Thinkabara🦧 Orangutan Facts for Kids
🐾 Mammals Grades K–5
The orangutan is a plant- and meat-eating mammal that lives in Asia. Orangutans are the largest animals that live mostly in trees.
🦧 Orangutan fact file
- Scientific name
- Pongo
- Animal group
- Mammal
- Where it lives
- Asia
- Habitat
- Rainforests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra
- Diet
- Omnivore (plants and meat) — Mostly fruit, plus leaves, bark, flowers and insects
- Size
- About 4 to 5 feet tall, with an arm span up to about 7 feet
- Weight
- Females about 66–110 lb; males up to about 200 lb
- Life span
- About 35–45 years
- Status
- Critically Endangered
📏 An orangutan’s arms can stretch wider than a grown-up is tall.
⭐ 5 fun facts about orangutans
- Orangutans are the largest animals that live mostly in trees.
- Their name means “person of the forest” in the Malay language.
- Baby orangutans stay with their mothers for about 7 years — one of the longest childhoods of any animal.
- They make umbrellas out of big leaves when it rains.
- Orangutans build a new nest in the trees every night.
Where do orangutans live?
Wild orangutans are found in Asia. Rainforests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. If you want to see one in the United States, visit an accredited zoo or aquarium.
What do orangutans eat?
Orangutans are omnivores, which means they eat both plants and animals. Their menu: mostly fruit, plus leaves, bark, flowers and insects.
Is the orangutan endangered?
Status: Critically Endangered. That means it is at very high risk of disappearing from the wild, and people are working hard to protect it. You can help wild animals by learning about them, saving energy, cutting down on plastic and supporting zoos, aquariums and parks that protect wildlife.
Orangutan quiz
What does the name “orangutan” mean?
What kind of eater is the orangutan?
What kind of animal is the orangutan?
On which continent can you find wild orangutans?
✏️ Write about the orangutan
1. The most surprising fact I learned is…
2. If I could ask an orangutan one question, I would ask…
3. Draw the orangutan in its habitat:
Orangutan questions kids ask
Where do orangutans live?
Orangutans live in Asia. Their habitat: Rainforests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.
What do orangutans eat?
Orangutans are omnivores (plants and meat). They eat: Mostly fruit, plus leaves, bark, flowers and insects.
How big is an orangutan?
About 4 to 5 feet tall, with an arm span up to about 7 feet. Weight: Females about 66–110 lb; males up to about 200 lb. An orangutan’s arms can stretch wider than a grown-up is tall.
How long do orangutans live?
About 35–45 years.
Is the orangutan endangered?
Its conservation status is: Critically Endangered. That means it is at very high risk of disappearing from the wild, and people are working hard to protect it.
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