Orangutan: Characteristics, Behavior And Habitat
There are many kinds of primates . However, the best known are the chimpanzee, the gorilla and the orangutan, the latter two being the largest primates of the species. Today, we want to tell you everything we know about the orangutan. Are you still with us?
Everything you need to know about the orangutan
Another name used to refer to the orangutan is Pongo, he is part of the Hominidae family , which means “man of the jungle”. Despite its size and wild appearance, it spends much of its life in trees, although it is true that they have sudden mood swings.
General features
Its fur is long and red, although it does not have excessive hairs. It has no hair on its chest, belly and palms. When standing, it can measure up to two meters in height, although this is an exception. This is because, as a rule, it is no more than six feet tall, less than its arms, which can measure up to three meters when extended. In fact, it is common sense to picture an orangutan walking on its stumps.
Something that stands out in your physique is the adiposities or accumulations of fat that are found on your face and neck. They say that the bigger they are, the higher their place in the group. Your Weight can reach a hundred kilos.
Habitat and food
The orangutan is an endangered animal. Although most of its population is found in Sumatra and Borneo, it appears that fossils have been found that indicate that the first orangutans lived more than ten thousand years ago in central China. Today, it is estimated that there are around twenty-five thousand orangutans around the world.
He loves living in tropical jungles, where he can climb leafy trees that provide comfort, shelter in winter and coolness in summer.
Their diet is mainly based on fruits . And that’s why he loves the jungles. There, he can get all kinds of fruits he already knows, according to the season, and know which are the best to eat. Your instinct works amazingly.
In addition to fruits, light leaves, flowers and bark are also part of their diet. From the latter, he will remove the insects that inhabit them, such as ants, crickets and termites.
Behavior
They are lonely. In fact, they spend ninety percent of their lives alone . The same does not happen in the case of females, who live for several years with their children, while the father does not participate in this coexistence.
On the one hand, when they are female offspring, they will always have a strong bond that will bind them to their mother for the rest of their life. And, on the other hand, in the case of male offspring, when they reach adulthood, they move away and go about their own business.
As long as there is food in abundance, they like to gather with others to eat, even playing at throwing food at each other. However, a problem arises when food becomes scarce. The law of the jungle is well known: “the strongest survives”.
Orangutans do not submit to a hierarchy. However, as we said before, the adiposities on your face and neck mark who is the dominant male. They are not known as aggressive animals, but they do change when they feel threatened by something.
A curiosity: some specimens were observed that use large leaves of trees to shelter from the rain, to emit sounds that frighten predators and even to wipe their faces. What can we say? A really smart animal!
How was it for you to get to know this wonderful animal a little more closely? We love to help you, as the more you learn about different animals, the more you will love and respect them, thus preventing their extinction over time.
