Category: Orangutan

The Newly Discovered And Nearly Extinct Tapanuli Orangutan Species

This orangutan skull has large upper teeth and a shallow face, which differs from the two previously known species. (Credit: Matthew G. Nowak)

Up to today, there were two known Orangutan species, both critically endangered. There are about 4,000 more Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) than Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) currently living in the Indonesian rainforest. A new orangutan family member, the Tapanuli orangutans (Pongo tapanuliensis), was described in a paper published Thursday in Current Biology. And with less than 800 individuals, that makes... Continue Reading →

Orangutan Behavior during the Rehabilitation Process

By Kristin Abt   A recent article "Fostering Appropriate Behavior in Rehabilitant Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus)" published online in the International Journal of Primatology discusses research on the behavior of rehabilitant orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus and P. abelii) at the Orangutan Care and Quarantine Centre in Pangkalan Bun, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). Much past research has focused on postrelease behavior... Continue Reading →

Orangutan Genome Sequenced

The orangutan genome has been sequenced and published in today's Nature. The paper, "Comparative and demographic analysis of orang-utan genomes," is open access for you to read for yourself. I'll be highlighting some of the high points in this post. Devin Locke, a structural geneticist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri,... Continue Reading →

Orangutans Are Shockingly Closer To Extinction

Anthropology.net blogger German Dziebel sent me this link about the dim future of orangutans in Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia. Afarensis has also covered this news. The results of a new survey of orangutan populations have been published in the journal Oryx. I don't have access to the early advance view of the paper, but one... Continue Reading →

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