Wich also noted that it was a shock to find such a distinct population given Sumatran orangutans are found just 100km away. The new species has been dubbed the Tapanuli orangutan, or Pongo tapanuliensis, after the area spanned by the Batang Toru ecosystem south of Lake Toba in northern Sumatra, where the creatures live. Writing in the journal Current Biology, an international team of researchers describe multiple characteristics they say indicate the Tapanuli orangutans are a distinct species. Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Tapanuli orangutans having more cinnamon-coloured hair than Bornean orangutans, with a far frizzier texture than that of Sumatran orangutans. “I’m entirely happy that this is at a level where we would recognise [the Tapanuli orangutans] as a different species or at least a subspecies,” he said.

Source: The Guardian November 02, 2017 15:56 UTC