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Table of Contents
Orangutans are giant apes that live in the Indonesian and Malaysian jungles. They are presently only found in Borneo and Sumatra, once distributed across Southeast Asia and South China. Orangutans, classified as the Pongo genus, were formerly thought to be a single species. They were split into two species beginning in 1996: the Bornean orangutan (P. pygmaeus, with three subspecies) and the Sumatran orangutan (P. abelii). In 2017, a third species, the Tapanuli orangutan (P. tapanuliensis), was confirmed identified. The sole surviving species of the subfamily Ponginae, which separated genetically from the other hominids (gorillas, chimps, and humans) between 19.3 and 15.7 million years ago, are orangutans.
See the fact file below for more information on Orangutans or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Orangutan worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
Overview
- Orangutans are the most arboreal of the great apes, spending most of their time in trees. They have reddish-brown hair that covers their body and proportionately large limbs and short legs. Adult males weigh around 75 kg (165 lb), whereas females weigh approximately 37 kg (82 lb).
- Dominant adult males have noticeable cheek pads or flanges and produce extended cries that attract females and scare rivals; younger subordinate males have not and seem more like adult females.
- The most reclusive of the great apes, orangutans form social connections primarily between mothers and their dependent children. An essential part of an orangutan’s diet is fruit, although they will also consume foliage, bark, honey, insects, and bird eggs. They can live for more than 30 years in the wild and in captivity.
- Orangutans are thought to be among the most intelligent primates. They employ various specialized tools each night to build complex sleeping nests out of twigs and vegetation. The learning capacities of apes have been widely researched.
- Since the 18th century, orangutans have appeared in literature and art, notably in works that reflect human civilization. Primatologist Birut Galdikas initiated field studies of apes, and they have been held in captivity since at least the early nineteenth century.
- The three orangutan species are all classified as severely endangered. Human actions have resulted in significant population and range decreases. Numerous conservation and restoration organizations are attempting to guarantee that wild orangutans survive.
Etymology
- The Malay orangutan means “forest person,” and these longhaired, Orangish monkeys, found exclusively in Sumatra and Borneo, are brilliant and distant cousins of humans.
Characteristics
- Female orangutans typically stand 115 cm (3 ft 9 in) tall and weigh roughly 37 kg (82 lb), but adult males are 137 cm (4 ft 6 in) tall and weigh 75 kg (165 lb). They have relatively large arms compared to humans, with a male orangutan having an arms reach of roughly 2 m (6.6 ft) and short legs.
- They have grey-black skin and long reddish hair that starts brilliant orange and darkens to maroon or chocolate with age. Males’ faces, albeit mainly hairless, can acquire some hair, giving them a beard.
- Orangutans have tiny ears, noses, and unlobed ears; 397 cm3 is the average endocranial volume. The skull is high concerning the incurved and prognathous face. An orangutan’s forehead crest is undeveloped in comparison to chimps and gorillas.
- Females and youngsters have narrow faces and generally round skulls, but adult males have a high sagittal crest, huge cheek pads or flanges, massive neck pouches, and long canines. The cheek pads are formed mainly of fatty tissue and are supported by the facial muscles. When producing extended calls, the neck pouches serve as resonance chambers.
- For a solid grasp on branches as they go high in the trees, orangutans’ hands have four long fingers but a substantially shorter opposable thumb. The fingers’ resting position is curled, resulting in a suspensory hook grasp. With the thumb removed, the fingers (and hands) may hold securely around small-diameter objects by resting the tops of the fingers on the inside of the palm, resulting in a double-locked grip.
- Their feet contain four lengthy toes and an opposable big toe, giving them skills similar to humans. Their hip joints also allow their legs to spin in the same way as their arms and shoulders do. Orangutans navigate the trees using both vertical climbing and hanging.
- They seldom descend to the ground, where they are more cumbersome than other great apes. Orangutans, unlike gorillas and chimps, do not walk on their knuckles; instead, they bend their digits and walk on the sides of their hands and feet.
- Sumatran orangutans are more slender than Bornean orangutans, having whiter and longer hair and a longer face. In terms of body shape and hair color, Tapanuli orangutans match Sumatran orangutans more than Bornean orangutans. They have shaggier hair than the other two species, smaller skulls, and flatter features.
Ecology and Behavior
Life in the Trees
- Because orangutans spend most of their time (90 %) in the trees of their tropical rainforest environment, their arms are ideally suited to their lifestyle.
- They even sleep high in leafy branch nests. They use huge leaves as umbrellas and shelters to defend themselves from the rain.
Diet and Solitary Behavior
- During the day, these cerebral primates seek food. Most of their food consists of rainforest tree fruit and leaves, and they also consume bark, insects, and meat in rare instances.
- Orangutans live more alone than other apes, and males like to be alone. They produce a lot of rumbling and howling cries as they walk through the forest to keep each other out of each other’s path. The “long call” is audible from 1.2 kilometers distance.
Reproduction
- On the other hand, mothers and their children have a deep attachment. Infants will remain with their moms for six or seven years until they learn to survive independently.
- Female orangutans have only one child every eight years, the most extended duration of any species. The creatures have a lengthy lifespan and have lived in captivity for up to 60 years.
Intelligence
- Orangutans are thought to be among the most intelligent nonhuman primates. Experiments indicate that they can follow the movement of both visible and concealed items. Zoo Atlanta’s two Sumatran orangutans play games on a touch-screen PC.
- A 2008 study involving two orangutans at Leipzig Zoo revealed that orangutans might engage in “calculated reciprocity,” which entails one person assisting another to be repaid. Orangutans were the first nonhuman animals to do so.
- The cooperative pulling paradigm was conducted on two captive adult orangutans in 1997 research. The orangutans pulled off an item to collect food without teaching in the first session. An adult orangutan is self-aware, bypassing the mirror test.
- Mirror tests on a 2-year-old orangutan revealed no evidence of self-recognition. According to research conducted in the wild, flanged male orangutans plan their moves and signal them to other individuals. Experiments have also revealed that orangutans may communicate about things that are not there: when a perceived threat is present, the mother gives an alarm cry to inform her children about the risk.
- In reaction to physical contact such as wrestling, play chasing, or tickling, orangutans and other great apes exhibit laughter-like vocalizations. It shows that laughing arose before the evolution of humans from a shared origin among monkey species.
- Orangutans can duplicate new sounds by deliberately regulating the vibrations of their vocal folds, a characteristic that led to human speech. Bonnie, an orangutan at the National Zoo in the United States, was captured spontaneously whistling after hearing a carer. She appears to whistle without expecting to be rewarded with food.
Orangutans and Humans
- Humans and chimps share 99% of our DNA, making them our closest cousins. In 2005, scientists sequenced the chimp genome.
- Scientists have discovered that some parts of our DNA are more similar to those of our closest relatives, orangutans.
- The orangutan is the third nonhuman primate whose genome has been sequenced, following the chimp and the rhesus macaque. Researchers discovered that humans and orangutans share around 97% of their DNA, compared to approximately 99% sequence similarity between humans and chimps.
Threats to Survival
- The IUCN Red List of Mammals severely endangers all three species. Because orangutans only dwell in a few places and rely on trees, they are especially vulnerable to logging in these regions.
- However, deforestation and other human activities like hunting have endangered the orangutan.
Conservation
- Several groups strive to save, rehabilitate, and reintroduce orangutans. The Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation, created by naturalist Willie Smits, is the largest of them, operating programs such as the Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Program, developed by conservationist Lone Droscher Nielsen.
- A female orangutan was rescued from a local brothel in Kareng Pangi, Central Kalimantan, in 2003. The orangutan was groomed and chained for sexual purposes. Pony, the freed orangutan, has been living with the BOS since his release.
- She has been resocialized with other orangutans. The BOS rescued an albino orangutan from captivity in May 2017. The uncommon primate was being held prisoner in a secluded town in Kapuas Hulu, on the Indonesian Borneo island of Kalimantan.
- Albino orangutans are exceedingly unusual, according to BOS volunteers (one in ten thousand). It is the first albino orangutan sighted by the organization in its 25-year history.
Orangutan Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about orangutans across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Orangutan worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Orangutans, which are one of the great apes, along with gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos. These large arboreal mammals can only be found in Asia, specifically in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo. Unlike other apes, orangutans are semi-social, meaning they prefer to be alone most of the time.
Complete List of Included Worksheets
- Orangutan Facts
- Person of the Forest
- The Great Apes
- What’s the Difference?
- Flanged or Unflanged?
- Picture Board
- Certified Orangutan!
- Run for Life
- Red Ape Hunt
- Orangutan Files
- Hear Me! Hear Me!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Orangutan?
Orangutans are giant apes that live in the Indonesian and Malaysian jungles. They are presently only found in Borneo and Sumatra, once distributed across Southeast Asia and South China.
What does the name Orangutan mean?
The Malay orangutan means “forest person,” and these longhaired, Orangish monkeys, found exclusively in Sumatra and Borneo, are brilliant and distant cousins of humans.
What do Orangutan eats?
During the day, these cerebral primates seek food. Most of their food consists of rainforest tree fruit and leaves, and they also consume bark, insects, and meat in rare instances.
How closely related to humans are Orangutans?
The orangutan is the third nonhuman primate whose genome has been sequenced, following the chimp and the rhesus macaque. Researchers discovered that humans and orangutans share around 97% of their DNA, compared to approximately 99% sequence similarity between humans and chimps.
Are Orangutans endangered?
The IUCN Red List of Mammals severely endangers all three species. Because orangutans only dwell in a few places and rely on trees, they are especially vulnerable to logging in these regions. However, deforestation and other human activities like hunting have endangered the orangutan.
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