| Orang Utan | |||
| Genus | Pongo | ||
| Species | pygmaeus | ||
| Status | Endangered | ||
| Habitat | Forest | ||
| Distribution | Borneo, Sumatra | ||
| Behavior |
The orangutan is a large ape that is very comfortable in the trees. It has long, powerful arms and hand-like feet that are perfect for swinging from branch to branch. It is rare for adult orangutans to ever touch the forest floor. When they do, they have awkward ways of walking.
Unlike the other great apes, the adult orang utan is a shy and solitary animal. Males prefer their own company except when mating, although females can sometimes be seen in groups of four or five. This behaviour reflects the relative scarcity of food in the orang utan's habitat. To survive they must browse for fruits and other edible plants across a vast range of forest, making a new nest each night in the crown of a tree. Males range over territories that overlap the territories of several females. If another male wanders onto land that is already occupied, a hooting match begins. If the newcomer is not scared away, the two males will fight. Most males over fifteen years old bear battle scars. | ||
| Diet | Fruit, leaves, nuts, shoots, insects, young birds, squirrels | ||
| Feeding | Orangutans drink the water that collects in tree holes by sticking their arms into the water and catching the droplets in their mouths. | ||
| Breeding |
Females have their first offspring when they are about ten or eleven years old. The baby is nursed by its mother for three years before it is weaned and ready to eat adult foods.
Babies will stay with their mothers for up to four years before going off on their own. This means that the mother has a long time to teach the baby necessary survival techniques. There may be up to four years between the birth of one baby and the next. Young orangutans often play together during the day and return to their mothers at night. Adults never play. | ||
| Conservation | Although orangutans are more common today than before, rainforest destruction still forces them into smaller and smaller territories, where fighting is more likely to occur. | ||
| Interesting Facts | The word "orangutan" means "man of the forest." Seeing one of these intelligent creatures, it is easy to see why native people gave them this name. | ||
| Images and Video Clips | |||
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| Sound Snippet | |||
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1) Spitting and bellowing | |||
| Animal Communication Panel | |||
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