Answer & explanation
The official answer, with Fermi’s reasoning step by step.
Answer & explanation
Official answer
550
oranges
How to estimate it
Fermi’s official “Napkin math”
How heavy is a grown male orangutan? They're stocky, about as heavy as a big man, so maybe 100 kilograms. An orange is maybe 200 grams.
- Orangutan
- ~100 kg
- In grams
- ≈ 100,000 g
- One orange
- ÷ 200 g
- 100,000 ÷ 200
- ≈ 500
How heavy is a grown male orangutan? They're stocky, about as heavy as a big man, so maybe 200 pounds. Oranges come about 3 to a pound.
- Orangutan
- ~200 lb
- Oranges per pound
- × 3
- 200 × 3
- ≈ 600
Rounded assumptions may give a slightly different estimate. The official answer above is the game’s reference value.
Source calculation & reference
- Adult male Bornean orangutan (San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)
- ≈ 87 kg (192 lb)
- Whole orange with peel, 1 fruit (USDA FoodData Central)
- ÷ 159 g
- 87,000 ÷ 159
- ≈ 550
Reference cited by Fermi: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance orangutan fact sheet: adult males weigh about 87 kg (192 lb) · USDA FoodData Central, Oranges, raw, with peel (FDC 169919): 1 fruit = 159 g
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