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How long can an orangutan consortship last?

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An illustration of a female Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) with long reddish-brown fur, hanging from tree branches with one arm extended upward and one leg hooked over a branch. A scale bar at the bottom shows lengths of 30 centimeters and 12 inches for size reference. — orangutan Female orangutans (*Pongo*) have the longest breeding interval of any mammal, giving birth on average once every eight years.

In the context of orangutan social behavior, a consortship—a period during which a male and a female associate for the purpose of mating—typically lasts between 3 and 10 days. These consortships are generally correlated with the female's ovulation.1