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How many different kinds of food can orangutans eat?

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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.

Orangutans are predominantly ripe-fruit eaters, but they are omnivorous and consume more than 400 different types of food.1

Their diverse diet includes:

Vegetation: They consume a wide variety of plant-based items, including leaves, flowers, bark, pith, seeds, and stems.12
Invertebrates: They frequently include various invertebrates in their diet.1
Meat: On rare and opportunistic occasions, they have been known to consume meat.1

To access certain food sources, such as insects, honey, or seeds from hard-shelled fruit, orangutans have been observed using tools to extract them from tree holes or pry them open.1