Cyber FlashCards

10 of the most well-known primate species

#3

what is thIS PRIMATE'S common name?
BORNEAN ORANGUTAN
What is the scientific name?
Pongo pygmaeus
​WHAT KIND OF PRIMATE IS THIS?
GREAT APE
Where do they live?
Bornean orangutans inhabit the equatorial island of Borneo, which encompasses the countries of Indonesia (home to the greatest population), Malaysia, and Brunei, where they live in lowland and hilly tropical and subtropical rainforests. 
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Asia
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Where Bornean orangutans live
New world or old world?
OLD WORLD
fascinating facts?
  • Bornean orangutans are the third heaviest primates and the largest tree-dwelling primate
  • Their diet includes 400-500 different food types. Fruits are their favorites
  • They are the slowest of all mammals to breed, with 8 years between births
What threatens their future?
Habitat loss as a result of their forests being burned down, legally or illegally, to cultivate oil palm plantations has Bornean orangutans teetering on the brink of extinction
​WHAT IS their CONSERVATION STATUS?
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
What Does this Conservation Status mean?
Critically Endangered (CR) = Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild
Any species categorized as Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable is considered by conservation scientists to be a threatened species
​HERE'S A SNAPSHOT AND THE SPECIES' PROFILE
Click or tap on the graphic to enlarge it
​LEARN MORE ABOUT bORNEAN ORANGUTANS
Go to the Bornean orangutan Primate Species Profiles page
Are orangutans good pets?
NO
  1. Adult orangutan are large! They cannot live safely in human homes.
  2. Orangutans live in trees, not on the ground.
  3. Although baby orangutans are cute, they are hyperactive and need a great deal of vertical space. Most importantly, they should be with their mothers.
  4. For an orangutan to become a pet, the mother is usually killed, resulting in trauma and often injury to the baby.
  5. In most places, it is illegal to have an orangutan as a pet, and it is illegal to purchase orangutans.
  6. Orangutans are an Endangered species. There are strict regulations against trading in and keeping Endangered species.
  7. Orangutans belong in the forests of Indonesia. We need to protect them and their habitats.
#PrimatesAreNotPets
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​Common names are not officially defined. They are based on everyday conversational language and may differ by country, region, profession, community, or other factors. As a result, it is not unusual for a species to have multiple common names.

Scientific names, on the other hand, are standardized and constant. They are Latinized and rule-bound by a formal naming system called binominal nomenclature. Scientific names prevent misidentification. They typically only change if a species is officially redesignated.
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The biological order of Primates is divided into these classifications:​
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​​New World monkeys are native to Central and South America.

Old World monkeys are native to Africa and Asia.
Learn about the differences between New World monkeys and Old World monkeys
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  • ​Extinct (EX) – No known individuals remaining.
  • Extinct in the Wild (EW) – Known only to survive in captivity.
  • Critically Endangered (CR) – Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
  • Endangered (EN) – High risk of extinction in the wild.
  • Vulnerable (VU) – High risk of endangerment in the wild.
  • Near Threatened (NT) – Likely to become endangered in the near future.
  • Least Concern (LC) – Widespread and abundant.
  • Data Deficient (DD) – Not enough data to assess the species' risk of extinction.
  • Not Evaluated (NE) – Has not yet been evaluated.
Learn more about ​Conservation Statuses
Copyright © New England Primate Conservancy 2019. You may freely use and share these learning activities for educational purposes. 
​For questions or comments, e-mail us at info@neprimateconservancy.org.
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