The Tapanuli orangutan’s only natural home is Sumatra, specifically the forests of South Tapanuli in Indonesia.
This great ape lives south of Lake Toba, chiefly in the Batang Toru forest. Its entire known range covers roughly 1,000 square kilometres, making it far more geographically restricted than the better-known Bornean orangutan. The Tapanuli orangutan was formally recognized as a distinct species in 2017 after genetic, anatomical, and behavioural research.
Sumatra is home to two orangutan species, which often causes confusion. The Sumatran orangutan occupies areas farther north, while the Tapanuli orangutan is isolated to the island’s south. The third living species, the Bornean orangutan, occurs on Borneo rather than Sumatra.
With fewer than 800 individuals reported in the species’ range, the Tapanuli orangutan is regarded as the rarest great ape. Habitat loss, hunting, fragmentation, and proposed infrastructure projects threaten its survival. Researchers have also noted that it appears exceptionally arboreal: in more than 3,000 hours of observation, scientists did not record one descending to the ground.