Orangutans
by Echoe
Introduction
Man of the forest or pongo - they all give a name to the amazing ape that goes by the name of the orangutan.
Appearance
An orangutan looks much like a human. It has 2 arms and 2 legs. An orangutan has shaggy red brown fur that grows all over their body. Orangutans grow to 1.52400m long 1.8288 meters max. They weigh 32.25-50 kilos for a female and 50-100 kilos for a male, they also have an arm span of 1.52400 meters. Also an orangutan with a larger face is a male.
Habitat
Orangutans live in countries owned by Malaysia and Indonesia. These countries are called Borneo and Sumatra. Orangutans are not picky with where they live, although they prefer a dense rainforest with low fertile trees.
Threats
the orangutans biggest threat is logging and oil palm plantation. Tjhere are protected areas in Borneo and Sumatra but Three quarters of orangutans live out of the areas. The orangutan is an endangered species, and people killing mothers and taking their young into zoos and circuses illegally isn't helping that. there are approximately 19,000-25,000 left in the wild and 900 in captivity.
Behavior
Orangutans are very solitary creatures. they copy others often. in captivity orangutans copy humans, they do very peculiar things that they have copied. In the wild an orangutan will make a new nest every night to sleep in, because they are always on the move. adult male orangutans live alone and only come together with a female to mate.
Diet
The straggle fig is one of the orangutans favorite foods, but they can survive from bark and leaves for months, this is what they call a starvation diet. orangutans also feed on other kinds of vegetation and small vertebrates, including birds eggs and insects.
lifecycle
The orangutan has a very good breeding cycle. They give birth to one live young at a time, and the baby will cling to its mothers stomach until it is about 8 years old. After leaving their mums orangutans live for about 35-40 years in the wild.
other extra information
- Orangutan means man of the forest in Malay language.
- Pongo is the scientific name for the orangutan.