Fauna

Orangutan The Intelligent Mammals

Orangutans, whose name means “people of the forest,” live in tropical and swamp forests on the Southeast Asian islands of Borneo and Sumatra. These shaggy red apes are the

largest arboreal mammal and the only great ape found in Asia.

Orangutan's General Classification

• Genus: Pongo
• Species: P. albelii (Sumatran) or P. pygmaeus (Bornean)
• Type: Mammals
• Diet: Omnivores, mostly herbivores
• Life span : 35 to 45 years (in the wild) & up to 60 years (in captivity)
• Size: Male is 97 cm; female is 78.
• Weight: Males 60-90 kg; females 40-50 kg.

Long, flowing, reddish hair covers most of an orangutan’s gray skin. Its stocky body has a flexible pelvis, a thick neck, and bowed legs. The orangutan's arms are longer than its legs, reaching nearly to its ankles when the ape stands up. Like other apes, orangutans don't have a tail. 

Orangutan's Life Cycle

The orangutan baby is born 9 months after a successful mating. They stay in physical contact with their mother at all times until they are up to 8 y.o. They receives crucial knowledge from the mother on how to survive in the forest on its own. It learns where to find food, what to eat, how to build sleeping nests, how to orientate in the forest and how to avoid natural enemies.

Orangutan's Diets
Orangutans eat lots of ripe fruits—up to 100 kinds.
 Figs, along with fruit of the durian tree, are most common. When fruits are scarce, they eat leaves, flowers, bark, honey, termites, ants and other insects, and even bird eggs

Orangutan's Facts

Orangutan are intelligent animal

They can saw a wood. They use tools like sticks to check depth of the water before entering. When mosquitoes bother them, they use branches to chase them away. When it rains or when sun is too strong, they will use large leaves to protect their heads.

Orangutan are solitary animal

Males always live on their own while females live alone or with their offspring. Males and females spend time together only during mating season.

Question!

1. Orangutans are found on the islands of...

a. Japan

b. China

c. South Africa

d. Borneo and Sumatra 

e. Amazon Forest

2. An orangutan is...

a. a monkey.

b. an ape

c. a bear

d. a gorilla

e. a chimpanzee

3. In the Indonesian language, "orangutan" means...

a. person of the forest

b. large, hairy creature

c. orange-colored

d. smart animal

e. lazy creature

4. Orangutans spend most of their time...

a. on the ground

b. high in the trees

c. on the outskirts of cities

d. on the farm

e. on the zoo

5. A baby orangutan will stay with its mother until it is...

a. 3 to 4 years old

b. 6 to 10 years old

c. 18 years old

d. up to 8 years old

e. 1 to 2 years old