Bornean Orangutan: MISSING
By Simon DiRienzo
Pango pygmaeus
The bornean orangutan is an Asian primate. It's scientific name is pango pygmaeus.
Characteristics
This animal has opposable thumbs. Having these are extremely helpful for swinging in trees, hold things and grab food. Also, some males have a facial disk. Their disks magnify their mating call, making it much easier to find a mate.
Habitat
The bornean orangutan lives in wet climates. They live in swamps, mountain forests and lowland rainforests. Without this wetter, more marshy lifestyle, they couldn't find enough food.
Information
The diet of a bornean orangutan consists of fish, figs, durians, leaves, seeds, birds, eggs, flowers, honey, insects and bark. They are omnivores, so will eat both plants and animal matter. The orangutan has been seen using spears to get fish and even branches to swat bees. Bornean are very solitary, different from its cousin, the sumatran orangutan.
Where?
The bornean orangutan lives on the island of Borneo, near Indonesia. The population ranges from 45,000-69,000.
Threats
Most of the causes for the population decreasing is from logging, mining, and hunting. Also, a devastating series of forest fires in Kalimantan wiped out over 8,000 orangutans. Sometimes, bornean orangutans are shot by farmers. When they travel to agricultural areas, like plantations or crops, farmers will shoot them.
Why it's Special
Bornean orangutans are crucial to keeping forests healthy. With their diet consisting of seeds, they help with spread and helping plants reproduce by tossing seeds around. Also, if the bornean orangutans died off, the forests of Borneo would be less diverse. Therefore, a disease could spread much faster and kill off more organisms.
They Need You!
The reward for finding the endangered bornean orangutan will present you with a hefty $20!!! Finding the ape will keep our forests growing and green. Find them today!