 | |
| Orangutans | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Family: | Hominidae |
| Genus: | Pongo |
| Notable appearances: | Planet of the Apes |
Orangutans are a species of great ape of the Ponginae family of the pongo genus classification. Orangutans are native to Indonesia and Malaysia, orangutans are currently found only in rainforests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.
In fiction[]
Orangutans are one of the three species of great ape featured in the Planet of the Apes franchise. The most well-known character orangutan character from the series is Doctor Zaius, who was originally played by actor Maurice Evans in Planet of the Apes and Beneath the Planet of the Apes. In the mythology of the films, the orangutans of 40th century Earth represented the authoritative body of ape society and also had strong influence in the society's religious center. Other orangutans of note from the first film include Doctor Zaius' contemporaries, Doctor Maximus and Doctor Honorious.
In Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, orangutans played a very small role. A group of unclothed orangtans from Borneo were seen arriving in a cage to the Ape Management Center in California. An unnamed female orangutan was seen working as a book store assistant.
In Battle for the Planet of the Apes, there were two named orangutans of note. The first was a short organgutan named Virgil, who was played by Paul Williams. Virgil was an intellectual and served as Caesar's ally and conscious. The other was Mandemus, an elder ape who was the keeper of the armory in Ape City.
In Tim Burton's 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes, actor Glenn Shadix played a rather large orangtuan named Senator Nado. Nado was an opinionated ape who carried on a relationship with a chipmanzee named Nova. Another orangutan of note of Limbo, a human slave trader played by Paul Giamatti.
Another orangutan named Maurice was featured in the 2011 prequel/remake film Rise of the Planet of the Apes. He was the only character of this breed to appear in the film and was the only character, other than Caesar, who could communicate via sign language. The character was likely named after Maurice Evans, who played Doctor Zaius in the original films.
See also[]
- Known organgutans
- Appearances of orangutans