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Why are orangutans placed in the subfamily Ponginae?

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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 placed in the subfamily Ponginae because they are considered Asian great apes and are more distantly related to humans and African great apes than those groups are to each other.1

While humans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos are grouped together within the subfamily Homininae, orangutans represent a distinct evolutionary lineage within the family Hominidae. This classification reflects their unique evolutionary history, as the family Hominidae diverged into the ancestors of modern orangutans and the ancestors of the African great apes and humans approximately 18 million years ago.12