Author: beborneo

Overview The orangutan is the only member of the great ape family found in Asia.  All other members of the great ape family are located in Africa; chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), gorilla (Gorilla gorilla and Gorilla beringei), and bonobo (Pan paniscus). There are two species of orangutan, the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) distributed across the island of Borneo in Indonesia (Kalimantan) and Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak, and the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) situated on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The two species have been geographically separated for at least 8,000 years when increased sea levels isolated the two islands.  Based on scientific research investigating genetics, morphology, ecology, behaviour and life history, Sumatran and Bornean orangutans demonstrate significant differences (Delgado & van Schaik, 2000; Groves, 2001; Zhang et al., 2001). Overall physical characteristics The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) has a larger body size, and has dark or reddish brown short hair; The Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) has a smaller body size, with brighter orange hair In both species, male orangutans are much larger than the females, typically two to three times heavier. Male orangutans develop large cheek pads (flanges) which develop post-sexual maturity Bornean Orangutan The Bornean orangutan is classified into 3 sub-species (Groves, 2001; Warren et al., 2001): Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus, ranging from northwest Kalimantan (including Betung Kerihun and DanauSentarum National Parks) north of the Kapuas river, across the east of Sarawak state (Malaysia) Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii, ranging from south of Kapuas river in West Kalimantan to east of the Barito river in Central Kalimantan Pongo pygmaeus morio ranging throughout Sabah and East Kalimantan south to the Mahakam river. Habitat and Behaviour Bornean orangutans inhabit lowland tropical dry-land and swamp forests up to 500 m above sea-level, occasionally ranging higher or in degraded habitats.  Orangutans are the largest arboreal animal, i.e.

Q: Where do orangutans live? Orangutans live in the forest of Sumatra and Kalimantan (Borneo). These are the ONLY places in the world where orangutans live. Orangutans live mainly on trees and only occasionally come down to the ground. Q: What do orangutans eat? Their main food is fruit (60%) Young leaves (25%) Flowers and bark (10%) Insects, mainly ants, termites and crickets (5%) And the occasional egg. Q: What do orangutans NOT eat? Meat and fish. They eat eggs but not birds and no other animals. Q: Are orangutans nocturnal? No, they are active during daylight and rest during the night. Q: How long can orangutans live? In the wild, their average lifespan is 45-50 years. They have been known to live longer up to 65 years in captivity. Q: What noise does an orangutan make? They “squeak” to communicate. Infants cry like a baby, and young ones scream and throw tantrums. Older orangutans make a long noise (over 1 minute) that sounds like “grumph”. It can be heard 300 metres in the forest. The adult males inflate their throat pouch and make a long call. This is a loud, pitched roaring that carries up to a kilometre in the forest. Q: How big are orangutans? An infant weighs around half a kilo at birth. Adult females grow to 1.3 metres in height and can weigh 45kg. Males can sometimes reach 1.8 metres in height and can weigh over 120kg. Q: What are the differences between male and female orangutans? Adult males are much bigger than females. As well as the size, the face changes dramatically as he gets older. He grows beard and moustache. The strongest (sexually dominant) male gets wide cheek pads and a throat pouch under his chin. Q: How many babies are born at a