Know Before You Go
Bornean Orangutan Trivia
Do you know what orangutans eat or what the greatest threat is to their rainforest home? Take our quiz below to put your knowledge to the test, then share it with your family and friends to see who knows the most about this extraordinary great ape! When you're finished, scroll down to reveal the correct answers and explanations.
Answer Explanations:
How many species of orangutan are there?
Correct Answer: 3
Explanation: There are three species of orangutan—Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli. The Tapanuli orangutan was declared as a separate species in 2017 and is the most endangered great ape, with no more than 800 individuals in existence.
Photos—Brad Josephs
Borneo's rainforests, where orangutans can be found, are the oldest in the world.
Correct Answer: True
Explanation: The Borneo rainforest is the oldest on Earth. It is 130 million years old—the Amazon rainforest is only 55 million years old.
Fun Fact: Borneo is the third largest island in the world!
The production of this oil is a dire threat to the future of the orangutan:
Correct Answer: Palm oil
Explanation: Orangutans are losing their homes as forests are converted to palm oil plantations. Habitat loss is the greatest threat to this endangered primate.
Orangutans are arboreal and diurnal. Each night, these apes use vegetation to construct a nest up to 60 feet high in a tree. Which one of these arboreal animals in Borneo is also diurnal?
Correct Answer: Maroon langur
Explanation: Sunda flying lemurs, large flying foxes, western tarsiers, slow lorises and palm civets are all nocturnal.
Orangutans are found only in Borneo:
Correct Answer: False
Explanation: Wild orangutans can be found only on the Southeast Asian islands of Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia.
While orangutans are the reigning great ape of Borneo, many other primates can be found there. Which primate is famous for its long, protruding nose?
Correct Answer: Proboscis monkey
Explanation: Male proboscis monkeys use their sizable pendulous nose to attract mates. The organ creates a resounding call meant to impress females and intimidate vying males.
Orangutans primarily eat:
Correct Answer: Fruit
Explanation: Orangutans eat over 300 types of fruits, including wild figs, mangosteens, durians and lychees. They supplement their diet with leaves, bark, flowers, honey and insects.
Orangutans share their forest home with a colorful array of wildlife, including sun bears. Which of these facts about sun bears is false?
Correct Answer: Sun bears have the largest upper canines of any living predator.
Explanation: Bornean clouded leopards have the largest upper canines of any living predator. Sun bears have exceedingly long tongues, which they use to extract honey from hives. They are the smallest of all bear species, standing only 2.3 feet at the shoulder, and are named for their creamy golden chest patch, which legend says resembles the rising sun.
Fun Fact: The smallest elephant is the Borneo pygmy elephant at less than 8.2 feet tall.
Borneo's forests are shrinking rapidly due to deforestation. Half of the global tropical timber acquisition comes from Borneo:
Correct Answer: True
Explanation: Borneo’s rainforests are falling at an alarming rate due to heavy logging by the Malaysian plywood industry.
WWF has aided the orangutan by:
Correct Answer: All of the above
Explanation: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has aided the orangutan by helping form the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and securing protected areas of forests to reconnect orangutan subpopulations. WWF has also supported ecotourism and is providing community-based support for orangutan conservation.