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Orangutan or gorilla: Which is bigger?
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Illustration comparing the body plans of representative anthropoids, showing a male western lowland gorilla, a male human, a male bonobo, a female Bornean orangutan, and male and female northern white-cheeked gibbons, all labeled and depicted to scale.
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Illustration comparing the body plans of representative anthropoids, showing a male western lowland gorilla, a male human, a male bonobo, a female Bornean orangutan, and male and female northern white-cheeked gibbons, all labeled and depicted to scale.
Apes Graphic showing representative apes (superfamily Hominoidea).

Orangutan or gorilla: Which is bigger?

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Although the orangutan holds the title of largest arboreal animal, the ground-dwelling gorilla, the largest ape overall, is quite a bit bigger when comparing adults of the same sex. Female gorillas, however, stand only slightly taller than male orangutans and are typically lighter. The average height and weight of adult gorillas and orangutans in the wild are as follows:

  • male gorilla: 1.7 meters (5.6 feet), 135–220 kg (300–485 pounds)
  • female gorilla: 1.5 meters (4.9 feet), 70–90 kg (155–200 pounds)
  • male orangutan: 1.3 meters (4.3 feet), 130 kg (285 pounds)
  • female orangutan: 1.1 meters (3.6 feet), 37 kg (82 pounds)
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Teagan Wolter.