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Orangutan - PONGO PYGMAEUS

Endangered

Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
Subclass: True Mammals (Eutheria)
Order: First Order Mammals (Primatea)
Family: Pongidae.

The word "Orangutan": "Orangutan" is from the Malay "orang hutan," "man (of the) forest."

Location: Borneo and Sumatra in southeast Asia.

Habitat: Arboreal. Tropical forests.

Description: The orangutan is tail-less, with small ears and a small nose. The coat is long and soft, and reddish brown in color. The arched eyebrows are not very conspicuous, but the jaws are prominent. The head is pear-shaped, the eyes small, and the lips mobile. The arms are very long and strong, and its grasping feet give it a four-handed appearance. Around the face of the adult male there is a crest to which the powerful temporal muscles are attached. Standing height of the orangutan is about 55 inches, and it weighs about 165 lbs, with females about 80 to 85% the height and 50% of the weight of males.

Behavior: The orangutan feeds mainly on fruit, especially on figs, but it also eats leaves, bark, shoots, and flowers. It is arboreal, rarely descending to the ground. It usually lives a solitary life, with mothers and offspring forming the only long-term bond. The adult males live on their own, and only join a female and her young on a temporary basis for mating. There is no evidence of fighting between adult males, and they do not appear to display any territorial behavior. They are inordinately strong for their size, and have been trained to give sign language, which skill they are able to retain for years without practice.

Reproduction: The gestation period lasts between 233 and 263 days, and the single infant is nursed for many months.