Orangutans
Physical
Description
|
Height: |
Male – 4
to 5 feet; Female – 3
½ to 4 feet |
|
Weight: |
Male – 175
to 225 pounds (in wild); males in captivity can reach 300
pounds or more Female –
80 to 125 pounds (in wild) |
|
Arm Length: |
2 ½ to 3
feet; about two-thirds of the orangutan’s height |
|
Color: |
Reddish-brown;
Sumatran males grow white or yellow beards |
|
Physical
Features: |
Bare face
with round eyes and small ears; long, shaggy hair; long
arms; curled fingers and feet; enormous size difference
between males and females; males develop large pads on
cheeks and large throat pouches at age 15 to 20 |
Distinctive
Habits and Characteristics
-
Adult males lead mostly solitary lives (except when consorting with females).
-
Females associate with their infant and juvenile offspring and occasionally an adult sister or mother for short periods of time.
-
Males communicate by the long call for territorial and courting purposes.
-
Both sexes are arboreal, spending most of their time in trees, building nests at night, swinging through the trees, and eating in the trees.
-
The lighter an orangutan is, the more active; as they grow older and heavier, they become slower and more cautious, testing each branch before putting their full weight on it.
-
They rarely descend from treetops to ground; when they do, they usually walk on all fours (quadrupedal).
-
Arms are stronger and longer than legs (1 ½ times longer).
-
Reach from fingertip to fingertip can be as long as 8 feet.
-
They pucker up their lips to feel the texture of a piece of fruit or food before they bite into it.
-
They are very skilled at escaping from enclosures.
Location
Found in the
tropical rain forest on the islands of Sumatra (Indonesia) and
Borneo (Malaysia and Indonesia).
Diet
Mainly
fruit, some leaves, flowers, buds, bark, and insects.
Reproductive
Cycle
Female
gives birth every 7 to 9 years; gestation period is 227 to 275
days (8 to 9 months); females raise young alone; infants nurse
about 4 years.
Life
Stages
|
Infant: |
Birth to 4
years (carried by mother) |
|
Juvenile: |
4 to 8 years
(still with mother) |
|
Adolescent: |
Female – 8
to 15 years Male – 8
to 13 years |
|
Sub-adult: |
13 to 18
years (males only) |
|
Adult: |
Female –
15+ years Male – 18+
years |
Life
Span
40
to 50 years in the wild; 50 to 60 years in captivity.
Endangered
Status