Orangutan: Characteristics, Behavior And Habitat

There are many species of monkeys in the world. While the chimpanzee family is probably the best known, the gorilla and the orangutan are the two largest subspecies. In this article we will talk about the latter, known as  Pongo or also as  Orangutan .

Everything you need to know about the orangutan

Perhaps not all readers know that this large primate, the only one present even outside the African continent, belongs to the hominid family, the same as the human being. Despite its size and wild appearance, it spends much of its life in trees, and is known to have sudden mood swings.

General characteristics

Its hair is long and red, although it can often be quite sparse. It has very little hair on its chest, belly and palms. If it remains standing, it can reach two meters in height, even if it is something exceptional. On average, an adult specimen stands around 175 cm. Its weight can reach and exceed 100 kilos.

However, the most surprising data concerns the very long arms, which can reach up to 3 meters, if fully extended. In fact, you are all familiar with the image of an orangutan walking leaning on the fingers of his hands. Something that stands out in his physique are some adiposities, or accumulations of fat, which are present on his face and neck.

At the social group level, it is interesting to note that the eldest specimen is in charge. A kind of patriarchy that is very reminiscent of the figure of the human ‘old sage’.

Habitat and nutrition

The orangutan is an endangered animal, although most of its population is found around the island of Sumatra and Borneo. Fossils seem to have been found that place the first living orangutans in areas of central China as many as 10,000 years ago. Today it is estimated that there are around 25,000 specimens of Pongo  around the world.

This distant relative of man loves to live in tropical forests. He prefers to climb lush trees that provide comfort , shelter in winter and help keep him cool in summer.

The diet of orangutans is mainly based on fruit. That’s why he loves forests. In them you can get all the types of fruit that you already know. Adult specimens know how to choose food carefully, discarding what they don’t like and marrying in search of new foods.

In addition to fruit, it adds  soft-type leaves, flowers and tree bark to its diet . By freeing the trees of their outermost layer, the orangutan can recover animal protein by feeding on small insects such as ants, grasshoppers and termites.

Behavior

Orangutans are solitary animals. In fact, they spend 90% of their life practically alone. It is not the same in the case of females, who live for several years next to their children. On the contrary, the father does not participate in any way in the protection or nutrition of the puppies.

If the young orangutans are female, they will always have a strong bond with their mother, for life. Very different is the behavior of young males who, as soon as they reach adulthood, go away forever, in search of a new territory, all for them.

As long as there is an abundance of food, it is possible to create moments of socialization between different members. Specimens have been seen throwing food at each other, jumping and climbing. When the resources of the forest are scarce, the only law of survival in nature, that of the strongest , is valid  .

Orangutans don’t have a hierarchy. But, as we said before, the adiposities of the face and neck mark who is the dominant male due to advanced age. They are not known as aggressive animals, but their calm and meek demeanor shouldn’t be misleading. In case of danger, or if they feel threatened, orangutans can unleash all their strength and aggression.

As a curiosity, some specimens have been observed that use large tree leaves to shelter from the rain. Other times they wrap them like a flute, to emit sounds that scare predators and even use them to wipe their faces. What else can we say? A truly intelligent animal.

Knowing ancient animals such as the orangutan is a way to discover the true origin of our planet. These beautiful animals are in danger of extinction and it is necessary for more and more people to understand that nature must be loved and respected. Even more so if we are dealing with species very close to the human race.