Orangutans what do they look like

They also eat bark, insects and, on rare occasions, meat. Orangutans are more solitary than other apes. Males are loners. As they move through the forest they make plenty of rumbling, howling calls to ensure that they stay out of each other's way. Mothers and their young, however, share a strong bond. Infants will stay with their mothers for some six or seven years until they develop the skills to survive on their own.

Female orangutans give birth only once every eight years—the longest time period of any animal. The animals are long-lived and have survived as long as 60 years in captivity. Because orangutans live in only a few places, and because they are so dependent upon trees, they are particularly susceptible to logging in these areas. Unfortunately, deforestation and other human activities, such as hunting, have placed the orangutan in danger of extinction. All rights reserved. Common Name: Orangutans.

Scientific Name: Pongo. While the other great apes are usually found in groups socializing, foraging, or playing, orangutans tend to be more solitary and seem to have a more internal approach to everything. While other great apes might go from tree to tree searching for fruit, an orangutan just sits in the forest canopy for hours on end until the location of the hidden fruit seems to mysteriously reveal itself and the orangutan swings over for its meal. But an orangutan approaches the challenge quite differently.

It may stare off into space or even scratch itself with the peg. Then, after a while, it offhandedly sticks the peg into the correct hole while looking at something else that has caught its interest! Orangutans spend most of their lives in trees and travel by swinging from branch to branch with their long arms.

They usually build a new nest every night, but may occasionally reuse one. The apes also use leafy branches to shelter themselves from rain and sun, and sometimes they drape large leaves over themselves like a poncho! Orangutans on Sumatra, especially younger ones, have to worry about tigers, as well as other predators such as clouded leopards, large pythons, and crocodiles.

Orangutans eat lots of ripe fruits—up to kinds. Figs, along with fruit of the durian tree, are most common. When fruits are scarce, they eat leaves, flowers, bark, honey, termites, ants and other insects, and even bird eggs. Sometimes several mothers and their young encounter each other by a fruit tree within their overlapping ranges. They peacefully feed together and watch their youngsters play.

Although the apes get lots of water from the fruits and other vegetation they eat, they drink water, too. They lick water from tree hollows, wet plants, and even from the fur on their arms. At the San Diego Zoo, the orangutans are offered cabbage, romaine lettuce, kale, carrots, yams, broccoli, bananas, apples, oranges, and grapes. Other tidbits might include papaya, corn, turnip, onion, popcorn, raisins, peanut butter, and walnuts. The orangutan's motto is: food should never be boring!

Orangutans have large home ranges , which may overlap. Each adult female usually lives in a stable home range of about 3. Males tend to be more nomadic, visiting female ranges as needed. When males are fighting, they charge at each other and break branches. All other apes and monkeys live in social groups, but orangutans are a little different.

Swing by wwf. While you wait for it to be checked and approved why not to add a pre-selected message and a cool badge. I think all of us should help the orangutans survive in the forest and help them not to get endangered.

This really helped with my homework. These great apes are only found in the wild on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. All three species are critically endangered, with just over , Bornean, fewer than 14, Sumatran, and less than Tapanuli orangutans left. Although they might look fairly similar with their fluffy ginger fur, Bornean orangutans have darker red coats and rounder faces than their Sumatran cousins.

But they do have some similarities - adult males have a beard and moustache - and adult female Sumatran orangutans also have beards. They spend most of their lives swinging through the canopies and need vast stretches of forest to find enough food and mates. Deforestation and hunting are the biggest threats to orangutans. This is largely for agriculture and infrastructure such as roads , but forest fires are also becoming more frequent with climate change.

The good news is that studies have shown deforestation is slowing down in Borneo. And Indonesia and Malaysia are setting stronger requirements for forest protection. Considering their standing height is around 1. Orangutans are incredibly dexterous and use both hands and feet while gathering food and travelling through the trees.

Like us, orangutans have four fingers and a thumb, and fingernails. Their feet look almost exactly the same as their hands — designed for agile climbing and gripping.