Orangutan Facts

Orangutans spend much more time in trees than the other great apes, and are the largest tree-dwelling mammals in the world.
Insatiable eaters, orangutans can spend an entire day feasting in one heavily laden fruit tree.
The name ‘orangutan’ means ‘man of the forest’ in the language of the local tribe’s people of Southeast Asia.
A mature male orangutan makes his presence known to other orangutans by breaking branches, bellowing and groaning. Local legends explain this as a sign of the ape’s grief over losing a human bride.
In Sumatra, the major predators of orangutans are tigers at ground level, and clouded leopards in trees.
Once found all over Southeast Asia, orangutans now live only in tropical Borneo and Sumatra.
Like chimpanzees, orangutans use sticks as tools to retrieve food from crevices and to scratch themselves.
Male orangutans have large air sacs that extend from their throats, under their arms and over their shoulders, and increase the loudness and range of their calls.
To help her young move from tree to tree, a mother orangutan pulls the branches of two trees closer together and makes a bridge with her body.
Orangutans make a nest at night, building a roof to keep off the rain.

This entry is filed under Interesting Facts.