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| Animal | Orangutans |
| Scientific Name | Pongo |
| Type | Mammals |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Lifespan | 30 – 40 years |
| Size | 1.2 – 1.5 m standing |
| Weight | 33.1 – 81.6 kg |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Conservation status | Least concern > Near threatened > Vulnerable > Endangered > Critically endangered > Extinct in the wild > Extinct |
Orangutans are large mammals and have strong arms became they spend lots of time in trees. There are three different species of orangutan: Sumatran, Bornean, and Tapanuli. The Tapanuli orangutan was recently discovered in 2017 and is the most endangered, there are less than eight-hundred.
Habitat & Diet
Orangutans can be found in Sumatra and Borneo’s rainforests. They spend the majority of the day and night up in the trees and sleep in nests made from leaves and branches. They use huge leaves for cover when it rains.
During the daytime, orangutans search the forest for food. While they mostly eat leaves and fruits they found on the trees, they sometimes eat insects and barks, and, very rarely, meat.
Predators
Predators of orangutans include wild dogs, tigers, and clouded leopards. They also have to watch for humans, as they may hunt them for meat. Logging is a huge threat to orangutans as they spend lots of time in trees.
Intelligence
Besides humans, orangutans are the most intelligent primate. They are one of the few animals that can make and use tools such as sticks to do activities such as eat and communicate. They can also track object displacement, which is knowing objects still exist when not visible.
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William H. Calvin/Wikimedia Commons
Breeding & Reproduction
Unlike other apes, and unless mating or a mother-young relationship, orangutans are usually solitary animals. They make a lot of noise and howls to make sure nobody comes near. The howl can be heard up to two kilometers away.
After a nine-month gestation period, a single infant is born, but occasionally there are twins. Males don’t assist in the caring of infants and the infant needs the mother for the first two years of its life. As time goes on, they spend less and less time with their mother. Males become sexually mature at fifteen years.
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References:
- Orangutan on Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangutan#Intelligence_and_cognition
- Orangutan | Species on WWF – https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/orangutan
- Orangutans on National Geographic – https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/group/orangutans/
- Orangutans on WWF – https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/great_apes/orangutans/?
- Than K., 2011, Hundreds of Orangutans Killed Annually for Meat on National Geographic – https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/11/111115-orangutans-meat-animals-environment-science/
