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Orangutans are great apes and one of our closest living relatives. The Smithsonian Institution’s Division of Mammals (http://vertebrates.si.edu/mammals/) houses many orangutans in its scientific collections.

This specimen, USNM 142181 (http://collections.mnh.si.edu/search/mammals/?irn=7251005), is an adult male orangutan from the island of Borneo, Indonesia (Pongo pygmaeus).  It was collected by W. Schluter in the early 1900s near the Sakaiam River.

This is a CT scan of the cranium of USNM 142181. These three-dimensional scans are made publicly available through the generous support of the Smithsonian 2.0 Fund, provided from the annual gifts of the Smithsonian National Board to the Secretary to use at his discretion (http://smithsonian20.si.edu/fund.html), and the Smithsonian Collections and Preservation Fund.  

The main goal of this joint initiative between the Human Origins Program and the Division of Mammals is to make the NMNH's scientific collections of our closest living relatives, the apes, available in 3D for education and research.

These slides can be used for educational purposes only. For all other uses, please contact the Human Origins Program at

HO-PhotoRequest@si.edu or HumanOrigins@si.edu