The Orangutan is one of the species of apes in the Planet of the Apes franchise. The three species of orangutan are the only great apes native to Asia and live on the islands of Borneo (Pongo pygmaeus) and Sumatra (Pongo abelii and Pongo tapanuliensis). In the original Planet of the Apes film series the orangutans were the politicians, administrators, lawyers and priests of the ape society. They are the only species of ape in the films that have orange hair instead of dark colors like black, brown and gray. The orangutans are also peaceful and wise. Male orangutans have cheek pads, as seen in more recent orangutan characters like Nado and Maurice.
Gallery
Zaius - an orangutan depicted in the original APJAC film series
Maurice - an orangutan depicted in the Chernin Entertainment film series
Trivia
- Orangutans tend to be fewer than the other species of ape in the franchise, which may coincide with the real world statistics that orangutans are in the highest decline of the great apes conservation status with less than 70,000 left in the wild.
- In Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Caesar stows away inside a cargo shipment of Bornean orangutans that came from Asia. His cover was blown when the humans realized that chimpanzees are not native to Asia, coinciding with real fact.
- The orangutans were envied by other cast members of the original films because the hair covered their ears, thus removing the need for additional makeup.
Video
Ape Biology I Orangutans
