Facts About Orangutan

Orangutan is one of the four great apes: in the world, the other three being gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos. At the same time, it is the only ape that is found in Asia, all the other three are from Africa. Native to Indonesia and Malaysia, orangutans are presently found inhabiting the islands of Borneo and Sumatra only. They can be divided into two separate species, namely the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) and the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus). Habitat destruction, poaching and predation have led to steep decline in the population of the animal. Read on to get some interesting facts and amazing information on orangutans.  

Facts about Orangutan

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Primates

Family: Hominidae

Subfamily: Ponginae

Genus: Pongo

Type Species: Pongo pygmaeus

Species: Pongo pygmaeus and Pongo abelii

Height (males): Around 175 cm (5 ft 9 in)

Weight (males): Around 118 kg (260 lbs)

Height (females): Around 127 cm (4 ft 2 in)

Weight (females): Around 45 kg (100 lbs)

Color: Reddish-brown

Natural Habitat: Rainforests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra

Diet: Mainly fruits (with sugary or fatty pulp), along with young leaves, shoots, seeds and bark, insects and bird eggs

Age: 35 to 40 years (wild), 50 (captivity) years

Age of Maturity: 8 years

Gestation Period: 8 to 9 months

Number of Offspring: One

Interesting & Amazing Information on Orangutans

• In the earlier times, people thought an orangutan to be a person hiding in the trees, trying to avoid having to go to work or become a slave.
• Orangutan is the only ape that is strictly arboreal. At the same time, it is the largest tree-living mammal in the world.
• An orangutan baby has the longest childhood dependence on its mother in the world, averaging at six years.
• Orangutan females give birth only about once every 8 years, the longest time between births of any mammal on earth.
• A male orangutan uses its throat sac to make a very notable call that echoes through the forest. It is used either to locate and advertise their presence to females or to warn away other males.
• The hands of an orangutan are very much like that of humans. They have four long fingers and an opposable thumb.
• Orangutans are very intelligent. They have been known to use leaves as umbrellas, in rainy season, as well as cups, to help them drink water.
• Every evening, orangutans construct a ‘nest’, of leaves and branches, on trees, in which they will curl up and sleep at night.
• Orangutans do not swim.
• Orangutans have an enormous arm span. A male orangutan can stretch his arms as much as 7 ft (2.1 m) wide, from fingertip to fingertip.
• Orangutans are active in the daytime and spend lot of their time looking for food.
• The arms of an orangutan are incredibly long and almost reach down to their ankles.
• Orangutans are solitary animals, which generally come together only to mate and then part ways again.
• As a male orangutan gets older, its face starts developing cheek pads and the throat starts getting a pouch.
• Orangutans share almost 97 percent of the human DNA.

Threats to Orangutans

Orangutans face several significant threats to their survival, primarily due to human activities and habitat degradation. Some of the main reasons why orangutans are endangered include:

Habitat Loss: Deforestation is a major threat to orangutans. Large-scale logging, conversion of forests for agriculture (including palm oil plantations), mining, and infrastructure development result in the loss of their natural habitat. This habitat loss fragments orangutan populations, making it difficult for them to find food, mates, and suitable areas for nesting.

Illegal Logging and Land Clearing: Illegal logging and land clearing exacerbate habitat loss for orangutans. Even in protected areas, orangutan habitats are often encroached upon illegally, leading to further deforestation and degradation of their habitat.

Palm Oil Plantations: The expansion of palm oil plantations is a significant threat to orangutans. Large areas of rainforest are cleared to make way for palm oil production, leading to habitat loss and fragmentation. Orangutans often suffer from starvation, conflict with humans, and increased vulnerability to poaching as a result of palm oil expansion.

Illegal Hunting and Poaching: Orangutans are sometimes hunted or killed for bushmeat or captured for the illegal pet trade. Hunting and poaching, along with habitat loss, have led to a decline in orangutan populations.

Human-Orangutan Conflict: As their habitats shrink, orangutans come into more frequent contact with humans, leading to conflicts. Orangutans may raid crops or villages in search of food, leading to retaliation from farmers or communities.

Efforts to address these threats include habitat protection, conservation initiatives, sustainable land use practices, anti-poaching measures, and efforts to promote sustainable palm oil production. However, orangutans remain critically endangered, and continued conservation efforts are essential to ensure their survival in the wild.