Orangutan Foundation

Fossil evidence suggests that during the Pleistocene era - between around 1.8 million years and 11,500 years ago - orangutans lived throughout much of Southeast Asia, from Java in the south, up into Laos and southern China.  In 1900, there were approximately 315,000 orangutans.

Orangutans are the largest arboreal mammal in the world. Their preferred habitat is low-lying peat-swamp forest - they are rarely found in habitats over an altitude of 800m.

Primarily frugivorous, orangutans have an important role as seed dispersers. They selectively choose ripe fruit whose seeds are adapted to withstand passage through the orangutans' gut. Once the seeds have passed through the gut, they find themselves in their own little compost pile, which helps them to become established.

Orangutans are wholly dependent on trees for their existence. They are perfectly adapted to life in the forest - they sleep in nests, feed predominantly on fruit and travel with ease through the forest canopy, rarely descending to the forest floor.

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