Orangutan

Fast Facts

Common name: orangutan, orang-utan

Class: Mammalia

Order: Primate

Family: Pongidae

Genus species: Pongo (gorilla/orangutan) pygmaeus (small, dwarfish)

Size: head and body length, male, .97 m (3.2 ft.); female .78 m (2.6 ft.)

Weight: males up to 90 kg (198 lb.); females to 50 kg (110 lb.)

Description: the only great ape from Asia. Taxonomy is disputed, formerly two subspecies: Bornean (P. p. pygmaeus) has a round face with dark red coat; Sumatran (P. p. abelii ) has a long narrow face with paler longer hair. Adult males of both species have large cheek flaps.

Life span: up to 50 years

Sexual maturity: between 7 and 10 years of age

Gestation: 260 to 270 days

Habitat: Primary lowland swamp in Borneo and montane forest in northern Sumatra, Indonesia.

Diet: fruit and other plant materials including leaves, bark, flowers, and nuts, occasionally insects and small mammals.

Status: listed as endangered by USFWS and protected by CITES

Fun Facts

1. Unlike other great apes, orangutans are solitary by nature; this may be related to their need for large quantities of fruit which are dispersed throughout the forest.
   
   
2. Even though they are able to walk upright for short distances, orangutans travel mostly by brachiating (swinging from one branch to another by the arms) through trees, using well-worn corridors in the forest canopy.
   
   
3. Orangutans shelter themselves from rain and sun by holding leafy branches over their heads, and when constructing a night nest in the trees, will sometimes add a leafy roof.
   
   
4. Males have a large throat sac that helps them make "long calls." This travels for up to 1 km (.62 mile) through dense vegetation, which helps the males define territories.

Ecology and Conservation

Primarily fruit and plant eaters, orangutans play an essential role as seed dispersers throughout the forests of Indonesia as they digest and eliminate waste. They choose select green leaves and shoots, and in doing so act as pruners that aid in regenerating plant growth. Uncontrolled increases in human populations in Southeast Asia have reduced the range and numbers of orangutans. Much of their habitat is either clear cut for agriculture or lumber production. The capture and sale of baby orangutans is also a worldwide problem. This practice continues despite the many government and non-government organizations created to eliminate the exploitation of endangered wildlife.

Bibliography

Galdikas, Birute M. F. Reflections of Eden . Canada: Little, Brown & Company, 1995.

Napier, J.R. and P.H. The Natural History of the Primates. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1985.

Nowak, Ronald M. (ed.). Walkers Mammals of the World. Vol. I. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991.

Parker, S. (ed.). Grizmeks Encyclopedia of Mammals. Vol. II. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., 1990.

Preston-Mafham, Ken and Rod. Primates of the World . London: Blandford Publishing, 1992.

Rowe, Noel. The Pictorial Guide to the Living Primates . East Hampton, New York: Pogonias Press, 1996.

Tuttle, Russell H. Apes of the World: Their Social Behavior, Communication, Mentality and Ecology. New Jersey: Noyes Publications, 1986.

Last Update 5/98

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