Orangutans are great apes of the genus Pongo, comprising three extant species: Pongo pygmaeus (Bornean orangutan), Pongo abelii (Sumatran orangutan), and Pongo tapanuliensis (Tapanuli orangutan). Members of this genus are large, primarily arboreal primates native to Southeast Asian rainforests, characterized by pronounced sexual dimorphism, long forelimbs, and reddish-brown pelage. Genetically, orangutans are among humans’ closest living relatives within Hominidae, and they serve as key models for studying primate cognition, life history evolution, and social systems. Their slow reproductive rate and specialized ecological niche make Pongo species highly vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation.
When most people imagine scientists discovering new species, they probably still picture an expedition into the unknown.
Ecology
Jun 4, 2026
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A graceful black monkey edges across a swaying red rope bridge strung over a busy residential road in Malaysia's Penang, watched by local conservationists who carefully record her movements.
Ecology
May 20, 2026
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A Sumatran orangutan has been filmed for the first time crossing a man-made canopy bridge constructed to help the endangered animals bypass a tarred road on the Indonesian island, an NGO said Sunday.
Ecology
Apr 27, 2026
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Mammals are not especially diverse. Roughly 6,800 mammal species are known to exist, compared with about 8,800 species of amphibian, 11,000 species of bird and 12,500 of reptile. Yet when most people picture biodiversity, ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 6, 2026
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Little Punch, a seven-month-old Japanese macaque living in the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, has captured hearts on the internet. Abandoned by his mother in the first few days of his life and raised by the keepers at the zoo, ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 5, 2026
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Dozens of fans flocked to a Japanese zoo on Friday to catch a glimpse of a baby macaque who shot to social media stardom months after being abandoned by his mother.
Plants & Animals
Feb 20, 2026
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Indonesia's deadly flooding was an "extinction-level disturbance" for the world's rarest great ape, the tapanuli orangutan, causing catastrophic damage to its habitat and survival prospects, scientists warned on Friday.
Ecology
Dec 12, 2025
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