Orangutans primarily eat fruit, which makes up about 60% to 90% of their diet depending on the source. They consume a wide variety of fruits including durians, lychees, mangosteens, mangoes, figs, and jackfruit. They eat both ripe and unripe fruit, sometimes including the rind and seeds, though often spitting out the seeds
. In addition to fruit, orangutans eat young leaves, shoots, tree bark, roots, flowers, and seeds. They prefer young, soft plant parts because older leaves develop toxins. Their diet also includes insects such as termites and ants, and occasionally small vertebrates like slow lorises, birds’ eggs, young birds, and tree rats
. Orangutans also consume soil and rocks to obtain essential nutrients not found in their regular diet
. They spend several hours a day foraging and eating, using tools like sticks to extract insects from nests
. Overall, orangutans are largely frugivorous but have a flexible omnivorous diet to adapt to seasonal changes and food availability in their rainforest habitat
