Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Migration00:53

Migration

9.1K
Migration is long-range, seasonal movement from one region or habitat to another. This common strategy, carried out by many different organisms around the world, is an adaptive response that typically corresponds to changes in an organism’s environment, like resource availability or climate. Migrations can involve huge groups of thousands of animals as well as single individuals traveling alone and can range from thousands of kilometers to just a few hundred meters.
9.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Ecologically defined scales outperform grids in models of mammal diversity.

Communications biology·2026
Same author

Feeding in Forest Chimpanzees: Do Food Type and Canopy Location Predict Positional Behavior?

American journal of biological anthropology·2026
Same author

Global drivers of variation in blood mercury of seabirds revealed by a meta-analysis.

The Science of the total environment·2026
Same author

Sex Differences in Estimated Lean Body Mass of Captive and Wild Orangutans.

American journal of biological anthropology·2026
Same author

Author Correction: Sociality predicts orangutan vocal phenotype.

Nature ecology & evolution·2025
Same author

Natural Killer T follicular helper cell function permits germinal centre entry in nasal associated lymphoid tissue.

Mucosal immunology·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 7, 2026

Noninvasive, In-pen Approach Test for Laboratory-housed Pigs
06:30

Noninvasive, In-pen Approach Test for Laboratory-housed Pigs

Published on: June 5, 2019

9.0K

Terrestrial Positional Behavior of Wild Pongo pygmaeus.

Emily R Orlikoff1, Gene R Estrada1, Andrew J Marshall1,2,3,4,5,6

  • 1Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.

American Journal of Biological Anthropology
|April 6, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Wild orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) primarily use quadrupedal fist-walking on the ground, often standing bipedally with extended hips and knees. Their adaptable positional behavior appears intrinsic, regardless of substrate.

Keywords:
Pongo pygmaeuscamera‐trappositional behaviorterrestrialwild

More Related Videos

A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae
04:51

A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae

Published on: July 8, 2025

891
Recording Single Neurons' Action Potentials from Freely Moving Pigeons Across Three Stages of Learning
11:20

Recording Single Neurons' Action Potentials from Freely Moving Pigeons Across Three Stages of Learning

Published on: June 2, 2014

12.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 7, 2026

Noninvasive, In-pen Approach Test for Laboratory-housed Pigs
06:30

Noninvasive, In-pen Approach Test for Laboratory-housed Pigs

Published on: June 5, 2019

9.0K
A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae
04:51

A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae

Published on: July 8, 2025

891
Recording Single Neurons' Action Potentials from Freely Moving Pigeons Across Three Stages of Learning
11:20

Recording Single Neurons' Action Potentials from Freely Moving Pigeons Across Three Stages of Learning

Published on: June 2, 2014

12.5K

Area of Science:

  • Primatology
  • Behavioral Ecology
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) terrestrial behavior is largely unstudied in the wild, with most research conducted in captivity.
  • Understanding wild orangutan ground movement is crucial for comprehending their ecological niche and evolutionary adaptations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the terrestrial locomotor and postural behavior of wild orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) on natural substrates.
  • To provide the first assessment of wild orangutan ground-based positional behavior using camera-trap data.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized motion-activated camera footage collected over five years in Gunung Palung National Park, Indonesia.
  • Analyzed 100 instances of wild orangutan terrestrial activity, documenting hand/foot postures, locomotion patterns, and hindlimb joint movements.
  • Qualitatively assessed orthograde behaviors and hindlimb joint excursions.

Main Results:

  • Wild orangutans predominantly used quadrupedal fist-walking with heel-strike for terrestrial locomotion.
  • Individuals frequently adopted upright (bipedal/monopedal) postures with fully extended hips and knees.
  • Variability in wrist position and overstride patterns was observed during quadrupedal locomotion.

Conclusions:

  • Wild orangutan terrestrial locomotion involves fist-walking and upright postures, mirroring arboreal adaptations.
  • The observed bipedalism on the ground is consistent with their arboreal locomotion, featuring full hindlimb extension.
  • Asymmetrical limb movements suggest intrinsic positional adaptability in orangutans, independent of substrate type.