A new species of oak tree has been described from deep in the forests of northern Sumatra and appears to be an important source of food for the Tapanuli orangutan, the world’s most threatened great ape. Named Lithocarpus tapanuliensis, the tree species is the first new oak identified on the island in more than a decade, and was described from two lone specimens found by researchers in the remote Pilar Forest, part of the highly biodiverse Batang Toru ecosystem. This specialized habitat is home to an abundance of rare plants and animals, including the Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis), a critically endangered species that was itself only described scientifically in 2017. An orangutan nest spotted nearby the new oak species. Image courtesy of Try Surya Harapan. During a vegetation survey in February 2023, Try Surya Harapan, an Indonesian Ph.D. student at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden in China, noticed clues that the new oak species may provide a vital resource for the Tapanuli orangutans. “I was walking in the forest and noticed an orangutan’s nest,” said Try, who describes the nest as a “thick comfy bed with many leaves and branches.” Not far from the nest, he found fruit remains on the forest floor. “Some fruits were completely eaten and others were just partially eaten. The bite marks seemed from rodents and primates. I was very excited looking at these fruits when I noticed some ‘weird’-looking acorns … From that day, I suspected the acorns belonged to a new locality or even…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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