Habits
The orangutan lives a solitary life in the treetops of the rainforest. With the exception of adult males, orangutans rarely descend to the groud. The orangutan is a diurnal animal - that is, active during daylight hours. At night, females and youngsters sleep in a nest of branches placed in the fork of a tree. Because males are heavier, they generally prefer to sleep on the ground. All orangutans sleep on their sides with their arms cushioning their heads. At daybreak, orangutans leave their nests and go searching for food. Orangutans are far less sociable than other apes, and do not live in large social groups. Adult males are particularly solitary, and stake out areas of forest that they defend as their own territories, fighting other males who intrude, if necessary. Females occasionally group together loosely with their young.
Food and Feeding
Fruit, nuts, leaves, bark, insects, and eggs form the diet of an orangutan. When the food suppy in a particular area is plentiful, an orangutan may remain in one place for a period of time to feed. Although several orangutans may feed from the same tree, there is little interaction or competition. Orangutans, like the other apes, appear to be highly intelligent. They can memorize the geography of their surroundings and will travel great distances to find trees that have ripe fruit. When orangutans are thirsty, they locate a hollow in a tree where water has collected from past rainstorms.
Orangutan and Man
The orangutan poses no threat to man, yet man is its only enemy. The orangutan's natural habitat has been destroyed to provide land and timber for an increasing human population. Female orangutans are slaughtered so that their babies can be captured for zoos. The babies often die in captivity. Since its breeding rate is relatively slow, its numbers have bot recovered and it is a seriously endangered species.
Did you know?
Because the orangutan spends most of it's life in trees, its arms are longer and stronger than any other ape's.
"Orang" and "utan" are the Malay words for "man" and "jungle." The literal meaning of the name, therefore is "mand of the jungle."
Centuries ago, orangutans were much larger than they are today. Fossils show that a species of giant orangutan existed in China 500,000 years ago.
Distribution
Restricted to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.
Size
Length: Males, 4 feet. Females, 3 feet.
Weight: Males, 130-200 lbs. Females, 90-110 lbs.
Lifestyle
Call: Squeaks and whines. Adult males make long, bubbling calls and also roar.
Habit: Diurnal and mainly solitary.
Lifespan: Average 35 years.
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