving them an outsized role in keeping Sumatran forests diverse.
Gallery
A Sumatran orangutan — Critically Endangered in the wild.
Image: Calistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
Sources for Sumatran Orangutan
- IUCN Red List — look up Sumatran Orangutan (authoritative status)
- Animal Diversity Web
- Smithsonian's National Zoo
Frequently Asked Questions
How many orangutan species are there?
Why is the Sumatran orangutan Critically Endangered?
Last updated: