Orangutan

(go back to The Animals)

Close relatives to humans, the orangutan is highly intelligent. Mostly tree dwellers, they live in tropical rainforests, including hill and swamp forests. The orangutan feeds mostly on forest fruits such as mangos and figs with leaves and shoots making up the remainder of their diet. Active and solitary they spend much of their lives in the trees seeking fruiting trees where they will spend hours feeding. They will occasionally eat small animals, tree bark, and soils rich in minerals. The female gives birth to one offspring only every eight years with the young staying close to their mothers until the next one comes along. Females reach maturity at around 10 years of age and remain fertile for more than 30 years.

Males establish their home range that includes several females. In the wild orangutans live about 35 years and about 60 years in captivity. The greatest threat to orangutans is forest loss from fires set by farmers for agricultural land and large companies who clear the way for plantations of oil palm and other crops. Both the Borneo and Sumatran Orangutan are seriously endangered and protection laws are needed to prevent the orangutan from becoming extinct.

Orangutan - Fast Facts

Type: Mammal
Diet: Omnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 35 - 40 years
Size: Adult 4.6 ft (1.4 m)
Weight: 66 to 198 lbs (30 to 90 kg)
Group name: troop
Status: CRITICAL

Buy a Orangutan Eye Wildlife Collectible Pin and help save the Orangutan.

---