What is the scientific name for the Sumatran orangutan?

The scientific name for the Sumatran orangutan is Pongo abelii.

Pongo abelii is one of three living orangutan species. It is found only in northern Sumatra, mainly in the remaining rainforests of Aceh and North Sumatra. The species is critically endangered because habitat loss, hunting, and conflict with people have sharply reduced its range.

A common mix-up is Pongo pygmaeus, the scientific name for the Bornean orangutan. Pongo tapanuliensis is another Sumatran species, but it was formally recognized only recently and lives in the smaller Batang Toru ecosystem. The three species differ in distribution, appearance, genetics, and behavior.

The genus name Pongo comes from an old European rendering of an African word for an ape, while abelii honors the naturalist Clarke Abel. The common word orangutan comes from Malay and means “person of the forest.”