Orangutan island. Orangutans, Orangutan Pictures, Orangutan Facts. The Malay word orangutan means "person of the forest. " These long-haired, orangish primates, found only in Sumatra and Borneo, are highly intelligent and are close relatives of humans. Orangutans have an enormous arm span. A male may stretch his arms some 7 feet (2 meters) from fingertip to fingertip—a reach considerably longer than his standing height of about 5 feet (1.5 meters). When orangutans do stand, their hands nearly touch the ground. Orangutans' arms are well suited to their lifestyle because they spend much of their time (some 90 percent) in the trees of their tropical rain forest home. They even sleep aloft in nests of leafy branches.
They use large leaves as umbrellas and shelters to protect themselves from the common rains. These cerebral primates forage for food during daylight hours. Orangutans are more solitary than other apes. Mothers and their young, however, share a strong bond. NATURE. Critter Guide. Orangutan. With their bold orange coloring and distinctive cheek pads, orangutans make an unforgettable impression.
Shy and gentle, these great apes are extremely intelligent and have certain cultural behaviors that are passed down from generation to generation. Males, at 300 pounds, are twice the size of females. Males need this size advantage to compete against other males. Orangutans are also clever escape artists. Orangutans were once found all over Southeast Asia into Southern China, numbering in the hundreds of thousands.
Today, orangutans are critically endangered and found only in the tropical rainforests of Borneo (Malaysia and Indonesia) and Sumatra (Indonesia). Only 15,000 to 25,000 orangutans are left in the wild. Orangutans are fruit eaters, and will also eat leaves, flowers, bark, and insects. Orangutans are diurnal and spend most of their life high in the canopy, swinging from limb to limb, foraging for food. About Orangutans. The name “orangutan” literally translates into English as “person of the forest”. It comes from Malay and Bahasa Indonesian orang (person) and hutan (forest).
Orangutans are extremely intelligent creatures who clearly have the ability to reason and think. Their similarity to us is uncanny. Baby orangutans cry when they’re hungry, whimper when they’re hurt and smile at their mothers. They express emotions just like we do: joy, fear, anger, surprise… it’s all there. Orangutans are large, but in general are quite gentle. Local Indonesian mythology has it that orangutans actually have the ability to speak, but choose not to, fearing they would be forced to work if were they ever caught.
Where are the orangutans? In prehistoric times, orangutans lived throughout Asia– roaming as far north as China. Orangutans are divided into two different subspecies. While exact numbers are unknown, one thing is for sure: the number of orangutans in the wild is decreasing drastically. Fact Sheet: Threats. Orangutan | Species. Orangutan Protection Foundation.